RE/MAX Mainstreet is the homepage for over 93,338 agents in over 78 countries around the world. This month I am featured as the headline news story about my video marketing and its use in real estate. I don’t intended to post this as a “hey look at me” type deal, but rather to understand how being featured above all agents not only helps you, my client, but connects me with agents around the world who have clients looking for property.

As a seller, you never know where the next offer could come from. Having an agent who is networked with other agents gives you an unmeasurable difference that could be the difference between selling and not selling your property. EXAMPLE - If I have a client who is looking at moving to Vancouver, I am going to ensure that my friend Ian Watt, takes care of there purchase in Vancouver. Now Ian is going to show the clients his listings and hopefully match everybody together. Without the relationship that Ian and myself have, that sale might never of happened.

Every time I am featured on an International level, my network grows. Which means your network grows. Meaning more money in your pocket.

- Matt Richling

Take a look at the new website to showcase the new Besserer street condominium building. GalleriaCondosOttawa.com is to serve anyone looking to get into the building, those currently in the building, and assist with anyone who is looking to rent out their unit.

The site features all units that are currently for sale in the building, which gives you a one-stop-shop for condos in that building. It features a Community Rental Board, which allows anyone (including other real estate agents) to post their for rent ads. As well for those who are already in the building, they can find contact information for condo board staff as well as store and restaurant locations in the area!

Powered by Matt Richling, GalleriaCondosOttawa.com is another website that is added to his already impressive online marketing arsenal. Each website is built and designed in order to funnel buyers who are looking to purchase, in front of your listing.

For more information visit GalleriaCondosOttawa.com or MattRichling.com. If you would like to post your rental information visit the message board or email Matt@Mattrichling.com.

If you would like Matt Richling to sell your downtown Ottawa condo or if you are looking for a unit for sale in Ottawa please contact Matt Richling at 613-286-9501 or by email Matt@MattRichling.com.
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http://www.MattRichling.com

This morning a great article was published in the Globe and Mail that touches on a couple important subjects that every first time condo buyer should think about before purchasing your first condo.

The writer speaks about how condo buyers are allowing emotions to get the best and are not fully prepared for condo ownership. They see short commutes, no maintenance, and the lifestyle that developers are selling, before fully doing the math.

The buyers ‘ass’u'me’ that it is cheaper to live in a condo since you only pay one fee per month and wont have to pay for a furnace, roof or any of the other costs that can suddenly pop-up. But the writer explains that you might still have unexpected expenses that the reserve fund cannot cover and will have to reach out to the unit owners for additional funds. The writer gives some pretty extreme examples, but still very important.

Good little article that might take the wind out of your sail, but rightly so, you should be financially ready to own a home. The last thing I would want to do is help you sell because you cannot afford to live in your dream home.

Do you agree with me/the writer? Do you disagree? Tell me in the comments below or call me 613-286-9501 or email Matt@MattRichling.com.

Click below for the full article! Click to continue »

(The above video might not work through your RSS reader. Pop over to the website to view!)

Almost daily, I get the question about what exactly separates one unit from the other. I took a little trek over to the Mondrian which is still under construction to show what is keeping the elephants out!

Please leave your comments below! And you can also call me direct 613-286-9501 or email Matt@MattRichling.com!

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http://www.MattRichling.com

"pumpkin season" by émiliep on flickr

When you purchase a condominium in Ottawa we include in the offer a condition that allows you to research the condominium and read over its “status certificate” with your lawyer. This also gives you time to get in contact with members of the condo board and talk to them about the following questions. During the process you will learn how responsive and organized its members are. More importantly it will allow you to find out if there are any problems before it is too late.

1. What percentage of units is owner-occupied? What percentage is tenant-occupied? Generally, the higher the percentage of owner-occupied units, the more marketable the units will be at resale.

2. What covenants, bylaws, and restrictions govern the property? What grandfather clauses are in place? You may find, for instance, that those who buy a property after a certain date can’t rent out their units, but buyers who bought earlier can. Ask for a copy of the bylaws to determine if you can live within them.

3. How much does the association keep in reserve? Plus, find out how that money is being invested.

4. Are association assessments keeping pace with the annual rate of inflation? Smart boards raise assessments a certain percentage each year to build reserves to fund future repairs.To determine if the assessment is reasonable, compare the rate to others in the area.

5. What does and doesn’t the assessment cover? Does the assessment include common-area maintenance, recreational facilities, trash collection, and snow removal?

6. What special assessments have been mandated in the past five years? How much was each owner responsible for? Some special assessments are unavoidable. But repeated, expensive assessments could be a red flag about the condition of the building or the board’s fiscal policy.

7. How much turnover occurs in the building? This will tell you if residents are generally happy with the building. According to research by the Canadian Real Estate Association®, owners of condos in two-to-four unit buildings stay for a median of five years, and owners of condos in a building with five or more units stay for a median of four years.

8. Is the condo building in litigation? This is never a good sign. If the builders or home owners are involved in a lawsuit, reserves can be depleted quickly.

9. Is the developer reputable? Find out what other projects the developer has built and visit one if you can. Ask residents about their perceptions. Request an engineer’s report for developments that have been reconverted from other uses to determine what shape the building is in. If the roof, windows, and bricks aren’t in good repair, they become your problem once you buy.

10. Are multiple associations involved in the property? In very large developments, umbrella associations, as well as the smaller association into which you’re buying, may require separate assessments.

I came across a list by NAR (National Association Of Realtors, basically our USA counterpart) and decided to Canadianize the list. You can check out the original list here.

If you  would like to talk about buying a condo here in Ottawa, please contact Matt Richling directly 613-286-9501 or by email Matt@MattRichling.com.

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http://www.MattRichling.com

So it is the middle of the month. PERFECT opportunity to breakdown the current statistics for the Ottawa Condo Market. We are going to talk about three markets - Entire Ottawa, Downtown Core, and West Ottawa North.

ENTIRE OTTAWA

Currently in Ottawa there are 560 condo properties for sale across the entire Ottawa Real Estate board (107 of which are conditionally sold, but not sold firm). The average price for all these listed is $350,101. Over the last month (most accurate current information), the average price listed was $234,115 with the average sale being $230,111 - providing a 98% list to sale price ratio with average of 30 DOM (days on market). Total amount of condominiums sold in Ottawa, year to date is 2,650.

DOWNTOWN OTTAWA CORE

Currently in the downtown Ottawa core (see above map) there are 124 condominium properties for sale (16 which are conditional sold, but not sold firm). The average list price for these units is $543,868, which is high, mainly due to a fair number of new construction buildings listing the penthouse/larger units - in return raises the average). Over the last month (most accurate current information), the average price listed was $335,025 with the average sold price being $333,799 - providing a 100% list to sale price ratio with an average of 13 DOM (days on market). Total amount of condominiums sold in the downtown core, year to date is 375.

WEST OTTAWA NORTH

Currently in the west Ottawa north area (see above map) there are 62 condominium properties for sale (12 which are conditional sold, but not sold firm). The average list price for these units is $439,958, which is high, due to a couple high priced resale listings. Over the last month (most accurate current information), the average price listed was $294,412 with the average sold price being $289,578 - providing a 99% list to sale price ratio with an average of 39 DOM (days on market). Total amount of condominiums sold in the west Ottawa north area, year to date is 221.

RECAP

What does this mean? If you are looking in the downtown core, units are NOT lasting on the market. If you are relying on solely checking the MLS website, *YOU WILL MISS OUT ON PROPERTIES* especially in this market. Get signed up on an auto-notification search through your Realtor. Ensure he/she is sending you the listings asap, not one a one email per day or week setup. Also this data also shows that if you are willing to move outside the downtown core how much you can save. In most cases $40,000 or even up to $100,000 for certain parts of the city. Where do you want to live? What is your pre-approved (through a mortgage broker) amount, and what is your budget (sometimes these are two very separate numbers)?

If you would like more specific data about your area, or would like to talk about selling your home, please contact Matt Richling directly 613-286-9501 or by email Matt@MattRichling.com.

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http://www.MattRichling.com

The housing market in Ottawa was hot again, despite not so great weather which (most think) fueled the resale housing market. Members of the Ottawa Real Estate board sold 1,577 residential properties in July 2009 compared to 1,414 in July 2008. That is an increase of 11.5 percent over 2008.

Home values saw an increase with the average condominium sale price rising 2.9 percent over July 2008 to $216,826. Residential homes saw an increase of 1.2 percent over July 2008 to $322,795.

“Ottawa’s resale housing market had another strong month in July, and strong sales in the past few months have brought year-to-date sales to 2.6 per cent higher than in 2008,” said Board President Rick Snell. “High demand combined with a very low listing inventory is creating a very strong seller’s market with multiple offers and an increase in prices,” he added.

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http://www.MattRichling.com

Matt Richling is a sales representative with RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd., Brokerage, Independently Owned and Operated - The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the RE/MAX or RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd., Brokerage.

"Chateau & Locks" by viamoi on Flickr

What a crazy month it has been! The last six weeks have been very busy around the office and it is great to see the statistics agreeing. The begining of the year was slower, and then the market just took off. When I speak to other agents, we are all seeing multiple offers, under 14 day DOM (days on market), many buyers taking advantage of the low financing rates.

What does this mean?
Be prepared. Get pre-approved. Know yourself, and know what you want. Have full communication with your real estate agent and tell him/her what you are thinking. In this type of market I can (and will) get you what you tell us that you are looking for, but if you are not ready, or if it is truly not the right property for you, we need to know!
I can go farther on this topic (stay tuned, another post for sure!), but will stay on topic of statistics for today.

Coles Notes Version: Number of sales over last May is up 3.9 per cent, and a 19 per cent over April 2009. Average price for is up 5.3 per cent over last May and condo price rose 4.6 per cent over last May.

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Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,969 residential properties in May through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,896 in May 2008, an increase of 3.9 per cent. That number also represents a 19 per cent increase over the 1,594 sales recorded in April 2009.

Of those sales, 348 were in the condominium property class, while 1,621 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, etc.) which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.

“This was the best May on record for residential resale home sales in Ottawa,” said Board President Rick Snell. “Homes in every price range are selling well, from starter homes to luxury properties. Homebuyers and sellers are showing a lot of confidence in the Ottawa real estate market,” he added.

The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in May in the Ottawa area was $312,045, an increase of 5.3 per cent over May 2008. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $231,351, an increase of 4.6 per cent over May 2008. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $329,368, an increase of 4.7 per cent over May 2008. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.

For the full release visit the Ottawa Real Estate Board Website.

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http://www.MattRichling.com

Matt Richling is a sales representative with RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd., Brokerage, Independently Owned and Operated - The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the RE/MAX or RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd., Brokerage.

Rideau Falls! Photo Credit to ViaMoi on Flickr

The monthly statistics were released by the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) today and are showing a very positive vibe. Overall, we are seeing increases in price and sales which is a great sign.

Since this time last year, average prices have rose one percent in residential and 2.8 percent with condominium properties. Sales of both residential and condominium are also up a modest 2.2 percent over last year. Something that Rick Snell, the president of OREB mentioned in the news release below is that there are still multiple offer scenarios taking place. Many of you have heard me tell my story about the property that I showed to a client that sold within 48 hours for about $11,000 over asking price (at the 200k mark that is about 5%). Good properties are not lasting, and it is still important to have all of your “ducks in a row” when looking at homes.

You can read the full news release below.

Spring Market in full bloom in Ottawa

May 5, 2009 : Spring Market in full bloom in Ottawa

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,594 residential properties in April through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 1,560 in April 2008, an increase of 2.2 per cent. There were 1,162 sales in March 2009

Of those sales, 323 were in the condominium property class, while 1,271 were in the residential property class. The condominium property class includes any property, regardless of style (i.e. detached, semi-detached, apartment, etc.) which is registered as a condominium, as well as properties which are co-operatives, life leases and timeshares. The residential property class includes all other residential properties.

“Spring is historically the busiest time in the Ottawa real estate market, and it is clear that this year is no exception. Out-of-town buyers as well as local buyers are taking advantage of the low interest rates and our stable real estate market,” said Board President Rick Snell.

“I’m hearing from Board members that some properties are even attracting multiple offers, which shows me the confidence buyers have in our market,” he added. The average price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in April in the Ottawa area was $298,150, an increase of 1 per cent over April 2008. The average price for a condominium-class property was $216,502, an increase of 2.8 per cent over April 2008. The average price of a residential-class property was $318,900, an increase of 0.7 per cent over April 2008. The Board cautions that average price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.

From the Ottawa Real Estate Board.

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http://www.MattRichling.com

Matt Richling is a sales representative with RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd., Brokerage, Independently Owned and Operated - The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the RE/MAX or RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd., Brokerage.

This was sent over to me from another agent in Toronto, who knew that I would just love to see and post about this. If you get a chance go grab this month’s copy of Canadian Business Magazine when you are in chapters. I will include my coles note version below.

- It is a buyers market, and great market for first time buyers entering the market.
- High end sales (+1 Million) are slow.
- Real Estate is STILL and will continue to be your best investment. Compared to stocks - On March 30th 09, the S&P/TSX composite index dropped 42% from its 52 week high, while real estate dropped only 11% since last may. (keep in mind this is the average across Canada, Ottawa has only dropped 3.3% since last feb)
- 48% of Canadians under the age of 35 plan to buy a home within two years (last year that number was 36%)
- Flipping homes in this market is not going to work, we still don’t really know what is going to happen.
- Rental markets are extremely strong, which are great for income producing real estate.
- There is also a chunk of the article on commercial real estate, so message me below if you would like to hear about that.

Check out the article and let me know what you think.

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http://www.MattRichling.com

Matt Richling is a sales representative with RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd., Brokerage, Independently Owned and Operated - The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the RE/MAX or RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd., Brokerage.