Category Archives: Condos

What does affordability mean and what’s affordable in Ottawa?

I was asked by a Twitter pal to discuss what’s affordable for someone making an income of $60-70K a year. Okay, so affordability in this context is going to mean what a buyer can qualify to buy, i.e. what the … Continue reading

Posted in Buying a house, Condos, financing, First time Buyers | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Dealing with Difficult Condo Boards

A friend of mine wants to know how to deal with condo boards. The question itself implies that he isn’t happy with his own board, so I’m going to assume that his board is difficult. This is a common complaint, … Continue reading

Posted in Condos | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

What is assigned condo parking?

When we’re dealing with condo sales, we need to know what kind of parking  goes with the unit.  It’s not always obvious. A detached home usually has  garage or a driveway or both. But in a condo, parking is often underground … Continue reading

Posted in Condos, The Offer | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pets in Condos – Know the rules!

A lot of condos have rules against pets, or rules that restrict the size of pets, or rules about how one has to control their pets. And sometimes, because in most rental situations, renters can’t be prevented from having pets … Continue reading

Posted in Condos, Pets | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Condominium Insurance — be sure to cover your improvements

When you are looking to buy a condo, you’ll often see that the condo fees for a particular listing include building insurance. What that insurance covers will vary from complex to complex depending on what the condominium is responsible for, … Continue reading

Posted in Condos | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What First Time Condo Buyers want to know ….

I had a chat with my daughter, Jade, today about the kinds of things a first-time buyer wants to know about condos. And all of her questions, not surprisingly, related to costs. What are condo fees exactly? she asked. Why … Continue reading

Posted in Buying a house, Condos, First time Buyers | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ottawa’s condo market – what to expect

First, the disclaimer: my views about this are my own, not those of Royal LePage, or the Ottawa Real Estate Board, or any of the professional realtor associations I belong to. I could be totally wrong. But here’s my take … Continue reading

Posted in Condos | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My take on the Ottawa condo market (interview on Rogers TV)!

I was interviewed last week by Mark Sutcliffe on Talk Ottawa and they’ve posted up the clip – here it is! In the first clip, I talk about the spring market; in the second, I talk about where prices are … Continue reading

Posted in Condos, Media interviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There are ducks in the bathroom.

I blogged earlier about the rules concerning pets in condos. Today, I came across this blog by the very brilliant David Thorne. It contains an exchange of correspondence that begins like this: _______________ Dear Helen,  Thank you for your letter concerning … Continue reading

Posted in Condos, Pets | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Who pays to fix structural problems in a condo?

A lot of boomers want a carefree lifestyle where they can lock the door when they travel and not have to worry about shovelling snow or leaky roofs. At the other end of the spectrum are first-time buyers. They don’t … Continue reading

Posted in Condos | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments