So if I golfer was to move to Ottawa/Gatineau, where should he move?

Greetings,

My wife and I are moving to the Ottawa area and are looking to buy a house. Our price range is between $200,000-300,000, and we're flexible on the type of housing. It could be a really nice condo, or a smaller detached house as we've lived in both styles.

Are there any suggestions as to good parts of the cities to look at? Being 10-15 minutes or less to downtown is a big draw for us, so housing in Barrhaven, Nepean, Aylmer and Kanata are out of the question. We've poked around on the web and haven't been able to find much aside from a few condos downtown and a development in Hull called Le Plateau. As we're in Waterloo and can't quickly drive up to check things out, web-based stuff we could look at would be great!

Thanks. :cool

I'm a downtown guy. Here's the MLS Search URL for the downtown core and just outside it. I left out condos for now.

http://www.reboc.on.ca/mlssearch/Sea...prop_class=RES

I'm actually a little surprised at how many houses showed up in that range.

Are there any other features (school, shopping, etc) that you are looking for.

The Glebe area is a nice central location. Considered very trendy. Lots of interesting shops. A mix of old victorian housing and restored lofty style apts. It would be very central for everything. Golfing wise, it puts you in the middle. Loads of golf courses in all directions from there as you would have easy access to the 417 highway.

Good luck with your search :)

Economics of living in Gatineau. Expect to pay 2% of the value of your property in yearly municipal and school taxes combined. Income tax is higher than in ON. except for lower incomes (under 35K). Housing is less expensive, electricity also and automobile insurance (example: under $800 for a 2006 Pontiac Torrent). Drivers license and vehicule registration are more expensive than ON. Le Plateau has now extended into Aylmer and traffic is heavy at rush hour. Fastest access to downtown is in Hull, east of the Gatineau Park wedge. You might want to look at the Hautes-Plaines section. (Clublink have a golf course there) Good mix of housing types ranging between $125000 and $500000. Bienvenue au Québec!

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Originally Posted by jvincent

I'm a downtown guy. Here's the MLS Search URL for the downtown core and just outside it. I left out condos for now.

http://www.reboc.on.ca/mlssearch/Sea...prop_class=RES

I'm actually a little surprised at how many houses showed up in that range.

Are there any other features (school, shopping, etc) that you are looking for.

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Not looking for anything in particular. :)

I guess my only caveat is that it been in good condition as I would rather not have to put too much work into the place.

A good example would be a place like this: http://www.reboc.on.ca/mlssearch/frm...mls_num=648477 Very nice.

Probably the best thing to do is surf the MLS listings by area to see what you can find that fits your needs and then make a short list and visit as many as you can in one weekend.

You didn't mention where exactly you'd be working but in general if you are in downtown you're usually against traffic.

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Originally Posted by jvincent

Probably the best thing to do is surf the MLS listings by area to see what you can find that fits your needs and then make a short list and visit as many as you can in one weekend.

You didn't mention where exactly you'd be working but in general if you are in downtown you're usually against traffic.

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I am lucky, and have the luxury of working from home. My wife is a school teacher, and doesn't know what board she will be with just yet. Is there any sense in looking at places across the river in Hull? I understand crossing the bridges at peak times can be a pain, but...

I've also been considering one of the larger suites at http://www.richcraft.com/galleria/suites.htm#gal

They don't list pricing, but I did a bit of quick math and the $149,000 520 sqft suite works out to about $283.00/sqft. Going from that, the 905 sqft unit should be about $260,000. Seems alright to me.

I'll also add that the Gatineau real estate listing site is THE WORST website i've ever seen for people that don't know the area.

If you leave at about 6.45 to go to Ottawa from some areas of Gatineau you will cross over in 15 minutes.Its all about what time you leave for work.

Your first example was very close to west end--Holland and Wellington near the Champlain Bridge (most westerly river crossing). One of older sections of the city--starting to go to the trendier side. Your second choice about a 10 min walk from Parliament Hill-right downtown. We live in Beacon Hill N 15 minutes to downtown,areais about 40 yrs old--singles, dbls a few condos, lots of retired folks, mature trees, both school bds, 9 golf courses within 30 minutes--shopping etc etc. Houses in the area usually go pretty quick 7 to 14 days. I think starting around 200 and moving up to 265 or so. Lots are aound 50 x 100 if its a split (there are some nice ones) singles about 90 x100--these were the general size in the late 60s. A lot of people say its Ottawas good secret. And NO I am not a real estate agent--just moved here from the country 12 years ago and just love it--not too big --leaves lots of time for golf --Good Luck :)

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Originally Posted by Section TOne

Is there any sense in looking at places across the river in Hull? I understand crossing the bridges at peak times can be a pain, but...

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The bridges can be a major pain.

I can't speak to the quality of english schools on the Quebec side, but it's probably not as good as on the Ottawa side, assuming you're going to eventually have kids to worry about.

As others have mentioned, income taxes are higher, somewhat offset by lower housing prices.

Hey, I could always skip the poor sections of town and move right into Rockcliffe!

http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.as...ertyID=4997210 :not-worth

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Originally Posted by Section TOne

Hey, I could always skip the poor sections of town and move right into Rockcliffe!

http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.as...ertyID=4997210 :not-worth

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Whoa, that house is actually WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too close to Vanier for my liking. :fight:

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Originally Posted by Section TOne

I am lucky, and have the luxury of working from home. My wife is a school teacher, and doesn't know what board she will be with just yet.

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If that's the case, you may want to consider Barrhaven. They (schools) are sprouting up everywhere...and since you work from home then you have no traffic worries.

By the way::stirthepo

1. I can get downtown in about 20 min. from Barrhaven.:thumbsup
2. Barrhaven is one of the best locations if you are a golfer. Some of the best golf courses in the region are within 15 min.:P
3. If you haven't seen Barrhaven in a while (i.e. more than 2 years), then you actually haven't seen Barrhaven. It has changed (grown) substantially. There is everythhing out here now.:thumbsup
4. You could buy a very large single family home within your budget.:thumbsup
5. You buy a condo and money in the bank for golf.:thumbsup

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Originally Posted by Section TOne

Whoa, that house is actually WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too close to Vanier for my liking. :fight:

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That is one of the strange circumstances of Ottawa real estate.

Rockliffe/New Edinburgh/Lindenlea are three of the most expensive areas in town. Right across the street (Beechwood) is Vanier. The demographic that shops at the neighbourhood Loeb is very fractured.

Basically comes down to whether you're comfortable with the suburban or sort of urban lifestyles. Being closer to the city centre seems a priority for you, so I would eliminate all areas outside the greenbelt (Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Bells Corners, Manotick, Ottawa South, Riverside South, Orleans, Beacon Hill, etc). Nicer areas in the east are New Edinburgh, Manor Park, Alta Vista, Old Ottawa East. In the city centre you have the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Centretown (but not west of Bronson). In the west you have the Civic Hospital area, Wellington Village, Westboro, McKellar, even Glabar Park although that starts to push it. A formerly run down area in the west that is gentrifying a little bit is Hintonburg. Still some seedy parts, but a lot of nicer stuff too, and definitely improving. The market is pretty soft right now, so you may be able to put in some lower offers with success, but sub $300K it's still pretty competitive I think.

For a village type feel, New Edinburgh has Beechwood ave and not far to the market across the Rideau, the Glebe/Old Ottawa South has a pretty centre along Bank St, and the Hintonburg, Wellington Village, Westboro and McKellar Park areas are strung out along Wellington/Richmond Rd with a lot of small shops and restaurants (centred mainly around Holland/Wellington and Churchill/Richmond).

Thanks for your assistance everyone.

Please feel free to keep those opinions coming! The more information the better I always say. :)

When are you moving? We will be selling our Alta Vista townhouse (built in 1999) in the coming year. 3 bedroom, hardwood, extremely nice neighbourhood, check Sonata Place on mapquest. It takes me 12-15 minutes to get to Hull for work and I'm litterally a couple of minutes from the Riverside/Vanier Parkway off ramp. Got a Walmart and a future Golftown (rumour has it) just a five minute walk away.

donny made so much money in the market that he is selling that house and moving into his new 6,000 sqft house... can I sleep over?

Nah, we're not going any bigger then 3000 sqtf, i hate cleaning!

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Originally Posted by fundonny

Got a Walmart and a future Golftown (rumour has it) just a five minute walk away.

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A Golftown is rumored to be going into the rail lands development? Bad enough Golfworks is around the corner, now potentially a Golftown? D'oh...

Yep, that rumour has been kicking around for about a year.

Takes 20 minutes of my one way travel time. :)

For what it's worth I live in Morgans Grant (Kanata North) and I'm on 20 min from Downtown in the AM - I leave the house at 7:00 AM. I don't go near the Queen's way, that is Carling Ave all the way.

It really depends on what you like, most of the Ottawa central locales that have been mentioned are quite old. Expect the homes to be 40+ years old and even though you'll find some that have been renovated, pay close attention to the electrical and plumbing systems.....when we were looking about 6 years ago, I couldn't believe the number of home owners that invested big $$ to basically rebuild their homes but didn't up-date the plumbing and electrical :rolleyes


There will be some real gems, but you'll pay big bucks for the so-called Prime Locations - I lived in the Glebe for instance and there is a reason that I don't live there any more ;)

Good luck with you search :thumbsup

Thanks everyone.

Now we're looking hard at Claridge Plaza downtown in the Market: http://www.claridgehomes.com/plaza/index.html

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Originally Posted by jvincent

That is one of the strange circumstances of Ottawa real estate.

Rockliffe/New Edinburgh/Lindenlea are three of the most expensive areas in town. Right across the street (Beechwood) is Vanier. The demographic that shops at the neighbourhood Loeb is very fractured.

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I believe that Vanier is a golden opportunity real estate-wise. I work on Beechwood ave once a week or so, and that area is really starting to grow. I mean, that land is just too close to down town, and too close to rockliffe to be valued at its current level. Its only a matter of time until the Vanier side of Beechwood starts to look like the Rockliffe/New Edinburgh side. I'm not saying I'd live there now, but it could be time to flip that house!

That being said, you can't beat the value of the Quebec side. Some parts of Hull are just minutes from Downtown.

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Originally Posted by Sakuraba

I believe that Vanier is a golden opportunity real estate-wise. I work on Beechwood ave once a week or so, and that area is really starting to grow.

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And therein lies the risk of real estate investing.

There are definitely some nicer areas in Vanier, clean, well-kept houses, etc. And then there are some very un-nice areas.

If you can find a house in the first area, it will be a steal compared to the same house relocated across Beechwood. The catch is you have to bet on the area continuing to improve over the timeframe that you are going to keep the house.

I would suggest getting a real estate agent, if you don't have one yet.

It is their job to help you find a house (and any other stuff you require lawyers, mortgage broker, zoning, etc). Remember agents look at houses everyday, and can see more information than is available on MLS.

The other thing that they can do is set up viewing times. The agent that I used was able to set up 4-8 viewings of different properties, that you have seen online, in one afternoon. Even if you don't like any of properties, your dislikes will help to focus the search.

The agent I used was:
www.mcevoysells.com

You're right. We, real estate agents are saving time and money to buyers and we know the market like the palm of our hand.:) www.mariosimard.com

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Originally Posted by Started2k3

I would suggest getting a real estate agent, if you don't have one yet.

It is their job to help you find a house (and any other stuff you require lawyers, mortgage broker, zoning, etc). Remember agents look at houses everyday, and can see more information than is available on MLS.

The other thing that they can do is set up viewing times. The agent that I used was able to set up 4-8 viewings of different properties, that you have seen online, in one afternoon. Even if you don't like any of properties, your dislikes will help to focus the search.

The agent I used was:
www.mcevoysells.com

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Originally Posted by Started2k3

I would suggest getting a real estate agent, if you don't have one yet.
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The other thing that they can do is set up viewing times. The agent that I used was able to set up 4-8 viewings of different properties, that you have seen online, in one afternoon. Even if you don't like any of properties, your dislikes will help to focus the search.

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Although your case may be one where an agent may be advantageous... you live outside of the city and want someone to narrow the search down for you.

Be wary of signing a contract with an agent since this may limit your negotiating power with either a seller or a builder. Agents also tend to direct you to homes where they are going to take a better commision so you may miss some nice properties. There are also a lot of FSBO (for sale by owner) properties that you may miss out on. Problem is if you signed with an agent you won't be able to negotiate as much with the seller.

If you are willing to do your own research, every thing is available to you on the internet and an agent is providing you with little added value. You can contact agents to look at homes... just don't sign a contract with them.

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Originally Posted by Started2k3

It is their job to help you find a house (and any other stuff you require lawyers, mortgage broker, zoning, etc).

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All of these things can be found very easily on your own. Don't ever go with an lawyer, mortgage broker, or home inspector recommended by an agent. Most times they recommend the person because they are buddies and not because they are the best person for the job. Do your own research and find someone independant from the transaction. You want to make sure that professional has your best interest in mind and is not concerned with helping their buddy make a sale.