Shrink Wrapping your windows.

I have decided to post this small blog to help those that have older windows, or not properly insulated windows and like to plastic wrap them for the winter.

I just left a home that had "tried" to shrink wrap their windows(like the image) but like about 60% of the people that try to do this, they had done it incorrectly. So now they have an eye sore of a window that is still losing heat and creating drafts. Here's how to do it right.

- Go get yourself some plastic film from the hardware store, as well as double sided tape.

- put the double sided tape on the WALL all around the window. This is the most common mistake people do, they only tape the windows on the actual window frame, however a LOT of the heat loss and cold air is actually coming from the mouldings and window sill. So you have to wrap over that.

- once the double sided tape is all up, put on the plastic, top first, and then one side, then try to pull it as tight as you can so it still looks transparent.

- to tighten it even more once its all stuck on there, get out a hair dryer and go over the plastic with it, the plastic will shrink further with the heat of the hair dryer, and will get nice and tight. This way it doesnt look quite as ghetto and you can actually see out of your window.

- as a final touch, with a knife or scizzors, cut of all loose ends of the plastic, so that it looks clean and professional.

Shrink wrapping your windows is a great inexpensive way to keep money in your pocket from heat loss of your home. If you have a few windows in your home that you can feel a slight breeze somehow coming through even when the windows are closed, give it a try. It's not hard and its something that even the kids can help with and have fun.

Well I hope this little tip helps you. It's no fun doing things twice so hopefully you can get this done the right way first.

Feel free to contact me if ever you have any questions or need any advice regarding real estate in Ottawa and its surrounding communities.

Buying a Home in Winter

Cold enough for ya yet?

It's December now and with winter coming on and Christmas fast approaching, many people give up on searching for their home now until spring time.
DON'T! You will be selling yourself short, and might miss out on a great opportunity. I'll give you a few great reasons why:

NO COMPETITION - Many buyers were thinking like yourself and decided to duck out. Unlike in the spring, you have less of a chance of getting into a multiple offer situation which in turn could save you money.

SELLER's MOTIVATED - Sellers begin to feel the market slowing down a bit. They see less people coming through their home and begin to get discouraged. Thoughts that they might not be able to sell their property begin to cross their mind. Could lead you to a lower price.

BANKS WANT THEM GONE - One of the best times of the year to be purchasing a bank sale, is in December. The banks fiscal year end is JAN 1st and they HATE to see properties sit in their inventory. They also know that the market is a bit slower in the winter months and will take any reasonable offer seriously.(email me for a list of bank and estate sales)

EFFICIENCY OF HOME - Ottawa is the coldest captital city in the world. Keeping the heat in your home, and money in your pocket is very important. Imagine this; there was just a huge dump of snow and all the homes on the street have snow covered roofs. Except the one that you are looking at? You have a heat loss problem on your hands and may want to think about budgeting for some more insulation. The windows are full of condensation inside the glass? Seals are done and the windows should be probably be replaced. Floors are just freezing in the bedroom above the garage, or somewhere else in the home, could mean another insulation problem. Windows and doors have drafts coming through, you could just need some better caulking or weather stripping, or maybe worse. There are huge icicles hanging from the ease trough, sure looks pretty, but you could have an ice daming problem and when it all begins to melt and then refreeze you will have some bigger problems.

There are many more problems one can notice in the winter months and this being Ottawa, its a good idea to know what to look for.

Please feel free to contact me if you or anyone you know is thinking of buying or selling. I'll make sure that we get you a great deal on the property that you are buying, and you will be confident knowing you are not getting screwed buying something that is not worth the money you are paying.

Is Your Kitchen Ready For The Holidays?

Most of us spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and not always just cooking. Traditionally the kitchen has always been the heart of a home, and more and more these days is a great spot for entertaining. The holidays is no exception to the rule and it is the place to be when you have a house packed full of family and friends. Is your kitchen ready for the holidays?

Whether you have a larger, open concept kitchen, or a smaller more convenient kitchen, here are some simple tips that can help you inexpensively bring it back to life.

• REFRIGERATOR - Get rid of the magnets! - Unless you have artwork done by the family, remove everything from the fridge to have a nice clean look.


• WALLS AND CEILING - To quickly brighten up the space and bring everything to life, try a fresh coat of paint. This will immediately change the whole feel of the kitchen.


• ACCESSORIES - Provide some accent colors through the selection of brightly colored floor mats and dish towels.


• CABINETRY - If those cabinets look like they have seen better days, paint them. Even if you have a nice neutral wood.


• HARDWARE - Now time to add your own personal style through some new hardward(knobs, handles, hinges) for the cabinets and doors. This is a great way to liven up old cabinetry and distracts onlookers from the cabinets themselves. This is probably the easiest do it yourself kitchen project and often overlooked when preparing a home for sale.


• FLOORING - If you don't have tile in your kitchen, perhaps it's now time to consider? If ceramic or slate tiling is not really in the budget, there are many varieties of linoleum available that are very inexpensive. Many times I have buyers that are even fooled into thinking the floor is tiled with very deceptive lower cost flooring.


• WINDOWS - Line the window sill with some potted herbs grown from seed, and maybe hang a valence to tie everything together

Since the kitchen is thought to be the most important room of the house, this should be the first spot that you are working on renovating whether you are looking to stay in the home for years, or are preparing to sell in a few months.

If you would like anymore information or tips on improving the feel, look, and worth of your home, please feel free to contact me at anytime. amiller@kwottawa.ca

Think of Buying a home?

Have you been thinking of purchasing a home but just unsure of where to start? Browsing online or in your neighbourhood and looking at homes, thinking of what would be perfect for you? Scared to take the next step or just unsure? Well keep on reading then!

Lots of people looking to buy a new home find the financial part of the process a bit confusing, and sometimes even intimidating. You may have even started reading up on what you should be doing, well obviously because you are reading this right!? There are a lot of things to take into consideration, so here are a few basic concepts to keep your head on straight and your eyes on the prize:

GET PRE-APPROVED

This will help you to determine what you can afford to purchase. If you can't afford something right away, at least you can build a game plan to get to where you need to be. No sense looking at homes you can't afford either, because you may fall in love with one and then can't afford it after all. Also, most home sellers will work with pre-approved buyers over those who are not pre-approved because they may feel more confident that the purchase will go through.

DON'T CHANGE A THING!

While you are looking for a home try not to make any sudden changes to your finances. Don't go buy that porche you wanted, and don't quit your government job to go flip burgers at Wendy's. Banks like stability in the people they are shelling out all their money too.

PAY OFF YOUR DEBT!!!

If you owe a ton of money for student loans, and on your car, do you really think the bank is going to give you another 200k for a home? Know your current debt level and work to lower it as much as possible between now and when you purchase a home.

CREDIT SCORE?

Don't have a ton of cash to pay the credit card completely off? That's ok. Just make sure you at the least pay the minimum payment to keep your credit score good. Payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score. Check with credit bureaus to find your score and fix any errors.

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING!

The basic mortgage types are fixed-rate, adjustable-rate and hybrid. There are a variety of other types of loans as well though and you should seek the help of a professional to find out what is right for your circumstances. Everyone is different, and therefore everyone needs a different type of loan that fits their needs.

SHOP AROUND!!!

Talk to a mortgage broker. A broker can search out many different lenders, and get many different rates. I'm not saying don't go to your bank that you trust, but perhaps talk to a mortgage specialist first and see what else is out there for you.

Your financial picture is a crucial part of the home purchase process. If you’d like to know more about home loans, please call or email any time.

TIPS for a Greener Kitchen

Today's modern kitchen is more than simply a place to prepare food, it's fast become a common area that the whole family enjoys, a place of entertainment. There are several ways to help keep this space happy and healthy, not only for your family and friends but also the planet. From floor to ceiling, the kitchen is a perfect spot to start to help optimize the green friendliness of your home.

Follow these tips!

Change your light bulbs – Replace the bulbs in your kitchen with LED or CFL light bulbs. Lower energy use and cost!

Shop and eat locally – You will help your local businesses as well as reduce your family's carbon footprint.

Reduce Waste – Think before you throw something into the trash. 70% of most all household and yard waste can be composted or recycled. We have all the tools to recycle it all here in Ottawa, so please use them.

Turn off the power – Either unplug when not in use or plug electronics such as microwaves and coffee makers to a power bar and turn it off when your not using them.

If you can't do them by hand, load up that Dishwasher – Dishwashers and laundry machines are most efficient when they are run fully loaded. You'll use up to 35% less water by doing a full load of dishes, and prevent energy waste from water heating.

Use Energy Star® – The government's Energy Star label is on more than 40 different kinds of products for the home, such as lighting and appliances. These products will save energy and reduce gas emmissions.

Cabinets – If you are considering a home renovation, opt in for formaldehyde-free adhesives and solvent-free stains or coatings. Cabinetry is the greatest source of formaldehyde emissions in the home.

Please take the time to review the energy efficiency and green friendliness of your home.

A few tips to be rid of Closet Clutter

Have you found yourself slowly becoming a bit of a hoarder? Fearing that you might soon end up on tv for keeping your ragged old clothes that you used to hold dear to you, and now just seem to be taking up space?

Fall is the perfect time to clean out your home. Cleaning out your closets regularly will save you time and energy and keep you from feeling overwhelmed by the task later on. Also if your closets are packed full, then you may hesitate to update your wardrobe.

Here are some tips to help you organize and unclutter your closet:

- If you haven't worn them in over a year, you're not going to, get rid of them.
- Put your out of season clothes in storage.

- If you're not sure about whether to keep some clothes or not, try them on, it will help make a decision.
- Buy good hangers: wire hangers don’t give good support and leave marks on your clothes.
If space permits, add a bar for shirts and pants, or a closet organizer.

When you clean your closets on a regular basis, you may find you don’t need some of the clothing you thought you did. And you’ll actually wear and enjoy the clothes you do have. Take the clothes to a clothing drive or donate them to others that still can enjoy them, it will make you feel really good about a hard decision.

What’s more, cleaning out your closets is a small but important step towards clearing the way to move into your next home. Remember your last move? Rememeber how you said you hated packing? Get rid of the clothes now that you don't really need. If you’d like more information on getting rid of clutter in your home, please don’t hesitate to email or call.

Canadian Housing Market showing some Groth

Canadian home sales gained for the first time in five months in August, led by Ontario and British Columbia, though economists warned the uptick is likely to prove a blip in a declining trend.
Sales of existing homes through the Multiple Listing System rose 4.1% from July, figures released Wednesday by the Canadian Real Estate Association showed. It was the first increase since March, it said. On a year-over-year basis, sales are down 22.5%.
Canada’s housing market, which helped drag the economy out of recession, has been cooling rapidly over the past few months. Consumers made purchases that would have been made in summer earlier in the year to beat rising interest rates and the introduction of the harmonized sales tax in Ontario and B.C.
“A large part of the August increase comes from Ontario and B.C. because there was a lot of confusion in July as to how the HST would affect home sales,” CREA chief economist Gregory Klump said. “This is a bit of a relief rally and one car does not make a parade.”
Klump still expects housing sales to cool throughout the rest of the year, though he says it’s a healthy slowdown from the feverish levels seen at the end of last year.
TD Bank Financial said in a note the August figures are likely to have been a blip.
The bank said high household debt, the weakening employment outlook and declining personal income would all weigh on the market. It expects sales to drop by 20% next year and prices to decline 7%.
The average price of homes sold in August was $324,928, which is on a par with the same period last year. Excluding Alberta and New Brunswick, where prices eased, gains in every other province exceeded the national increase, CREA said.
Seasonally adjusted sales activity was either flat or increased in half of all markets across the country, it said.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in a report on Canada earlier this week warned prices may still be too high and more intervention may be needed to cool the market.
CREA president Georges Pahud on Wednesday rebuffed those suggestions, saying any further tightening in mortgage regulations risk damaging the market.
“Rising interest rates and a projected slowdown in job growth mean that the Canadian housing market is expected to continue to cool,” Pahud said. “This is overlooked in recent commentary that suggests further changes to mortgage regulations may be needed.”

-Ottawa Sun Sept 15, 2010