Ottawa and Surrounding Area Real Estate market discussion

ilusa wrote: ↑ Ottawa's Real Estate Marketplace ~ April 2018 Edition



During the month of March 2018, members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,660 residential properties, compared to 1,478 in Mar 2017, an increase of 14.4% in the number of properties sold vs the previous year.

It took an average of 68 days for properties of all types to sell in March 2018 which is 14 days faster than the average in Mar 2017 and 9 days faster than the month before, Feb 2018.

Of these 1,660 sales, 1,302 were freehold houses, and 358 were condominiums.

The average sales price for a freehold house sold in March 2018, was $447,516 showing an increase of 8.0% over Mar 2017. While condominium average prices rose 0.7% from last year to $275,592.

2,692 new properties were listed for sale in March 2018, bringing the total number of properties for sale to 4,593 a decrease of 23.0% from March of last year.

http://www.hometeamottawa.com/stats/

Cas77 wrote: ↑ If you like having people over avoid Minto.

http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/column ... or-parking

bunget wrote: ↑ Paramount is the same.

djredhat wrote: ↑ What is the general consensus for Beacon Hill North?

Got fed up with Gatineau’s ridiculous healthcare, so looking around to move on the other side of the river.

The main reason for us to look at this area is for the schools. Colonel By seems to be consistently on the top at the secondaries, how about the primary schools - are they that good as well? Plus it is not far from the LRT that would literally drop me in my office once in service.

We are looking at some of the 20 yrs old condo-townhouses that are asking at 220+

michelb wrote: ↑ Personally, I really like it (have lived there my whole life). It's an older neighborhood .....

djredhat wrote: ↑ What is the general consensus for Beacon Hill North?

Got fed up with Gatineau’s ridiculous healthcare, so looking around to move on the other side of the river.

The main reason for us to look at this area is for the schools. Colonel By seems to be consistently on the top at the secondaries, how about the primary schools - are they that good as well? Plus it is not far from the LRT that would literally drop me in my office once in service.

We are looking at some of the 20 yrs old condo-townhouses that are asking at 220+

michelb wrote: ↑ Personally, I really like it (have lived there my whole life). It's an older neighborhood so lots tend to be bigger and it's well located for downtown commute. Most homes are older which is not as desirable (although quite a few will have been renovated). LRT / bus service is decent but I don't use it (if there was a Park & Ride at Blair (I don't consider the 21 Gold Permit spots available at Telesat a suitable option), I probably would but there isn't (and it's unlikely there will ever be) so it takes me almost as long to get from home to Blair as it does from Blair to downtown and the time it takes to bus versus driving in is significant enough to warrant paying for downtown parking and driving in). On the other hand, property values, really haven't gone up much compared to other areas. For families, there are a lot more "services" in Orleans as there are in Beacon Hill, all the schools are much older, etc. As far as the schools, ColonelBy does have a very good reputation (although it's not the only Ottawa school that scores well) but I personally don't put a lot of value in that. (Personally, I don't believe where you went to high school (or even University for that matter - although I'll admit that makes a bigger difference) makes a big difference in your success in life. I just don't think there's enough difference between the best schools and the worst schools ...).

As far as what you are describing, there are a few pockets of "newer" (around Gablefield and Locksley) (the majority of homes in Beacon Hill are older than 20 years) but those do have fairly significant condo fees ($250-300/month) and most are stacked units (Personally, I would prefer a row or semi but obviously it depends on your budget and what's important to you). A year ago, I would have recommended looking for a semi but right now, with the market being much stronger, they are few and far between (none right now) and anything that like that that comes on the market, will likely be near $400k (last year probably would have been closer to $300k). If access to Colonel By is important, keep in mind that you have to be North of Montreal Road.

If you aren't in dire hurry then it might be worth waiting to see what happens with the market (I would be surprised if older semis in the area return to < $350k) but I certainly can't predict what will happen in the area (My concern is that at the moment, I don't see a very big difference between the price of semis/rows and singles so I think if (when) the market cools down, the gap might broaden again. Having said that, $350k (or even $330k) is certainly more than the range you mentioned (It's up to you to decide if extra price balances the savings of condo fees).

OttawaGardener wrote: ↑ Way to make me feel ancient! I was raised in Rothwell Heights, and Beacon Hill North and South were just fields and shrubby woods when I was a kid. Now it's an "older neighbourhood". Went to Colonel By High School the first year it was built.

BlueSolstice wrote: ↑ I lived close to that area for a year. If you're working downtown, and considering a strata unit, try to find something within walking distance of LRT station. I found the "feeder" buses for Blair Station to be pretty useless. No idea whether the station itself is within Col By catchment though.

BlueSolstice wrote: ↑ I lived close to that area for a year. If you're working downtown, and considering a strata unit, try to find something within walking distance of LRT station. I found the "feeder" buses for Blair Station to be pretty useless. No idea whether the station itself is within Col By catchment though.

djredhat wrote: ↑ Thanks for the nice writeup!

I completely agree with you on the school notes. In most cases it won’t make big difference - if the DNA is not there, well it’s not there (it can actually make it worse if you go to a school where they push you above what you are capable of). But I think that if you are well above the the average, going to a school that will allow you to fully develop you potential is very important.

What I dislike about the Canada’s school system is that they always go at the pace of the slowest in the pack. We are lucky to have a reallysharp cookie at home (don’t mean to show off, but that’s what his teachers say), so access to schools where he could progress is factor number one for us.

So is “Le Phare” considered as good as Colonel By, but at elementary level?

As for the unit - We already have a house on the other side of the river, which we intend to keep and to possibly stay during weekends/summer. I really want something that requires little maintenance (even if it means paying condo fees), and 60-70 yrs old house/semi is not that.

There are newer houses and empty lots, but they are $$$$.
We are not in a rush, but I am fed up with the health system in QC and paying 5k every year more in taxes while having to wait for 2 years to get a test done!!! Even the kid can’t get proper care, thanks God there is CHEO...

djredhat wrote: ↑ Unfortunately Colonel By is North of Mtl road, so no walking distance

So they wont have enough parking spaces next to the LRT station???

michelb wrote: ↑ The health care would be my biggest reason for moving from QC to ON. That's one of the biggest reasons we moved my inlaws from Montreal to Ottawa (and just as an example my father-in-law has had nerve problems for years (has to use a walker). A few years ago, he went to a Montreal surgeon as was told there was nothing they could do and was told (and I quote) "What can you expect, you're not a teenager anymore". Fast forward a few years when it was getting progressively worse to the point were we thought he'd have to be committed to a wheelchair. We went to see a similar surgeon in Ottawa, they performed a rush spinal surgery and he's way better than he was before but the surgeon said "I only wish we could have seen you and operated a few years ago ..."

As far as the school, I don't have any first hand experience at LePhare but IMO, they are all fairly comparable and I would have to agree with your assessment that they really just target the slowest ... I would mention that based on my observations (we have one child first at Robert Hopkins (English Public) and then Brother Andre (English Catholic) and one at Laverendrye (French Catholic) that the french board does seem to have a more aggressive curriculum.

djredhat wrote: ↑ Unfortunately Colonel By is North of Mtl road, so no walking distance

So they wont have enough parking spaces next to the LRT station???

William W wrote: ↑ Something to keep in mind is Phase 2 of the LRT will have a station at Montreal Road near the 174. But that will not happen until 2022.

http://www.stage2lrt.ca/

skeet50 wrote: ↑ New Home Inspection Concerns In Ottawa

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/bu ... -1.4613247

City Councillor Stephen Blais is expressing concern with the current home inspector vacancy rate and the impact that is having on new home buyers.

"Coun. Stephen Blais was surprised to learn about the shortage after raising concerns about an east-end subdivision where building code violations were missed by city inspectors.

He said he wouldn't be so concerned if it had only happened once or twice, but it's an ongoing problem.

"When that issue is replicated throughout the entirety of the subdivision, that's a problem," Blais said."

Anyone having recently closed on a new build or soon to close should pay attention to this article.

michelb wrote: ↑ The only Park&Ride available at Blair is the 21 Gold Permit spots near the CAS on the other side of the 174. I've never actually parked there but I've heard you have to get there very early to get a spot.

The Phase 2 station at Montreal Rd / 174 will work well for the people nearby but as far as I can tell, there are no plans to build a Park & Ride there or at any of nearby stations (St-Laurent, Cyrville or Blair. If they had wanted to, it would have been easy to add Park&Ride at St-Laurent or Blair but it doesn't appear to be a priority

djredhat wrote: ↑ How this even make sense??? It’s the same stupidity as with the rapibus in Gatineau - limited parking spots, so people still take their cars to work.