Welcome to She Sells Ottawa, your go -to podcast for all things real estate and beyond.
Featuring your hosts, Sonya Crites, Tamara Vallati, Cori Kugler and Tara Kugler.
Fun fact, we're not just colleagues who work on different teams, we're amazing friends with a passion for real estate and uplifting our local Ottawa community.
Join us for each episode as we dive into the local market trends, share insider tips and provide invaluable insights.
Whether you're a seasoned investor or a first -time homebuyer, SheSells Ottawa is your one -stop shop for useful takeaways and entertaining conversations.
So grab your coffee and get ready to be inspired.
Hello and welcome to She Sells Ottawa.
Today is a Monday morning, a beautiful Monday morning at that.
Good morning.
It's Monday.
Happy Monday.
And happy morning to everyone.
Happy Monday, ladies.
So I'm excited about today's episode because we're going to be discussing one of our favorite topics and it's all about home staging and why it's so important.
We're also going to share our latest insights from this week's real estate market and everything you're going to need to know about poly B plumbing and how it can affect your
house sale.
Plus, we have had the pleasure of visiting two fantastic local businesses in Stittsville, and of course we're going to fill you in on all those details.
So let's get ready.
I'm your host, Tara Kugler with Right at Home Realty and one half of the Kugler team, and I'm here with my fabulous co -hosts.
Hi, I'm Tamara Vallati, and I'm with EXP Realty.
And good morning, it's Sonya Crites with Ottawa Property Gals, and I'm with Right at Home Realty.
And hi, I'm Cori Kugler.
I'm the other half of the Kugler team and also with Right at Home Realty.
So good morning, ladies.
Good morning.
And so we've had a pretty interesting market, I think, this past week.
How's everyone's week been?
Well, yes, we're expecting a rate drop announcement coming July 24th.
Hopefully we get the rate drop.
Hopefully we're going to see anticipation to 4 .50 % as a drop rate.
It's looking increasingly confident at this point, think.
Just watching the news this morning and everyone seems to be forecasting now that it looks like it's going to be a go.
So we'll have to wait and see obviously, but it seems to be going in that direction that we're going to get that rate drop.
Yeah, it does look like it and I, you know, I'm predicting that it's going to happen.
I hope we're not wrong.
We're thinking a quarter point.
Yeah, we're thinking a quarter point.
All on board with that.
So are we taking any bets this time, ladies?
We could and I would be betting yes.
I think we're all on the same page this time.
Tara, what's the bet?
Well I think we're on the same page here.
We really want to see a rate drop happen and see what that kind of effect is going to be on our market and we will be reporting on that on our next episode.
Perfect.
Well hopefully the rate drop is going to drive buyers out to our brand new listing in Half Moon Bay which is freehold townhome and it's under $600 ,000 so it's in a good price
range.
So far we're not seeing a lot of showings booked, but you know we're not too concerned.
We did have an open house.
We hosted an open house which started kind of slowly, but we ended up with a lot of people going through.
Notably there were quite a few people who were looking for investment properties.
you know, we're trying to think if this is kind of the usual slowdown in the summer or you know or is it something else?
I think it's probably just the July
know, slowness of people like going out with their, you know, families and vacationing.
The road seems so quiet right now.
Is anybody here?
There's no traffic.
Ottawa, are you here right now?
Let us know.
And historically, as we know, July and August have always been slower months.
So good time to buy for sure, because you're going to get some deals out there.
Yeah.
So we're slow and steady right now.
I think it's sort of the calm before the storm, especially with possible rate drops happening.
might,
Enjoy the summer as we can right now because we're getting our ducks in a line and getting ready for business and the business that's to come.
That's for sure.
Yeah, so ladies, what are we seeing right now?
Are we in a buyer's market?
Do think we're more of a seller's market?
It feels kind of like a balanced market.
I know the president of Oreb mentioned that it was a balanced market, Curtis Fillier.
So what are you seeing out there?
Yes, well, we are definitely seeing balanced to buyer's market, I feel.
What about you ladies?
definitely.
We've had our buyers out looking and I find that they have a lot more available to go see, which is nice.
Finally, they have a lot more options.
Yeah, we're seeing the same thing.
There's a lot more to look at.
So I feel that, you know, although it's technically supposed to be a balanced market, I feel that we're sort of leaning a little bit toward a buyer's market right now.
But with the rate drop, you know, things can change on a dime very quickly.
Yeah, we were having that discussion where buyers
out there, now is a particularly great time to be searching, especially because there just seems to be a lot of inventory out there at the moment and you're really in the driver's
seat at this point.
So to be able to still make those concessions and have some great negotiations with sellers and walk away with a couple of wins, I think in this market is an incredible time
to make that decision right now.
we see how quickly the market could shift and how that can all change and where buyers are finding themselves again, kind of powerless in these negotiations and not being able to,
you know, get their home inspections in and so on and so forth.
So right now is an excellent opportunity.
If you're a buyer and before these rate drops happen and the effects of those rate drops kick in, you know, I would, I would make a decision.
Yes, I agree.
I agree to that.
There is lot of choice and in the past we were working with buyers just to get them into the market and then really assess their future plans.
But now the buyers seem to be really taking their time, being more selective.
So there's a lot left for people that want to get into the market and really be in an opportunity to be in the driver's seat and to dictate the price because the buyers have a
lot of opportunity now and can really negotiate these prices at this point.
before ahead of the changes of the rate drops where we could possibly see as you said Tara we could possibly see a real big change in the market over the night.
happened so quickly yeah.
But I think we're seeing some interesting stats Tara I think for in the luxury home sales market.
Yeah, so one trend we're noticing is the fantastic year for luxury home sales.
So while most price points saw just a modest increase between April 2023 and April 2024, homes in the luxury category, so the $1 million to $1 .99 million range, experienced a
significant 8 % growth.
So that just shows a growing confidence in the market among high -end buyers and sellers.
And I just thought that was quite interesting.
Yes, I think that's really interesting.
We don't see a lot of growth in the lower and the entry level market, but we're seeing all these luxury properties over a million dollars.
The motivation of these buyers is completely different and they're very smart to be buying in this in this time because the home prices they were waiting for them to come down while
they've come down significantly.
And it's just a win win situation for them.
So we're seeing that in our stats as well.
We're also seeing we're seeing people, buyers from
other parts of the country.
Because our prices are still more reasonable here in Ottawa, so we're seeing that affect the luxury market as well.
A lot of influx of Toronto buyers, right?
We're coming in from all over the world.
We still have that foreign tax, which is kind of keeping, I think, some investments from foreign buyers at bay.
I'm not all of them, I'm sure, but definitely the Toronto, the value here in Ottawa still is so fantastic.
They're amazed.
They're amazed by the pricing that they can get here.
So it's interesting to see that kind of higher end market explosion in Ottawa right now, when typically we've seen, you know, that kind of activity on the mid -range here.
So it's always interesting to see that.
So high -end explosive markets happening.
Sonya, I think we have a high -end news flash happening.
Yeah, so we have a news flash bringing these very important findings to you Ottawa folks.
So we've had some very happy buyers that purchased this past week.
so of course, with those buys, we've been able to do home inspections.
And then one particular home inspection came up with Poly B plumbing.
And we have encountered this before but you know have to say it's it's been killing some deals actually and there are some buyers walking away from this Because it's you know, it
just scares them a little bit they're being told that they can't get insurance and they You know are being told that they have to completely Redo their plumbing so it's coming
tons.
Have you ladies come across any?
Yes, one of our just very recent listings had it also so it's quite common.
I think in construction between 1978 and 1995 I believe, is that correct?
That sounds about right.
Yeah so if you have a home that's built in that time period you may want to check to see what you have because most people weren't even aware of it.
I'm being told
The majority of people that have it in their home have no idea.
But basically over time, know, the chlorine breaks down these pipes and it becomes, weak and prone to leaking.
So it caused some lawsuits actually, mainly in the U .S.
So now insurance companies are taking a second look.
And also the fact that there's only about a 20 year lifespan on these, that insurance companies are just saying, you know what, we're not dealing with
You just can't get insurance.
So, you know, how can you tell if you have poly B plumbing?
Well, you look for white plastic pipes in your plumbing system.
So they might have metal copper fittings.
You could just have partial poly B in your home.
However, you won't know, unfortunately, unless you open up some of the walls, right?
So usually the easiest way to see open areas in the basement near the hot water tank or storage utility areas.
So you're also going to see written on the pipes, it's going to say PB 2110 or something similar to that, but it does say PB.
So right now they've made, well, in recent years, they've come up with much better plumbing called PEX.
And it's very, very easy to identify because it has PEX written directly on it.
So that's the newest type of plumbing.
Yeah.
And so during the home inspection, of course, we're scrambling to try and help our buyer and solve the situation.
So figuring out insurance and which insurance companies will actually insure her.
So we did reach out to one of our fantastic brokers, Tracy Pettrey with Surnet, and she worked hard on this, but she checked with over five companies, I think seven that said no.
No to Poly B.
And it's funny because a few months ago she was able to get insurance for another client of ours, but now that same company has changed.
so they are no longer for any new clients and they're including a higher premium price if you do go with them with Poly B.
So, thankfully we were able to come across one company, Desjardins, and secure her with a great insurance plan.
She was super happy and they were okay and promised that she would be grandfathered in even if they decide to change their policy later on.
So a happy story in the end, but she's going to have to get it replaced at some point or another.
Well, thank you ladies for bringing this to our attention.
So if you have a home that was built between 1978 and 1995, you should have us in if you don't know what you're looking for.
Definitely contact us and we can come in and help you out and take a look at what what the plumbing issues could possibly be.
And do you remember back in episode six when we talked about the renter scams?
Yes, that's terrible.
And we also mentioned how you should be working with a realtor to protect yourself but also protect your deposit.
And interestingly enough, with a little creativity and a few Hail Marys, realtors do make dreams come true.
Sure do.
Case in point, this is a story from the last episode where we were working with a two day offer
help out this really great woman and her kids going through a divorce situation.
Their lives were being held up by a separation agreement and the plan was to buy eventually but for now they were searching for a rental that could work for them.
But they really were not liking the fact that they were moving and then they were in a temporary space and then they had to move again.
So we did find a perfect rental for them.
And this rental actually ended up being for sale as well.
Yes, I remember you talking about that last week.
So how did it end?
How did it end?
So when we went through the home, not just the this woman, but the kids were so in love with this home.
And I was looking at the home thinking this could be their forever home.
So I took a few days and put together a couple of an agreement.
So I did an agreement for lease as well as an agreement of purchase and sale.
They were
very crafty and very creative and they got accepted.
Wow, that's amazing.
So amazing.
They lease it first for how long and then purchase.
Yes, so we were able to lease it and we could move up the closing date if the separation agreement came in sooner.
So this little family is now moving to their frontal space that is going to turn into their forever home and not have to move again.
avoiding the two move thing
You know, especially with children.
mean, that's creative.
That's amazing.
it's amazing.
I'm was accepted.
a sale at today's price.
that true?
Yeah, possibly with lower rates that are coming up.
yeah, was this win -win.
This kept getting more incredible as it moved on, but really to be able to tell those kids that they're not moving again, that was...
I love this story.
that's a great, good story.
Good things that we do that we just love.
And why people need us.
Exactly.
And we come across so many people that are going through that separation agreement and are in that kind of limbo mode.
So I think that's fantastic.
Yes.
So regardless of what the market is saying, if you're selling your home, you'll want to increase its potential.
And the best way to showcase your home is by having it staged.
So home staging is not just home decorating or interior designing where the homeowner hires a designer to create a space that suits their personality and style.
Home staging is when you're selling, it's so important because it allows visitors viewing the home to imagine themselves living there in that space.
So home staging is about decluttering first and first and foremost, but then really depersonalizing it,
And then recreating and inviting neutral palette, really showing off the lifestyle and adding interesting touches that really translates well for the photos that we use to
market the home.
Yeah, so the statistics say that home staging increased the value of a home by about 15 to 20 percent.
Can you imagine?
That's according to the NAR, the National Association of Realtors, which is American.
So basically in staging your goal is to minimize the negative things and to accentuate the positives in order to make the very best impression right?
So staging is an investment that helps maximize the rate of return on the sale of your property.
And here's the really interesting thing.
It usually costs way less to stage a home than your first price reduction.
Does that make sense?
Absolutely, does to us.
exactly.
Staging helps sell homes anywhere, get this, from three to 30 times faster than the non -staged competition.
we believe it.
I mean, I definitely trust that stat because we've seen it before, right?
It's just mind -blowing to see those numbers though.
It's insane.
Yeah, so there's several different options when we talk about staging that we discuss at the listing appointment and then follow up with a staging consultation.
So I guess one thing to note is that not all agents do this.
So you should always have that conversation.
We here on the podcast are happy to say that we do this for our clients.
So we customize the experience according to the particular home and lifestyle.
Yes, and there's many different types of staging that we go over on the listing and the follow -up consultation.
And so we were really talking about the difference between a soft stage, a light stage, a full staging and then virtual staging.
So the light and the soft staging are going in and it's a form of staging with soft staging, we staging vacant homes.
There's no furniture brought in.
So these are touches of green of artwork towels and soaps, just to sort of give it a little bit of a backsplash and create a little bit of a more warmth moving into a
completely vacant home.
Light staging is used when the sellers have furniture in the home and we're lightly staging additional items like smaller furniture, coffee tables, side tables, patio
furniture if needed, rugs and artwork, doing a little bit more than the soft staging because we have tables to take into consideration and beds to make.
So that is covered in the light staging.
Yeah, and can I just add that I know we all do light or soft staging, but what's everyone's favorite piece that you like to bring in to all of your staging?
That's a great question.
have a good luck painting.
Yes, and I always hope it's available for all of our listings.
It's well, it's kind of like a deer head anyway.
If you see it hanging in our listings, that's my good luck.
Charm it is and if we don't use it, it's like my god, we have to put this up
I love that and I bring in a tray.
It's a really oversized decorator tray and you can put a nice vignette on it, stage it with some books and vases and candles and that can go on a bed.
It can go on a side table, it goes on a coffee table, it goes on a main table.
It seems to go everywhere I go.
What we tend to do sometimes is if there's a vacant spare room or a part in the basement, we have one of those kids' teepee play tents.
Very cute.
And it's so cute.
And then we have a little fluffy mat that goes in front and some pillows in it and some books.
I find it just kind of brings out the space and you can envision, you know, a little child's area there.
That's awesome.
Kids are falling in love with that space.
Yeah, they want to play there.
Okay, and now let's talk about full staging.
full staging usually involves fully staging with furniture and usually a minimum amount of, you know, the living space, the dining, kitchen, primary bedroom areas.
So who do we usually recommend this to?
Well, if we come upon a home that's vacant or if our sellers are planning to remove or store some of their furniture and they need those extra pieces
Full staged homes can run anywhere between $1200 to up to $10 ,000 depending on the amount of furniture and accessories that need to be brought in.
And it's usually, you know, who pays for this?
Well, it's agreed upon between the seller and agent and it's usually reflected in the level of services that they choose.
We've all offered this and one home in particular that we listed, Beautiful Bungalow, the sellers had completely renovated the entire home.
And it was vacant.
we, you know, then it was fully staged and it completely elevated it to showcase its incredible new features even more.
So it really added value to the home.
So, you know, the hope is, you know, you could sell more quickly, of course, with a staged home and it's just so well worth it.
Right, ladies?
Like you just, you do get that back 100%.
You do.
And then some usually.
So well worth it.
And then there other great options.
You sometimes we can rent some of the furniture ourselves.
So there are rental companies such as Get Refurnished.
We've often used them.
And Nationals and other.
And then another decor store designers are now starting to offer their furniture and services.
One store is Showroom Furniture plus Lighting, which we'll be talking about soon.
I think it's already out.
And so yeah, really just full of staging really offers the biggest impact, creates a welcoming and appealing atmosphere.
It helps potential buyers imagine themselves living there.
And you know, just it's such a significant difference on how buyers perceive the space.
Because I find a lot of them are just not very good at imagining what could be put in that that room, right?
It always makes a difference when you're walking into a property to have them.
furniture there so you can envision.
Yeah, buyers, you can see they engage right away.
And buyers agents are like, thank you.
It helps your buyers envision and it just it the whole process.
really just, yes, you can see the home for what it is and not look at all the personal items.
People tend to focus on that those things, personal pictures and so on.
So having a freshly staged home where everything's in the right place is just helpful to all parties, I think.
Yeah.
We could also talk about virtual staging.
So virtual staging is, if you don't have a big budget, virtual staging is quite economical.
I think it's about the people, the person that we use, think it's $35 a frame, so per picture.
And we want to focus again on areas, the primary areas of the home, like the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, primary bedroom.
So
typically have five to six pictures that we get virtually staged.
So what I've heard about, if you just do virtual staging is that yes, it will attract buyers to actually book a showing to come see your listing.
But when the buyers actually walk in the door, they feel a little bit of a letdown.
It's just, it's, it's, it's dead cold, right?
It's just really, really cold.
So we find combining the virtual staging
along with soft staging really really helps.
So the soft staging, so it's still an empty house but we put those little cute vignettes out you know the greenery, artwork, know little areas, towels in the bathroom, hand soaps,
so people walk in and they're not walking into completely cold space it is a little bit warmer.
Yeah very true.
We use box brownies sometimes, so that's a great company as well and we do it ourselves.
But I love that your photographer does that.
And I love sharing all the ideas that we do when we see each other's homes.
We're great at that.
The other thing I wanted to mention also is if you have people that have animals like dogs, cats, or even like toddlers, it's really hard to fully stage a home because
you know, there's animals running around.
still living in it.
Exactly.
And you know, it's just unrealistic.
So sometimes virtual staging is something that you have to do only because of lifestyle.
And sometimes the best you can do is just a really good declutter and a really good clean and so on.
But yeah, the staging really does make a difference.
Speaking of that, we had a listing in Barhaven and it was, so it was
typical three -story townhouse and we had our model was a mill unit and there was an end unit that went up for sale as well.
So the end unit had, well it was an end unit so it gives a little bit more value there as well it had granite countertops but it wasn't particularly staged.
then we - staged at all actually.
Okay, fair enough, it wasn't that staged.
And the model we had was an interior unit.
didn't have granite countertops, but we staged the heck out of it.
yes, we did.
Right?
So when it came to the offers being presented, the home, the end unit that actually had concrete upgrades actually worth more because it was an end unit, received less money than
what we got for our interior unit, townhome, because of the photography, because of the staging, because of the feeling that people had when they walked through the door and
seeing themselves, envisioning themselves there.
proves how staging actually does work.
Yeah, and there was a million showings on that particular property.
We had so many people come through it and so many offers.
Yeah.
Yeah, so it went like, I think it was almost 50 ,000 over.
Yeah, that's great.
Staging absolutely does work.
We swear by the value.
yeah, so we really can't mention staging and creative style, stylistic living spaces without mentioning
these two incredible women that we finally had the opportunity to meet this week.
Jennifer Miller and Jill Bonk are the co -owners of the new showroom furniture and lighting store that opened up in Stittsville this past April 9th.
Yeah, hi Jill.
Hi Jill and Jen.
Jill was a stager before Hockey Wife and Jen was a designer before teaming up together.
We wished we could have chatted much longer when we were there this week.
We sort of pulled out our laptops and all felt comfortable.
We didn't want to leave.
It was such a great space to work in.
Yes.
So they, so this is a great space to go and visit as well.
The showroom is incredible.
It was just like walking through a style wonderland and the, this showroom changes quarterly.
So it's something to pop in often.
And any any unsold furniture they have will be available for rent for staging.
So this was a great contact that we were able to make.
Walking through this showroom really, it was like walking through a style and design paradise.
It felt, yeah.
We all wanted to buy stuff.
Or just hang out there.
Don't mind us, we'll just be here working away.
It was like we were walking through one mood board to another mood board where you could just pick up and put it in your own home.
was ready to go.
Yes.
And it really encompassed every taste and every palette.
It was exquisite.
That's exactly what it is.
And Jen and Jill
truly incredible women with an inspiring story behind their store actually.
So they're both friends that recently just turned 50.
They didn't look 50 anymore, but they look amazing.
50 is the new 35.
And they were ready for a career change and they saw an opportunity, a chance to bring high -end boutique furniture to Ottawa.
So they're offering designer pieces that typically anyone would have to travel to Montreal or Toronto to get.
So with their backgrounds in staging and design, it's clear when you visit that they know their stuff.
Yes.
Yeah.
Thank you for bringing this forward to us.
Yeah.
they were busy when we were there.
So they're very well.
They're doing well.
Happy to see that.
Yeah, we are.
Yeah.
It's always nice to see women in business doing very well.
So after meeting with these lovely ladies, Jen and Jill, we asked them, where should we go for a great coffee and a great vibe?
And they mentioned a great little spot called Honey Coffee Bar.
So this cute honey coffee bar is conveniently located less than a block away at 1564 Stittsville, Maine.
And this trendy cafe boasts the cozy outdoor patio so you can sit outside, people watch, simply enjoy the day.
And in our case, we got our laptops out, we did some work.
But, you know, we were in a great ambiance.
inside the aroma, we had freshly brewed coffee mingled with the scent of house -made waffles.
press sandwiches, yummy salads and amazing looking pastries.
And for a special treat from Thursday through Saturday, Honey Coffee Bar transforms into an inviting evening spot where you can enjoy cocktails and snacks from their evening small
bites menu.
So if you're out and about in Stittsville, we highly recommend you pop in, invite us, we're happy to go with
Yes, and if you're driving by and you need to stop off and get something done on your laptop, it is a great place.
It's true.
never stops when we're out and about, so we were happy to.
Yeah, we just love stumbling across these such cute cafes everywhere.
There's such cool places that are not just downtown.
So the next time you're in a suburban neighborhood, just Google any local cafe or restaurant and you'll be surprised just how many hidden gems there are to explore.
And of course following our little break at the Honey Coffee Bar, we all went out and looked at some real estate.
So we looked at a listing close by that each of us actually really thought that we might have a buyer for.
So we all tripped over there and took a look at the listing, which was lovely.
I personally love Stittsville.
It's always been my, probably my favorite suburb.
There's a vibe on Main Street, on Stittsville Main Street that is not found in other suburbs.
It's kind of
homey, more trendy.
Yeah.
There's like, it feels like it's the soul of the community.
So true.
Yeah, Corey, it's such a positive energy on Stittsville, Maine.
I agree.
And speaking of positive energies, we want to get into our toast to our community.
Yes, absolutely.
So we want to mention someone who overcame a terrible car accident in 2011 and was in a wheelchair and he was told he may never walk.
Well, this incredible human decided this was not going to be the case.
He worked hard and eventually he started to walk.
Not only did he walk, he started to run and run and eventually overcame all the odds and Josh Gibbons has just entered his fifth Ironman.
Incredible.
He did three half ones and he just signed up for his second full Ironman being hosted in Ottawa next August.
So this toast is for you, Josh.
Yes, here's to Josh.
Incredible and inspiring.
determination and overcoming all Doesn't take no for an answer.
And just pushed forward.
We can all learn from that.
We are all learning from And it's inspiring.
Thank and you can definitely follow him and his incredible story on Instagram under Wheelchair 2 Ironman and cheer him on.
We will.
Absolutely.
What an inspiring story.
If you have an inspiring story you'd like to share or local business we should know about, please send us a message on our She Sells Ottawa Instagram and we'll bring it up on an
episode.
Thanks you guys so much for joining us today.
Thank you to my hosts beside us, always bringing us update, informative information.
Be sure to catch our next episode where we'll dive into the truth behind retirement and downsizing.
And as always, don't forget to like, subscribe and share.
See you next time.
Wishing Sonya a fabulous trip to Italy this week.
Ciao bella.
Ciao Ciao bella.
Have a great time.
Thank you.
Ciao everyone.
See you in the next episode.
Thank you for tuning in to She Sells Ottawa.
Remember, manifesting your dream home starts with believing it's possible and taking those steps towards making it a reality.
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