Remodelling Your Bathroom

Many clients of mine have recently been considering doing some renovations in their home. It seems to be a common question as to where their dollars are best spent. Well its no secret that the most important rooms of your home in buyers eyes tends to be the Kitchen and the Bathrooms.

The bathroom is a great place to spend your dollars and actually get the money back when you resale. It usually is the first place to start because of outdated features, different decorating taste from the previous owners or simply normal wear and tear on a very functional room of your home. Well if you have been thinking of remodelling, here are a few things for you to consider:

Resale Value - Resale is something that I ALWAYS discuss with my clients. You may have heard before that bath remodels add value to your home. These days you can recoup about 64% of the costs of a minor bathroom remodel, according to Remodeling magazine’s “2010-11 Cost vs. Value Report.” If your bathroom is especially in need of updates, you may recapture more.

Costs—Good News - Contractors are always eager for work, and prices are lower for their materials and labor, so now may be an ideal time to make your bathroom more livable.

Timely or Timeless Style - This is a huge problem that I see when people are redoing their bathrooms. Before you remodel, think of what it will look like in a couple years when you sell your home. Will you and possible buyers still like the look and style? Hopefully they will, otherwise they’ll factor in the cost of their own remodel when making an offer. Then all your hard work will be for nothing.

Too Much Cost? Think Small - If you’re not ready for a full remodel, then a fresh coat of paint, new towels and a pretty framed print can do wonders to update your bathroom—and give you a new look for 2011. If you have those old fixtures that are a stunning shade of pink, blue, yellow or even green, there are ways around completely replacing them. There are several companies out there that will refinish those fixtures in more neutral colours. Keep in mind though that those old toilets use up a LOT of water and if you choose to replace it, you will eventually get your money back through savings on your water bill.

Remember, it's you and your family that have to live there now, so ensure that whatever you do, you can handle brushing your teeth in there day after day. Balance that with how perspective buyers will like it, and you have yourself a winning recipe.

If you need any contact info for contractors, designers, or for people to refinish those old fixtures please don't hesitate to ask.

Insulation and your home

I know it seems that I have been talking about how cold it is here in Ottawa a lot but, well it is damn cold! Due to our cold winters, and some pretty chilly homes that I have been in, I decided that it's time to talk about insulation. Everybody knows that insulation is a key factor in energy savings for your home, but not everyone knows how to improve it, if it even needs improving, and whether or not you have to tear your home apart to improve it. Let's see if I can help out a bit.

The bad news - With homes built prior to 1970, insulation was not a major concern for builders. Older homes can benefit by adding some more insulation, as well as tending to gaps by windows and doors that have occurred through settling over time.

The good news- improving energy efficiency is pretty easy to do regardless of the age of your home.

First the Windows: I have talked about windows in previous posts so I won't go into great detail here. Basically, if you can't afford to replace those old windows, properly weather strip them, or wrap them. Up to 50% of a home’s heating and cooling needs results from heat gain and loss through windows.

Next the Attic: If you have an older home, you may have vermiculite insulation and it could contain asbestos so you may want to call in a professional. Asbestos is hazardous once airborne so don't disturb it once up there. You can add more insulation by blowing some more into the attic, and then rake it all up so it's evenly distributed. Or by simply adding more batt insulation. Blown is a tad better than batt as there are no seems between sections that allow air escape through. You can do this yourself by renting the machine to blow the insulation. Pretty easy, and kinda fun to do.

The walls: Ok so its a bit of a pain to do, but you will notice the difference and it will be a great selling feature when you sell your home. If you are planning on remodelling, this is a great time to add insulation or more of it since the walls will already be exposed. If not, you can blow in more insulation and then you will just have to do patch ups in the areas you do as opposed to redoing the whole wall.

The extra mile: So, we touched on windows and doors, attic, and walls. Where else can we get some savings for our energy costs? How about electrical outlets, exterior lighting attached to your home, even crawl spaces? Get out that caulking gun and walk around the exterior of your home. Remove any old caulking around light fixtures and replace with new. Don't cheap out either on the caulking as you get what you pay for. Ensure all electrical outlets are properly insulated as well. If you have a crawl space, check to see if insulated, if not, why not?

This all seems common sense i'm sure, but it's something that is often over looked. With the ever increasing costs of heating your home, more people are looking for energy efficient homes, why not have that selling feature in your favour? Like most home maintenance, it is more labour intensive as opposed to costly. So get off the couch and make your home a bit more efficient already! Unless you don't want extra money in your pockets of course.

Mortgage Updates

Well last week the government announced yet again that they are going to be making some changes this coming March 18th. A lot of my clients have been asking what these changes are and how they will be affected. In short here's what we are looking at:

1. the maximum amortization is now 30 years on insured products having less than 20% down. For conventional mortgages 35 year amortization should continue to be available.

2. when refinancing your home, the limit has been lowered to 85% of the appraised value.(where it was 90%)

3. The government will no longer insurance lines of credit secured by homes (this rule will take affect on April 18th)

4. for purchases, people can continue to buy with as little as 5% down (self-employed individuals require 10% down)


Well that's it for today folks. Stay warm out there!

Freezing Pipes in the winter

2011 and guess what? It's still freezing cold! Get used to it people this is Canada, and here in Ottawa we get colder than most. I figured today is a better day than most to talk about this topic since it is minus 21 degrees out right now. Most of us have heard about pipes freezing over in the winter and causing many issues for the home owner. No one really thinks of home maintenance during the winter. I get it. Its cold out, nice and toasty in your home and all you can think of is curling up and watching tv. Well unless you're hoping for an indoor pool, don't forget about your plumbing. Here's some things to consider.

FIRST THINGS FIRST - if you don't already know where your water main shut off is, please figure that out, and while your there, put a big tag on it so that everyone else in your home knows where it is too. Got babysitters? Then let them know too. This way, if something does go wrong and water is pouring out of the bottom of your sink you know how to stop it from doing more damage.

WHEN THE GOING GETS COLD, THEM PIPES MAY BURST - Alright so your not a scientist, here's how it works; you leave to go down to Florida in January to escape this awful cold weather, turn the heat down in your home to save costs, gets to -30, the water in the pipes freeze, frozen water expands and BOOM!!!! the pipes burst. So here's what you do before you go away,

• This one should be obvious but, DON'T TURN OFF YOUR HEAT! Turn it down but not off so that the temperature remains high enough to avoid freezing levels.
• Open the cupboard doors underneath the sinks to allow the warm air in the home to circulate into the cupboard and keep the pipes warm
• Turn on your faucets to a very slow drip to keep the water in the pipes moving.
• If you come home and come across a frozen pipe, you can usually unthaw them with a hair dryer.

DO IT YOURSELF........Perhaps. - If you run into a plumbing issue and you think you know what the problem is, maybe you can tackle that problem yourself. OR maybe not. Most plumbers out there make most of their money fixing botched up plumbing jobs from people that "thought" they knew what they were doing. Save yourself the hassle and just call in the pros. ( I know some great plumbers just ask)

So hopefully this helps and you can go away on your vacay and relax not worrying about how big of an indoor swimming pool may be awaiting you when you walk in the door.

Take care of your home, and it will take care of you.

Give me a shout if you have any real estate questions, or if you or anyone you know happens to need a hand in buying or selling a home. amiller@kwottawa.ca

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