Wow, it seems everywhere you turn this year there’s an Ugly Christmas Sweater party…and I’m no exception.  I’m hosting a Wine and Cheese Ugly Christmas Sweater Party on December 14th at the Royal Oak Pineview (three doors from my office!).  Should be a good time with samples of local wine and platters of cheese, live music with Mike and Marty, prizes and of course…the Ugly Christmas Sweater.  I’ve found my sweater but I just need to accessorize it, maybe add a snowman or two, some jingling bells and a few lights.  It’ll be a great party!

Capital Homes Realty

Well, its business as usual at Capital Homes.  We’ve got 5 current listings, Edmundo showing homes and working his leads and a new Realtor in the works.  Remi Morvan has just passed his phase 3 and applied to the Real Estate Council of Ontario to become licensed…once that happens he’ll join our team and help us build our brand.  So, this means back to training a new Realtor, always a fun thing to do this time of year – they can see just how many Ugly Christmas Sweater parties us Realtors get invited to.  Haha. 

Training with Remi consists of office time, working on RealtorLink (real estate forms), MLX (real estate listings and comparables) and getting his social media and websites ready to go.  It also consists of on the road, one on one training from showing clients a home to taking a new listing to something as simple as how to open a locbox – all of these things need to be learned by a new Realtor…it takes time but it’ll be worth it in the long run! 

RentToOwnYourHome.Ca

Well, we’ve almost completed our first 3 year RTO cycle and our now in the process of contacting all our past RTO clients to help them get pre-approved for a mortgage so they can buy their home – the goal of any Rent To Own.  Funny thing is that ever since the Real Estate market in Ottawa has softened the RentToOwn market has picked up, and we are seeing an increase in traffic to our website and Tenant questions from e-mail and office walk-ins.   Might just have to start meeting with new Tenants and open the program up again, it all comes down to making sales!

CHEO Events

‘Tis the season for fundraising!  The 20th Anniversary of the CHEO BBQ is underway and the organizing committee is already starting to make it the biggest and best year to date!  Check out their website for all the details.  On top of the CHEO BBQ I’m planning the CHEO Spiel, which is now in its 8th year (slated for late February) and starting a new event…Storage Wars for CHEO!  This should be a fun time, a la Storage Wars on TV style, with all the money raised donated to my favorite charity, the Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario. 

Well…until we speak again, thanks for reading!

Sorry about the delay from my last post…it has been quite a month.  Family wise, seems like everyone in my house is sick – not easy to deal with as a Realtor and our off the wall schedule.  My wife is left to take care of the kids while I’m working evenings and weekends and she does a great job, but when she gets sick…who takes care of her?  She definitely deserves a vacation, which only makes me work harder to be able to afford one.  Family aside, its also an awkward Real Estate season that has definitely taken its toll on the Ottawa market. 

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Well, you know its September again when you see the kids go back to school, the busses drive through your neighborhood and the leaves start to turn color.  Another good sign that September is upon us…the real estate market is booming!  This seems to happen every year at this time, as more and more people go back to work on a regular schedule and begin to look on MLS after they realize their house is too small or their yard isn’t big enough for their growing family to enjoy.  And this year has been no different…literally as of September 1st the phones have been ringing off the hook.

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The summer is always a great time for my family.  My wife, Sherry, is a teacher at my kids school, LaVerendrye in Beacon Hill.  So…during the summer all three of them are on vacation and they know how to plan a great time no matter what the occasion.  For example, a one day trip to a water park would be organzied a week in advance through online research, coupon hunting and a constant check on the Weather Network.  These one day trips, and there might be 7 or 8 during the summer, normally go off without a hitch.  Its the longer trips that take a little more planning and alot more patience.

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Well, looks like another year of Ottawa Bluesfest has come and gone, and there are alot of great memories and an unfortunate incident which will shape the after thoughts of the event in so many minds.  First off, the great memories.  This year was an eye opener for me as I had a chance to visit all of the stages most nights and take in the true culture of the festival, from Girls With Guitars to Alex Cuba to Girl Talk to Blackie and The Rodeo Kings.  Some excellent music, and some excellent locations for the stages.  Although it was completely different than last year (as mentioned in my last Blog) the smaller stages were in the same spots.   Having the VIP passes for each stage was a great way to show my friends and clients some different and unique tunes, which I’m sure they will appreciate down the road.

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The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is in full swing and the past few nights have been awesome!  Started on Tuesday night with a few pals, headed out for a couple of drinks before and then made the haul down to Lebreton Flats.  Parked about 10 blocks from the park, and yes…hopped on a bus from there (rather than miss most of the show).  In years past the stage has always been located on the east side of the park, beside the War Museum and backing onto the Ottawa skyline.  It was easy access to the Empire Grill Clubhouse VIP Section and easier access to a quick drink and a squirt in the port-a-potty if need be.   This year, however, the main stage is at the south-west end of the park so getting that quick drink is not so easy.  Its actually hard to get used to, this new look.  Its a different sound and a different crowd. 

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Its that time of year again…Bluesfest.  Ottawa’s version of this outdoor event is a two week long bender complete with all kinds of cool bands, 12 nights of partying with 30,000 of our closest friends and once again an amazing summer skyline.  Located on the banks of the Ottawa River, the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is a great chance to mingle with clients, meet new friends and enjoy some live music.   Should be extra fun for me because I’ve got 4 VIP passes to every night and with acts like Soundgarden, Blue Rodeo, Huey Lewis, Trajically Hip and Nick Jonas (my wife’s favorite) I should have a great couple of weeks. 

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Ok, the summer is in full force here in Ottawa and my family couldn’t be happier.  A couple of years ago we purchased an 18 foot above ground pool and built a nice cedar deck around it…and the best part is its a salt water pool!  For those of you who have never swam in a salt water pool, its amazing.  The kids can open their eyes under water, our skin and hair doesn’t reek of chlorine after the swim and the water is easy to maintain…dump 4 to 6 bags of salt in the pool at the beginning of the year and that’s it for the season.  Its a great and refreshing way to enjoy the hot afternoons but more importantly its a great family building exercise throughout the summer. 

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Seems like the summer is the perfect time to start a fundraiser.   19 years ago, when I was a young lad of 18 years old, a buddy of mine, Mike Machargo, hosted a BBQ at his Grandma’s house on Mowat Street in East Ottawa.   He had invited about 15 friends like Ian, Tim, Eric, Kurtis, Johnny (that’s me!) and others.   The day started like most others with our crew sitting around in lawn chairs drinking beer and laughing, having a grand old time.  Little did we realize what we were about to be part of.   

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Sorry about the delay in getting another post up here…it has obviously been quite busy in my life lately.  With the recent boom in the Real Estate market, a very successful Monopoly tournament and a thriving Brokerage to run its been hard to squeeze in some fun…but I have!  I’ve been golfing about 7 or 8 times so far (which is good for this time of year in Ottawa) and it seems that each game is better than the other, except for one important aspect, putting.  My putting is horrible this year, I have consistently 2 or 3 putted each hole and can easily miss a 1 footer for par.  That’s why its amazing a recent game for money came down to one stroke…a 26 foot putt.  Make it and my round was paid for (and then some), don’t sink it and I would lose the game in dramatic fashion, after 3 double bogeys in a row.   But before I tell you about my amazing putt, I do have to let you know about the last couple of weeks. 

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