Web Site Facelift

More than four years have passed since www.HomesSoldDaley made its debut on the Internet. We are pleased to announce that the site has been completely improved and redesigned — while maintaining a user-friendly approach to design and operation.

Kindly take a look at the site and let us know if you have any comments or suggestions; and please check out the Technical section on the main page for best viewing tips.

Special thanks to John Atkinson of Fairmont House Design and Grant McNeil of Communication Works for their excellent work.

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) sold 1433 residential units through MLS® in June 2004, bringing the total for the first half of 2004 to 7494 units, 10.5% higher than 2003's six month total of 6781 units.

According to OREB, the average price of residential properties sold in June in the Ottawa area was $240,594 while the average price for the first six months of the year was $237,155 — up 8.6% over 2003. For the first half of 2004, the average selling price of a residential listing increased to $252,840 (up 8.6% from 2003) and the average selling price of a condominium increased to $171,495 (up 5.5% from 2003).

While ongoing low mortgage interest rates continue to fuel the Ottawa resales, the market is becoming more balanced as inventories increase and some properties take a little longer to sell.

Here are a number of useful tips for ensuring your home is cool and efficient this summer.

• Set your thermostat as high as possible in the summer, around 24 degrees C. Don’t set your thermostat at a cooler setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and unnecessary expense.
• With central air, make sure the ductwork and furnace are clean to allow maximum airflow. Change your filter regularly, even in summer.
  Ensure your humidifier has been shut off and cleaned. Close the damper on the unit or block the pipe that runs through the unit to prevent air flow.
• Gaps around windows and door frames, floors and walls should be caulked.
• Close shades and drapes during the day to keep out the sun’s rays. Exterior awnings are good sun blocks.
• Don’t place lamps or TV sets near your air conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
• Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units but ensure airflow isn’t blocked. Maintain a two foot clearance around the unit. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than a unit operating in the sun.
• The outside section of your air conditioner should be cleaned with a hose. The top cover can be removed to make cleaning easier.
• Shut off or block basement supply vents in summer to force cooling to the upper floors. Also shut off the supply vents in stairwells.
• Older homes may not have a basement air return vent. Add one to improve air conditioning efficiency by insuring recirculation of colder air.
• Set the furnace fan to run constantly even when the air conditioner is not on.

Source: Property Inspection Network

Showing your home effectively to prospective home buyers is one of the most important aspects of the entire selling process, yet it’s amazing how may homeowners don’t make the most of this opportunity. A home showing, whether it’s a showing appointment or an open house, is your best opportunity to capture the interest – and hopefully, the emotions – of a prospective buyer. It's your chance to distinguish your home from all the others in your area and price range, and make a connection with your viewers.

One of the best ways to make this emotional connection is to help potential buyers visualize the property as their home, not yours. In addition to cleaning the house from top to bottom, so everything is spic and span, you should also start the process of de-cluttering and de-personalizing. By removing the majority of your personal mementos and decorative items from the landscape, you are creating a blank canvass where the buyer can picture setting up their own belongings. Remember, they're looking for a home that most closely suits their own possessions, not how well it showcases yours. This is one of those cases where less is definitely more, so why not start the packing process early?

While there are many things that you can do to help make the showing of your property a success, the most important one may surprise you. One of the best ways you can help your salesperson conduct a successful showing is to get out before the potential buyers arrive, and stay out until after they've gone. Surprised? Don't be. Prospective buyers rarely speak their minds when they think the homeowner may still be in earshot. If your viewers don't speak freely about their objections or concerns, that doesn't leave much opportunity for your agent to counter them, offer solutions and point out other compensating factors.

Having the homeowners present in the property also tends to make viewers feel less comfortable taking a good look around. They feel as if they are intruding and tend to skip through rooms quickly. Your presence also inhibits the viewers' ability to picture themselves living there; it still seems like someone else's home. This is particularly true if other family members, children and pets are present. Even the best behaved children can distract your prospective buyers from their purpose, and in the case of pets, they can be a downright turnoff to some people.

You've chosen a real estate professional for their ability to showcase the best selling points of your home and to counter objections as they arise. Why not give your representative the freedom to do their job to the best of their ability? Whether it's an open house or a showing appointment, bundle up the kids and the dogs in the car, go out for a walk in the park and an ice cream, and leave the showing to the professional. It could make all the difference in selling your home.

Source: Coldwell Banker Canada

Homes that are properly built and reasonably maintained are permanent objects but tend to need complete renovation on a 40-year cycle with kitchens and baths being renovated — or updated — on a 20-year cycle.

Other systems also have statistical life expectancies. Astute buyers should know how long things last and what it will cost for their replacement.

Every resale home will have some deferred maintenance and all but a few will require minor repairs. The more significant costs tend to be those for near-term replacement, such as roofing, heating and air conditioning.

Purchasers who demand that sellers fix all problems, make all repairs and catch up on all maintenance often find their counter offers rejected because the seller has taken the condition of the house and the asking price into consideration.

Source: HomePro Reporter