Christina, Author at Lets Talk Real Estate Team

Christina, Author at Lets Talk Real Estate Team - Page 18 of 19

Nick is in the process of finishing the renovations on his 107 year old home near the downtown core. We decided to get some details on his home and what he loves about the area he is in.

What made you choose the area you live in?

When we were looking for a home we knew we wanted to be walking distance to downtown to enjoy the restaurants, shopping etc. We were looking in St. George’s Park, Old University, Exhibition Park and the Ward. When we found our home, just off Arthur St, we fell in love with the proximity to trails, downtown and the neighbourhood.

Were you looking for a “project home”?

Every home that we have lived in we have done minor renovations to, but knowing this time around we were looking for an older home, we knew there would be potentially more work to be done. When we found our home it was in the right location and had a lot of potential, so we then decided to take on the “project home.”

What are some of your favourite places to go downtown and why?

For restaurants, we love Buon Gusto- always great service and of course delicious food. For a casual drink and dinner, The Albion has always been a favourite of mine. On a Saturday or Sunday I enjoy hitting up Red Brick cafe and popping into the bookshelf. Finally, I have to mention Acqua salon- great service no matter what you are in for- and quality work!

What are some of your favourite changes to your home?

Hands down our kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the home and is where we spend most of our time entertaining and cooking, of course. Making it open concept and less separated from the dining room made a huge difference in the layout of the home and allowed for more conversation and interaction in the kitchen. We added all new custom cabinets, backslash, appliances etc. It really gave a modern feel to the 1910 home.

If you could change anything about your home or neighbourhood what would it be?

The one thing we miss that we had at our last home was a garage. It is difficult to find a home downtown with a full garage let alone a driveway! We are lucky enough to have parking for three but I miss my “man cave.”

What made you decide on adding chickens to your family?

A few of our neighbours have backyard chickens. One weekend we looked after our neighbour’s chickens and we realized how fun it was and how great it was having fresh eggs everyday! So my wife and I built a small coop in the backyard and we couldn’t be happier!

Is your neighbourhood “dog friendly”?

Extremely! We are huge dog lovers and we’re so excited to have neighbours that are as well. All the dogs on the street play together and run around, which is so nice for them to socialize. We are also walking distance to multiple parks and the river, which is great in the summer. The parks nearby are Joseph Wolfond Park, Goldie Mill, and walking trails all the way to Riverside Park.

How has your neighbourhood changed since you have moved in?

We have noticed most of our neighbours have been in the area a long time and are now building out or up rather than moving on. People love the area, as do we, so we are seeing more and more people making additions to have their houses fit growing families.

Kortright West is an area of Guelph comprised of everything East of the Hanlon (HWY 6 N) until Gordon Street and South of Stone Road until the most southern section of Edinburgh Rd. S (Carrington Place).

Market Statistics of Kortright West for 2015.

This area is popular pick for families, students and commuters as it offers its residents a great selection of recreational activities and amenities. Here’s a list of some of the top draws to the area:

~ Campus Estates Plaza ~Tim Hortons ~Manhattans

~ Kortright Market Square ~ Staples ~Stigmata Tattoo Shop

~ Movati Gym ~ LCBO ~ Shoppers Drug Mart

~Golden Basil ~ East Side Marios ~ Quiznos

~ Café Insomnia & Trattoria ~ Squirell Tooth Alices Bar & Grill

~ The Fat Duck Gastro Pub ~ Wendy’s

~Delta Guelph Hotel and Conference Centre

~ 4 Schools (2 Public, 1 Catholic, 1 Montessori)

~ John Gamble Park (off leash dog park) ~Hanlon Creek Trail

~ Hanlon Creek Park Splash Pad ~ 10 Community Parks

Photo courtesy of http://www.guelphkidsguide.ca/blog-single/Guelph-Splash-Pads-and-Wading-Pools

With Kortright West offering such great amenities and being within a short bus ride or drive to the University, it acts as a prime location for investors looking for student rentals. We have a listing at 54 Steffler Drive that is currently being rented to students. Below we have run the numbers on this particular property to show the potential cash flow on an investment in this area:

The numbers here represent the current rental situation on the home. It’s important to remember that with an additional investment to modify or upgrade the home, the rent rates have the ability to increase and this chart does not take into account the appreciation on the home. The average appreciation on homes in the south end of Guelph (including Kortright West) is 29% from December 2015 to December, 2016.

You can take a closer look at the listing HERE

Tell us some of your thoughts in the comments below!

buying kortright selling south end of guelph

With Christmas only 11 days away, the time for decorating, planning get-togethers and shopping is slowly starting to creep up on all of us. Some of us really enjoy the bustle and excitement of decorating and organizing family time. However, unless you’re one of the lucky ones that get your shopping done throughout the year, that last minute gift shopping can cause even the most sane person to become a little crazy. What to do you get your Mom? Brother? Or your crazy Uncle John?? Buying for people who seem to give no hints on what their heart desires can be tough, so I’ve come up with a list of ideas that are sure to please all or some of the people on your list. The best thing? They’re all companies local to Guelph! Take a look…

Aqua Salon: I’m sure everyone knows someone who is always running around looking after everybody else. What better gift to give than a day of pampering from a locally run salon here in Guelph. With 2 locations to choose from, you can pick from hair, make-up and spa packages for both men and women. Nothing says “you’re appreciated” like allowing someone who is usually busy running off their feet, some time to stop and think about themselves.

DS Woodworks: A great part about the holidays is being able to transform your home into a cozy getaway from the blistering cold outdoors. Nothing says warmth to me like a nice piece of wood furniture to bring that natural, cottage-like feel into your home. DS Woodworks specializes in handmade solid-wood furniture and has a range of ideas to choose from or can discuss a custom order for whatever you’re looking for.

The Albion Hotel: This restaurant and bar needs no introduction to Guelph locals. As one of our oldest buildings in Guelph, it is a wonderful place to get out onto the town to share a lovely meal or night of dancing with a loved one, family and/or friends. Sometimes the best gifts aren’t things, but experiences, and the Albion never disappoints for a great experience downtown.

Ignite Health and Fitness: Health and fitness training and classes have been all the rage this year. This new gym in the heart of Guelph specializes in training classes and bootcamps for those who find the average gym daunting on their own or wish to train in a more social atmosphere. With a very in-depth website and scheduling system, this gym makes it very easy to schedule in workouts that fit your busy life. If you have someone in your life who is excited to try the gym or is scared to make the commitment themselves, then a gifted membership, or even a promise to partner in the offered free trial, could go a long way to being a gift that keeps on giving!

Taste deTours: I’ve already had the pleasure of taking part in the awesome “To the Core” tour (you can find my blog post here) so I can speak from experience that this is a great gift idea. If you have family or friends coming in from out of town and want to show them around some of Guelph’s greatest spots and learn some of our great history than this is a fantastic way to do it. Or, if you just want to have a nice day out exploring some fantastic food and places you’ve never been in town, then one of the prepared tours or creating your own customs tour could be a great day to remember!

Kennedy Park: Kennedy Park is a clothing lover’s paradise settled in the heart of Downtown at the Quebec Street Mall. With local and international clothing lines galore, there is something for every style. Don’t have an eye for fashion? Let the team in the store help you pick something out or make it easy on yourself with a gift card so your loved one can explore the store themselves!

Candies of Merritt: Some of my clients may recognize the goods from this quaint chocolate and gift store as they have been behind some of our gift baskets this year. Specializing in hand made chocolates, this is a no brainer gift if you have a sweets lover in your life. They also have a selection of pre-made gift baskets and are happy to put together a custom order as well.

Susan Bentley RMT: We are all guilty of just dealing with those little aches and pains that pop up every now and again. Especially with the impending snowfall and ice, a little slip on the front step could cause a tweak or strain that most of us will just walk off. Susan is a registered massage therapist located in the west end of Guelph and offers a way for us to get some help with easing any tightness or ongoing problems. Offering a pre-paid massage therapy session could be the start to getting one of your loved ones to stop ignoring those pesky pains and take the time to look after themselves. Plus, who doesn’t love a massage?

Summerlee Photography: Christmas is a time for sharing with family and friends and nothing captures the Holiday memories quite like a good ol’ fashioned family photo. Summerlee Photography offers individual and family photo packages and is a great idea for anyone looking to get a photo for their yearly Christmas cards, or just as a memento for another great year gone by.

Thatcher Farms: One of my personal favourite parts of the Holidays are the dinners. Whether your family does the classic turkey or ham, nothing beats home raised, local meats from just around the corner. Thatcher Farms also offers custom orders if you have a special recipe in mind and offers a bakery section as well for the dessert lovers and the vegetarians as well!

Scratch and Sniff Canine Services: Everyone loves their canine companions, but sometimes the holidays can shake up your dog’s usual routine with all the new visitor’s and the extra time away from home. If you’re worried about how your dog is going to handle meeting others or being home alone while you’re out, Scratch and Sniff offers in home private sessions to help you with keeping your dog on track. Also, if a new family puppy is on your list of gifts this year, they also offer puppy socialization and training classes so you can give your new addition a great start to being a well rounded dog.

Wendy the Cleaner: Whether you’re having a group over for a big holiday feast or you are the one running around to join others’, everyone could use a little help keeping things clean and organized for the Holidays. Wendy offers, flexible and affordable cleaning services whether you need them for your own holiday party, or if you would like to offer a clean house as a gift to someone who could use a break. Give her a call for more information: (519) 994-2286

christmas guelph local stores shop local

With the cold weather slowly descending upon us, it’s time to start thinking about ways to get your home ready for the winter months. Here is a quick list of some of the major things to look out for when getting your house ready for Canada’s most famous season.

One of the biggest stressors in the winter are the heating costs. In Canada, we never really know when the bad weather is going to strike and to what degree. In the past years we’ve been treated to some of the most mild temperatures for the season and record breaking lows. No matter what Mother Nature decides to throw at us, making sure that your home is as energy efficient as possible is key to keeping your costs down.

~You will want to check all the weather stripping around your doorways and windows as well as checking for drafts and repairing or replacing things as necessary.

~Doing a test run of your furnace or other heating system before it becomes necessary is a great way to check that everything is in working order. When you turn on your heating system you should hear your furnace spring to action and feel warm air flowing from all of your home’s vents. Make sure that all of your vents are clear of obstacles and debris. If one of your vents aren’t working or if you notice low air flow, it may be time to have them professionally cleaned.

~If you have a propane or oil furnace you should make sure your fuel tanks are all topped up and ready for operation.

~With the lack of open windows and fresh air coming into your home in the winter months, make sure you check for carbon monoxide leaks and that your detectors are in good working order.

With the warmer temperatures gone and the days of enjoying your deck and outdoor areas coming to an end, here are some of the main things to prepare outside your home.

~Make sure that all overgrown branches are trimmed back from your house or nearby powerlines so they don’t cause damage in big winter storms.

~To give your grass a head start for next year, aerate your lawn, reseed and apply a winterizing fertilizer to promote deep root growth.

~While you’re working around your house you will want to make sure that all around your home the dirt grade slopes away from the exterior. Ensuring that rain and snow drain away from your home is important to avoid potential foundation problems.

~Shutting off all outside water taps and draining or bringing in any hoses or sprinklers will avoid burst pipes and broken supplies for next year.

~Finding a place for all your patio furniture to come inside, or into a shed, will help it from deteriorating. If you don’t have space for it inside, then try your best to tarp or cover it before it gets too wet.

~Make sure your deck is in good working order and keep a look out for cracks or problems so you can do necessary repairs before the winter makes them worse.

~Make sure all your handrails are secure in case you need them to prevent a fall on the icy steps!

~Even though air conditioners are meant to be left outside, its always helpful to give them a good rinse and clear away debris from them when they are out of use. You can cover them with a breathable material before winter to help extend their life and avoid repairs. If you have a window unit, bring it inside and double check that your windows close properly afterward with no drafts or leaks!

You can find more winterizing ideas and how-to tips and tutorials on our Pinterest Page HERE

guelph homeowners winter

Managing the exterior of your home can be quite challenging and labour intensive. For a lot of people, the interior of their home takes up most of their design and upgrading attention since you live in, and are surrounded by it every day. Also, having your home be more impressive on the inside, with a humble exterior can be a pleasant surprise for visitors instead of the other way around. This week we are taking a look at my own adventure through some exterior upgrades of the front sunroom on my house here in Guelph.

This is the before picture of the front of the home after purchase. As you can see, the front sunroom has its old original windows and stormers and could use a bit of updating.

The first step in tackling the curb appeal and exterior look of the home was to remove the trees that were covering the front of the sun room. With more room to work and much more sun exposure, the room was ready for construction!

Before deciding what direction to go with the new look for the house, we decided to consult with Donna Mae Perkins at Emerald Designs. Once a plan was organized, we brought in Couture Carpentry to get started.

The first major discovery when starting construction was that the original brick had been under the white siding all along. In the image above you can see the exposed brick as well as the state of the uncovered original windows.

To help with the overall curb appeal and functionality of the space, the decision was made to move the door from the side of the room to the front.

Here is a shot of the new windows going in and the walls getting prepped for the addition of board and batten siding.

The finished product! Freshly painted with new trim, windows and door. This sun room has gone from dingy and outdated to a gorgeous four seasons, energy efficient sun room.

If you have any tips that you’ve discovered on your own home renovation, please let us know in the comments below!

curb appeal guelph homeowners sunroom

Here is a list of the current market data for September, 2016

Average Sales prices have increased 11.53% from September, 2015.

Single Family Homes:

Detached- Average Sale Price: $497,790 / DOM: 14

Semi Detached- Average Sale Price: $399,169 /DOM: 10

Townhouse- Average Sale Price: $381,200 /DOM: 24

Apartment Unit- Average Sales Price: $274,332 /DOM: 19

South End

Price average is up 12% from September, 2015

North End

Price average is up 14% from September, 2015

East End

Price average is up 26% from September, 2015

West End

Price average is up 15% from September, 2015

Tell us some of your thoughts in the comments below!

guelph guelph homes market report real estate

According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, there were roughly 46,000 home sales in July of this year in Canada. Most people are aware of the standard buying and selling transactions in real estate, but a lessor known type of transaction that can happen in the real estate industry is called an assignment.

What is an assignment? An assignment is a sales transaction where an assignor (the original purchaser of a property) allows another party (the assignee) to take over their rights and obligations of the Agreement of Purchase and Sale before closing on a property and taking possession of said property. Essentially, a buyer of a home resells the property before they take possession of it.

In our example, I have a new build condominium available in the downtown area of Guelph that was purchased before construction on the building commenced. The building is due to be completed (and able for possession) early next year. Now the property is available for purchase with the added bonus of less wait time until completion than when it was originally purchased.

Our example condo, unit 507 at 150 Wellington Street, is a gorgeous condo in a new 18 storey building with all the amenities you could ask for downtown. The third floor includes a 4073 square foot recreational amenity space, professional health and fitness club, private guest suite, theatre, and a library complete with fireplace. The seventh floor includes the luxurious Sky Lounge with an outdoor terrace, private terrace and courtyard, covered gazebo and indoor lounge with bar and billiards.

The Sky Lounge

Pure Body + Mind

Packing this much into one building takes a fair amount of time to construct, so jumping in on purchasing an assignment property with only a few months to wait until completion seems like a great way to get in on the exciting new downtown skyline lifestyle.

Here’s a link to our gorgeous unit available for assignment.

507-150 Wellington Road

Done an assignment deal before? Tell us some of your tips in the comments below!

Condo Boom condos Guelph condos guelph real estate New builds New builds in Guelph TriCar

Downtown Guelph, designed by John Galt and his companions, was one of the earliest instances of town planning in Ontario. The story of how he determined the layout of the downtown core is said to have come from laying his outstretched hand on a tree stump and basing the street design on how his fingers radiated out from his palm (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Guelph).

Nowadays, Guelph’s downtown core is one of the most exciting and vibrant parts of the community. Being able to live in this highly sought after area is a privilege and comes with endless perks.

The amount of activities available in the downtown core are far reaching. If you’re a fan of vintage clothing and shopping, then places like The Patch, Kennedy Park or the Quebec Street Mall are for you. Quebec Street Mall also boasts your everyday needs like medical, dental and legal offices, along with being the home to local Guelph businesses and the box office for Guelph Storm Hockey!

If you have kids or an adventurous spirit, then activities like the Farmer’s Market, the Splash Pad in summer, skating in winter and the numerous concerts and activities in St. George Square will keep you and your family busy.

Night time Guelph (Image courtesy of Blog Guelph)

The downtown area is also a huge hot spot for enjoying the night life in Guelph. Starting from grabbing a delicious dinner at some of the great available restaurants like Buon Gusto or La Cucina and then moving onto drinks or live music at places like McCabe’s, NV or Royal Electric. One of the greatest part of enjoying the night life is that you can park or take a cab downtown and all the options available are within walking distance of one another. So you can change locations as often as your tastes do!

The area even has you covered for the morning after your nights out with unbeatable breakfast spots like Viennaand Balzac’s.

Even with the businesses mentioned we have barely scratched the surface of all the things to do in Guelph’s core. The history is still strong downtown with the civic museum and Guelph’s most famous Church, Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate giving the area an active, yet home town feel. Moving forward, we are excited to see what the future brings with additions like Fusion’s MetalWorks development, which will breathe new life into the area.

Needless to say, we are pretty proud to have such a fantastic area so close to home to enjoy.

Want to see an example of great downtown living? Check out our newest listing of a gorgeous new condo in the city’s core.

1408-160 Macdonell Street

Bars City of Guelph Downtown Guelph guelph Restaurants

In honour of my wonderful Mother’s Birthday today I am taking a look back at our Mother’s Day adventures with Taste deTours here in Guelph.

One of the greatest things about Guelph is our vibrant and exciting downtown area. Accompanied by Lynn of Taste deTours, my Mom and I were treated to many of Guelph’s hidden gems. From craft beers, to cheeses and cakes we were able to explore and learn about all kinds of fare that Guelph has to offer.

Nothing better than an insider recipe for perfect golden potatoes courtesy of Tithoria

All smiles after a quick stop at Miijidaa Cafe and Bistro.

Dine in Guelph Downtown Guelph Drinks Food Tour Guelph

The last thing you want to be thinking about on vacation is how your house is fairing at home. Here are some simple steps to keep your house safe from intruders as well as avoiding home disasters.

1. Ask a Friend or Neighbour for Help

Having someone available to check in on your home while you’re away is the easiest and most reassuring way to keep your home just as you left it. Getting rid of your spare key from your usual hiding place and handing it to a friend makes sure that it’s not there for anyone else to take advantage of with less traffic coming and going from your house.

Ask your friend to stop in and grab the mail from the front step (a pile of newspapers on your porch is a big sign to a potential burglar that no one’s home) and take a peek inside the house to make sure there have been no power outages or surges and that your pipes are still in good shape (especially in winter!).

Make sure you have an itinerary available for everyone watching your house so they know how to contact you in case of emergency. Also, be sure to let everyone looking after your house know about each other so there’s no chance of 9-1-1 being called on your dog walker or neighbour!

2. Don’t Tip Off Criminals on the Web

As tempting as it can be to post your excitement for being away on vacation for your friends and family to see, try not to give explicit details on when, how long, or if everyone in your household is going away. Especially on public social platforms like twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, people who you may not know can have access to your information. Also, be careful if you are planning on changing your voicemail message- people calling don’t need to know that you are away, they just need to know that you can’t come to the phone.

3. Prepare Your Home

Thinking of closing your curtains so strangers can’t see in? That actually could be a way to tip someone off that you are gone. Closed curtains also stop neighbours or drive by police from being able to see into your house to notice strange behavior. Leave your curtains the way you usually do so your house looks the same.

Another outdated way to deter intruders is to leave a light on while you’re gone. Not only does this hike up your hydro bill, but it also can look very bizarre at night when usually there are no lights on. With the introduction of lighting timers, now there’s a way to have your lights on while you’re gone and also add to the effect of looking like someone’s home (no one knows it’s not a person turning those lights on and off). Speaking of saving on hydro, some appliances use energy even when not in use so unplug the items you don’t need while you’re away to save you some money!

If you’re leaving in winter make sure your heat stays on enough to protect from frozen pipes. Have whoever is checking in on your house try to use the faucets when they’re over- if only a few drops come out, the pipes may be frozen. Also make sure they know where the main water shut off is in case of burst pipes!

These tips add a bit more planning to an already busy time right before travelling, but when you can be lying on a beach, exploring ruins or visiting distant family free from the stress of thinking about home- it’s totally worth it. Safe travels everyone!

caring for your home Home owners tips vacation

Author: Christina

Q&A with Nick: Life in the General Hospital Area

Let’s Talk: Investing in Kortright West

Local Christmas Gift Ideas

Home Winterizing Tips

Tackling Curb Appeal: The Front Sunroom

September Market Report

The Other Real Estate Transaction

Downtown Living

Taste deTours and Happy Birthday, Mom!

3 Tips For Keeping Your Home Safe While Travelling

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