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.
Well, it's July and it's summer ladies!
Yes, it's July!
Welcome to Ottawa Getaways, the best day trips.
In this podcast, we explore the best adventures you can have in and around our
beautiful capital city.
Today, we're diving into some fantastic day trip ideas, perfect for a quick escape
from Ottawa's hustle and bustle.
We met with an extraordinary builder in the waterfront community of Westport.
Our June stats are out, so we will be discussing our Ottawa real estate market
and what the four of us have been experiencing as realtors.
And of course, we have a favourite spotlight business to tell you about.
But first, let's say hello, ladies.
I am your host, Sonya Crites with Ottawa Property Gals and Right at Home Realty.
And hello, I'm Tara Kugler with Right at Home Realty and one half of the Kugler
team.
And hi, I'm Tamara Vallati with eXp Realty.
And hi, I'm Cori Kugler, the other half of the Kugler team and also with Right at
Home Realty.
Hello everybody.
Hey, ladies.
Hi.
How's it going?
Good.
So ladies, how was everybody's week in the streets?
How is the market treating you all?
yeah well we have as you all know we have the June stats that came out so some
interesting things well interesting or maybe not so interesting really there's
not a huge difference from last June to this June.
that yeah small margins like very small margin.
This didn't surprise us I think.
No I don't think so so basically if we take a look we have quite a few listings
actually there
from June, so it could be even more now, but 3 ,585 active listings were available
at that time.
Single -family homes were 734 ,300 on average.
Days on market, we're down to 18, so lower than last month or the month before in
May.
That surprises me actually.
Yeah.
Okay.
And then for condos, $420 ,800.
And everything was just up by like a 0 .5 % from the previous or 0 .1%.
Like it was just a very Not a lot of growth.
No.
A little growth though, which is always good, right?
But interesting because last June didn't we have like we had that big increase?
Yes.
And then this June we had a decrease.
So I find that really interesting.
Yeah, that is interesting.
think it's a lot to do with mindset.
The buyers, there's more inventory this year than there was last year on the
market.
So sellers are very eager to, you know, they think right now is a very good time
for them with the interest rates dropping, but there is still so much inventory right
now that buyers feel that kind of luxury of afforded time that they can be a little
bit more selective at this point.
pickier.
Little pickier, right?
Very much pickier than last year.
Yeah.
So they're taking their time there.
making sure they're getting their inspections in still and they can do that.
yeah, maybe still waiting for further rate drops.
Exactly.
And they are.
Yes.
And they are for sure.
So we do have another rate drop that is potentially coming up.
We're waiting for Bank of Canada to announce that.
And I think the date is 24th July 24th.
Yeah.
So a lot of people are eager to hear and we've, lot of speculation that we may
actually get another rate drop.
That would be amazing.
It's a 50 -50, I think, in terms of what's actually going to happen.
And I know from kind of buzz from, you know, mortgage, prominent mortgage agents
here in Ottawa, that they are hoping and thinking that it actually will come about.
But still, right now, we don't know.
And we'll only find out, I guess, in a couple of weeks now.
So we'll have to wait and see.
Yes, and I'll be interested to see how that plays out in the market.
We may be coming into a spring like market again in our fall.
I'm going to wager a bet that they do a little bit more.
Just a touch.
think that's happen.
Yeah, I agree.
And I think that'll help.
It will certainly help.
Yeah.
we've actually had this past week, we've had a lot of buyers that have started
looking finally.
so looking at homes and of course the homes
buyers love, others do as well.
There are those you special ones.
Yeah.
So we've actually been in a couple of multiple offers this past week.
One was on Donald Street and it received three offers.
It was listed for $5 50 and it went over asking.
We don't know still what the outcome is because it's conditionally sold but the
agent did tell me that there was no inspection.
Wow.
Oh.
So an older home but they included that and then we'll know
actually I think today is the date we'll know what that's sold for.
And 314 Oakdale in Westboro, that was a hot property, we also had an offer on that
and we were one of five offers.
It sold firm with no conditions and it got 636 ,000.
That's pretty rare, no conditions these days.
Yeah so again it's those special homes right and of course if your buyer wants it
and everybody wants it.
right.
That's true, it's sad.
We were just saying that there's you
There's so much inventory right now that they're saying and yet still our clients
are looking for that very, that property that they can't find yet because they're
not showing well, they're not presented properly.
So those homes that aren't priced properly, that aren't showing well are
still sitting.
Those special homes, like you just mentioned, everybody.
everybody wants that home.
there will be competition there if it's priced correctly and shows nicely.
yeah, yeah, so interesting.
Yeah, let's talk pricing, ladies.
Yeah, we're seeing a lot of different prices on the market, a lot of different
strategies that our sellers are trying to, to win.
Yeah, that's true.
That's interesting.
I find that like in our listing presentations, like meeting with sellers,
we're still finding that most sellers are wanting to price
their properties higher than market value for that air quote, you know, wiggle room.
so then it's up to us to sort of like talk them into a more realistic way of listing.
So we did do one this week and we did manage to sort of talk them into a more
realistic listing price.
we're hoping.
We're hoping that's a good strategy, we'll see.
Well, you always have a right strategy with a good listing price.
Yes, exactly.
First and foremost, think, is the listing price.
mean, it's so important.
Yeah.
That it represents what you're selling.
And case in point, that Rockland property that we had discussed, I think, in the
last podcast, where they had listed for $6 99 and held offers.
And then I guess nothing good came of that because they didn't get their price.
So they relisted it at $9 95.
So I was looking for the listing yesterday and lo and behold it is cancelled.
Of course.
interesting.
So this is an example of playing Russian roulette with your listing.
Testing the market.
So that can work for anyone.
mean the agents got a lot of work and time and effort.
The buyers that made the trek to Rockland to see the property fully expecting to
maybe be able to put in a reasonable offer and only to have it not accepted and the
expectation I think from $6 99 and then a relist at $9 95 is, I mean don't think
anyone was willing or knowing that they even should go there.
We actually put an offer in as well on a home that was holding offers.
It was listed at $6 .99 in Stonebridge, a town home.
so we did get notified that they received two offers, but we decided not to compete.
Our buyer just didn't want to go there.
and they ended up getting $6 90.
No conditions, but under asking.
okay.
So it's not always over asking.
that's true.
That's interesting.
Yes, well, we're definitely becoming very creative with our strategies in the
market.
We're looking beyond the conventional ways to get these purchases done for our
clients right now.
You know, it's not just the mortgage agents that are doing the creative money
financing.
We are navigating these waters right now in challenging times and you know I was
just working on a deal that I don't really want
give all the contents of it because we're still in the middle.
yet.
It's not firm, still in the middle it.
Fair enough.
Yeah, exactly.
This offer was a two -day working on full SCAP with diagrams and working pie charts
and fingers crossed working situations that on future podcasts we'll talk about
types, really smart ways of getting people and properties, but there are ways.
in these navigating these challenging times, you really have to be have that
creative mindset and adopt.
And you have to be willing to put an awful lot of effort.
Yes, we're doing a lot of work for for these properties for these people that
which is worth it.
It's absolutely worth it.
Yes.
I feel that we need to rename ourselves real estate innovators.
Creators.
Curators.
Magicians.
Psychologists.
A real estate agent.
Yeah, exactly.
You can only see behind the scenes.
Don't hold that curtain back.
So we're staying creative.
We're staying connected and we're going to keep pushing those boundaries of what's
possible in a real estate for our clients.
That's amazing.
know.
Yeah.
It's exciting.
And as to what Cori was mentioning before when we were talking about having our
clients listing their property at the right price and how important that is, I
know in our listing appointment you mentioned that, you know, it was kind of a
struggle
not say that the seller should have that $20 ,000 buffer for wiggle room.
So overpricing it by 20, and that way the seller and buyer can negotiate.
And so a lot of clients, I feel, have that same mentality.
They want that kind of buffer.
So we always kind of bring out this example.
It's a pyramid.
It's a real estate pricing pyramid.
And it's a tool that helps us explain how pricing a property really affects a
buyer's interest in the property.
So we often show them the visual during our presentations.
So here's kind of a breakdown of how the pyramid works.
So it's a triangle and it's at the top of the pyramid.
It shows if you price your property 10 to 15 % above market value, that you're going
to only attract about 10 % of the whole pool of buyers to your listing.
So you're cutting out 90 % of your potential buyer looking at your property
by overpricing it by 10 to 15%.
So the upper middle is about 5 to 10 % above market value.
So if you're pricing your home a little bit over market value, 5 to 10%, you're
only attracting about 10 to 30 % of the buyers.
And that's just to get them in the front door.
that's just to get them in the door.
That's true.
Never mind anything else.
middle market value.
So if you're pricing at market value, you're going to be attracting 60 to 80 %
of the potential buyers.
So that's the sweet spot.
So pricing at market value attracts the largest pool of buyers, leading to more
showing some potential multiple offers.
And now if we're going to the lower end, 5 to 10 % below market value, you're
increasing the buyer eyes on your property by 80 to 90%.
And then the bottom of the pyramid, the lowest price is 10 to 15 % below market
And you're going to get pretty much everybody looking at your property.
If you're pricing at that below, you're definitely creating urgency among the
buyers.
That's pretty aggressive.
You are probably looking for some kind of multiple offer situation and driving that
sale price back up again.
you know, so as you can see, understanding and using a real estate pricing pyramid
helps sellers set their property price to attract the right amount of buyer interest
and realize the potential consequences of overpricing.
So we find that tool very helpful.
It is a graph.
and you can really see it visually and it's excellent.
Yeah, is good.
is not rocket science.
It really does work.
So ladies, can you believe we're already in the thick of summer?
I know, know.
is flying when you're fun.
Well, with the kids out of school and everyone eager for a bit of adventure like
us, it's the perfect time to explore some fun day trips.
Yeah.
How about we dive into some exciting destinations, just a couple of hours or
less from Ottawa.
Yeah.
Okay.
So let's start with our favorites.
So okay, for me, my favourite little day trip is to Almonte.
love Almonte.
Me too.
And I used to live there.
I know.
It has everything I need for the perfect quick getaway.
So it has historical charm, great restaurants and shopping.
Almonte is spectacular all season long.
So all year round.
But Christmas is my favourite because it looks like
pretty little hallmark movie and that's probably why they film most of the
Christmas hallmark movies.
Yeah, they do.
They're in Almonte.
So when I go there, I love to go shopping and some of my favourite shops are
Cheerfully Made, which just sells trendy local artisan goods like jewelry, bath
bombs, candles, funky stuff.
And then another favourite I have is Tin Barn Market.
Yeah, we go there quite often, which has just gorgeous home decor and the store is
beautiful.
So we never miss a chance to go there when we visit.
And they have just amazing vintage shops, antique shops, so if you like antiquing
like me, it's just like a treasure trove of beautiful antiques.
the food is incredible there too.
It's a destination.
People will just drive to Almonte to go dine and then go home afterwards.
There's sterling and that's beautiful presented food and craft cocktails and
then Joe's Italian kitchen.
which is on the water on the rapids there.
Beautiful.
Beautiful views.
that location.
they're both in like these heritage stone restaurants.
So it's just like chef's kiss for ambiance.
It's amazing.
And they have like ice cream shops and bakeries and it's just an amazing place to
be.
And then of course, for people who love to be outdoors,
There's the Mill of Contailed Conservation Area.
That was always my favourite walking trail with the dogs.
Yeah, isn't it beautiful?
It's stunning.
Yeah, and the Almonte River Walk and the Ottawa Valley Recreation Trail and there's
like historical monuments there and museums.
all of that is my perfect version of a day trip.
And may I just add also that most of the places there are pet friendly.
they have water dishes out for the pets.
You can take them into a lot of most of the places, little cafes and stuff.
will allow your pup to come in with you.
know.
Love that.
it's lovely.
that.
Okay, so ladies, my favourite or one of my favourite getaways.
is Arnprior and it's a kind of way you wouldn't think about going to.
It's usually, you know, this town is really becoming a great destination spot.
I'm a bit partial to Arnprior because my daughter Taylor and my future son -in -law
are living there.
Pushing the envelope there, pushing up forward.
It's known as where the rivers meet because of where the town's located.
It's between the Ottawa, it meets at the Ottawa and Matawaska rivers.
Some of the things that we've discovered there that are fantastic, there's a great
public beach, there's a separate spot that dogs are allowed to go to, so that's
really fun.
We've brought our puppies there.
my daughter and Cody have also stumbled upon some private beaches.
There's some great walking trails.
The Algonquin Trail is one.
I love that one.
It's just a fantastic place you would never know.
And the restaurants and cafes have incredible food.
Arnprior is really becoming a place with trendy shops and upscale eateries.
One newspaper article actually compared it to Westboro.
Wow!
It's really up and coming.
So one of the restaurants we love is the Lumber Town Ale House.
And then there's other cute cafes such as Sweet and Sassy Cafe.
They also have Canada's oldest bowling alley.
Fun!
So really fun and this bowling alley was recently purchased.
So thankfully they didn't tear this down.
They saved it and still original.
Like is it still have.
that quality to it.
Yeah, so it was actually featured on Bryan Baeumler's HGTV renovation show called All
In.
and they completely redid it and they kept that 1930s charm.
Integrity.
I love that.
So worth going to and my daughter's gone, but I can't wait to go see it.
They're still waiting for their liquor license.
So keep that in mind.
So I'll probably wait for that.
But it's a destination I might not have thought of, but definitely worth the
drive.
Yeah, love that.
Yeah.
Well, I think I need to to make a trip out to Arnprior.
Yes, absolutely.
the hospital out there.
Isn't there a great, there's a great hospital.
we had a listing there last year, I think, and it was like, it was like right along
the trail that the that trail that you mentioned.
nice.
Yeah, looking over the water, it was probably the most spectacular view I've
ever seen.
It's true.
Beautiful places.
Yeah, it is.
Yeah.
The homes are actually really inexpensive there.
I keep telling buyers that.
definitely.
Well, I'm going to take you guys a
little bit further away.
My day trip go -to is Montreal.
Oh, of course.
I just can't get enough.
In fact, every other week, this is a day trip that my daughter and I take.
It's turned into a little mom and daughter.
My daughter's 22 now.
So this is our getaway.
pretty much decide the day before or a few days before we both clear our schedules
and we jump into the car first thing in the morning.
hit the Starbucks drive -thru and pick the music station and she's in charge of
changing the station on the way down the highway as we lose our station and get
into Quebec.
really this is one of our favourite destinations just to go and we go to
different places every time we go
we just pick a place to park and then we spend the whole day on foot.
So nice.
Yeah, some of our favourite places to go definitely is the first stop is the
shopping, shopping, shopping district right downtown.
Yeah.
And then a must stop in at Dunn's famous smoke meat across the street.
It really is a different experience having smoked meat in Montreal than anywhere else
in the country.
Yeah, we practice our French.
And we definitely hit, and it's kind of cute, my little Emily in Paris.
that's And she says all these words that I just don't know what she's talking about
because you actually have to watch the show.
It's funny.
It's quite funny.
She's very sweet.
And we have to hit the nearby Italian food stores, the negocios.
They're just different than what the food that we get in Ottawa.
We're always going down for special occasions.
get out we get our bread there my gosh like the real deal it's the real deal yes
and definitely old Montreal so we love that yes you can park and you can walk
walk down the harbor if you're going with kids there's zip lining and there's we
went one time down the harbor we bought these crazy sunglasses from these vendors
and
walked around in fun sunglasses all day.
just silly.
Just being silly.
bought these little keepsake necklaces and we still have them to this day.
So it's memory building and also it's historic and my daughter is right into the
history of it.
So there's a lot of conversations about that.
We pop into the art galleries.
She's quite the little artist.
so we, know, exploring the city through her eyes is quite something.
And then Mount Royale, think one of her most favourite times we went was when we
took a trek.
said, we're going to show you, bring you up the hill.
We went up the, stopped into the local bakery for the bagels and the coffee and
then hiked up the hill and it truly is breathtaking.
It's just really is an incredible place.
And the highlight of the whole time away really is the, is the taking the time away
from my daughter and the connecting the time in the car down
The entire time spent in the of the that and only two hours away from Ottawa.
Isn't that incredible?
It's like a different world,
And so yeah, so that brings me to, guess, my favourite day trip.
Yes.
And that has been the case for at least 25 years, dating myself yet again, but it has
been my favourite little spot.
I'm amazed that not more people know about it, because a lot of times when I say, I
go to Westport.
Westport.
where is that exactly?
Where is that exactly?
it's just...
Don't tell anyone about it.
yes.
Yeah, it's doing okay.
You go there on the weekends, it's smack dab in the middle.
It's smack dab in the middle of cottage country.
So there's lakes all around it.
Just the drive getting there is just enough to de -stress you.
You you just take a nice deep breath.
It's so beautiful.
I mean, some of the things that I just love about Westport is it's right on the
lake, it's right on the Rideau system.
And the harbour there is beautiful.
They have such a charming little community with tons of little shops, restaurants,
live music at the Cove, which is one of the restaurants slash B &Bs.
And little stores, know, like clothing stores and boutiques and stuff like that.
It's wonderful.
And one of the things that I really, like is when you're driving into Westport, you
have to drive through, well, I guess which way you're coming, but if you're coming
through Newborough, you're gonna go through, you're gonna see this big store
as you're coming in on the left -hand side.
And you're gonna wanna stop.
Kilborn's.
And if you don't stop, there's something wrong.
I would say this is the spotlight business.
is your PSA.
This is my PSA right now.
If you do nothing else, stop at Kilborn's because this is a truly unique experience.
They have such a vast array of like high end, know, higher end items.
knew and I, have been there many times before because we go to Westport quite
often, but we took.
my God, it was our first time there.
I've never known about it and I can't wait to go back.
I'm disappointed.
I you walked in the door and you didn't know where to look.
You had to see Tamara's face.
Because you the jewelry first.
says, OK.
Then the shoes, and then the clothes, then the home decor.
was a whole area of that.
And we're not talking country cutesy clothes and shoes.
We're talking higher end.
Just beautiful merchandise.
I don't know who does their buying, but it's quite a unique experience.
Foods and home decor.
She's of She's, you name it.
It's all there.
It's cowboy boots.
jewelry.
Anything to think of.
I'm so disappointed that I left anything.
in that store.
And it's so beautifully displayed and marketed.
Don't you find?
Yeah, just it's a sensory overload when you walk in there.
And we did take some video and photos.
So look for those on our social media.
Yeah, we did.
To give you a better understanding of what we're trying to say.
It's hard to describe, but it was a really cool spot.
Yeah, it was.
So that's a drive into Westport and then there's Westport itself.
you know, if you haven't gone, go.
Yes, yes for sure.
Highly recommended.
So yeah Ottawa Road Trips definitely you know a great time to spend with people in
the car but also your destination spot is incredible and a good way to just explore
nearby but we have a lovely lady Laura Byrne -Paquet who she has a Facebook page
so highly recommend checking her out and she also has a book called Ottawa Road
so she speaks a lot about, know, all the great things to do in and around Ottawa.
That's, not too far away.
And I own one of her books and reached out to her and we asked Laura to give us her
top five road trips right now.
And this is what she said.
So here you go.
number one is Almonte.
So she also likes Almonte, Tara.
So she says pop in and out of independent boutiques along Mill Street, especially
Mill Street books.
LG Lee & Sons for home and garden goods, and then Cheerfully Made for items made by
local artisans and crafters.
And then number two, she has Chelsea on the Chelsea's a great place.
Hike to the ruins of the Carbide Wilson Mill in Gatineau Park, and then reward
yourself with a big ice cream sandwich at La Cigale.
Oh, I've had one of before.
My friend lives in Chelsea, called me.
Yeah, so it's such a great destination.
Note to go there.
And number three is Merrickville.
That's my favourite destinations.
Pick up some caramels from Pickle and Murr or baked goodies at Violet's on Main
Bakery.
and then settle down at a picnic table to enjoy your treats as you watch boats going
up and down the Rideau Canal.
So fun.
the locks there, I love watching them.
Beautiful.
I love watching all this right now.
you should also mention Merrickville.
I know she didn't mention it, but a really big highlight of Merrickville is the
ruins.
Yes.
yes.
It's the old wool mill and you just have to cross right across the bridge and on
your right.
So if you never go outside of that little downtown area, you won't find it, but it's
definitely a highlight.
that.
nice.
And she recommends bringing your own kayak too and get out into that water.
Yeah.
And then number four is Longsou.
Go to the Free Lost Villages Museum to learn about the communities intentionally
flooded to build the St.
Lawrence Seaway.
This is really interesting.
interesting.
Yeah.
And then drive the
Parkway, a 10 kilometer scenic route that connects 11 islands in the St.
Lawrence.
Number five, another popular great spot we love is Perth.
She says hit the beach and the Silver Queen Mine Trail at Murphy's Point
Provincial Park and then have a burger on the patio at the Rocky River Cafe.
You sound like you know
Thank you so much Laura for that.
you.
Definitely pick up her book.
We'll post that as well for everyone.
I'm gonna pick one up for We need this book for the summer.
And we were fortunate enough this week actually to take a business trip to
Westport, which actually then ended up turning into a pleasure trip.
So when business turns into pleasure, it was wonderful.
We drove up to Westport to find out more information about the watercolour
community that's being built there in Westport.
Yes, he's such a strong visionary with a passion for home building.
Steve and his wife, they've led Land ark Homes to build over 300 homes across 12
communities in the Ottawa area, Yeah, most recently building Canada's first fossil
fuel free net zero home community in Watercolor Westport, guys.
This is brand new.
That is so cool and so forward thinking.
Absolutely.
He's about 10 years ahead of the rest of the builders in the market.
You can see why.
You can really see why.
mean, his passion was to connect people to each other and nature.
he challenged the norms of home building in Canada today, creating homes that are
built to 2032 building code and utilizing traditional neighborhood design
principles.
So that way he created a walkable, connected living opportunity that is
garnering the attention of the entire home building industry.
This is amazing.
Yeah.
And he's also he's backed by being the only Canadian home builder to win North
America's best custom builder from the National Home Builders Association.
That's very impressive.
Incredible.
Yeah.
The Ottawa area is Niagara on the Lake community.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And the importance of walkability, nature, lifestyle.
Yeah, so at Watercolor Westport, they're building a really unique net zero all
electric home that everyone's talking about, but few are actually doing.
So these homes are coming to one of a kind community here in Westport.
So what does net zero ready mean?
It means these homes are designed, built and certified to produce as much energy as
they consume.
So net zero being ready being that they're ready for installation of the solar
panels.
So even without solar, they use half the energy of a typical new home, which is
really remarkable.
It really is.
And what's cool about the watercolor too are the names of their homes.
They're named after the lakes of the Rideau Canal waterway system that goes
from Ottawa to Kingston.
So these homes just create a community.
And I think his vision is community connected to nature and neighbors and
adventure.
So they're all kind of tied in together.
Yes.
We got that vibe when we were
Yeah, the homes interestingly feature these large front porches, reminiscent of
100 years ago to encourage neighborhood connections and promoting a walkable
community.
They also have big rear screen porches, which are so gorgeous to enjoy at all
different times of the
Yeah, guess his vision is because you get sun at one point on your front porch and
then at the other time of the day you want to sit on your back porch but still be
protected so you can always sit outside and enjoy the nature, nature, nature.
Yeah,
So they're among the new fossil free all electric homes offering comfort, ease,
maintenance and low energy bills.
The more that we look into this build.
and the community and the builder, just keeps getting more impressive.
Well, he's definitely very forward thinking.
Forward thinking and family oriented.
was talking about how he treats his tradespeople.
Yes.
And how he just takes such good care of his tradespeople and he just finds that,
you know, happy tradespeople, happy homes, better quality.
Happy homes.
So taking us inside the home now, we talked so much about the community, which
is amazing.
And now to the actual home itself.
We were blown away when we had a meeting there in the sales center.
First, we met with Victoria, the sales agent there who's just brilliant and just
knows that product inside and out.
And we were just so impressed by the quality of the finishes,
in any other build, believe, would be all upgrades.
Absolutely.
When they're all standard there, all standard with the finishing on the
countertops and the, like you were saying Tamara, the cabinetry was reaching all the
way up to the ceiling.
These are all considered upgrades.
In other places.
other places.
And they just come standard there and all the ceilings are nine feet high, including
in the basement.
So he wants you to have that feeling that you're never in a basement, it's always
light and bright.
yeah, there's also insulation in
basement floor so you don't get that cold, you don't get the cold, damp.
Exactly, extra touches.
Yes.
Yeah, it was incredible.
He really has paid attention to the detail of his interior finishes and he's quite
proud of it and he has a lot to really be proud of.
He is quite the remarkable builder and he's doing a really great thing for the
community and for the environment and for the future of developments and he's really
leading the way for...
a passion project almost.
throw up some homes and build them fast.
was treat everybody with respect, get people back to the community and the
nature.
So it just really seemed more intentional as an intentional build almost to create a
lifestyle.
was
I was so impressed by him.
Yeah, we were.
He rolled out the red carpet for us.
Yeah, he really did.
We're to come back and say And his homes are affordable.
they're starting bungalows starting at just $5 99.
Yes, for a semi -detached.
For a semi -detached bungalow, yeah.
And they come equipped with all the standard features that, as we mentioned,
would be upgrades.
Yeah.
And then they go up
A million, think.
a million probably, yeah, for the detached homes.
footage, of course, depending on how many square feet, of course.
So he's selling semi bungalows and some two stories as well.
So there's something for everybody, I find, and all the price points.
So he's really not excluding any type of buyer here, which I like.
So can get in at a reasonable price or if you want to get that bigger home, that
luxury big bungalow, you can get that too.
Yeah, and we did discuss the demographic that might be interested in these type of
homes and so that was an interesting conversation as well.
I guess this would appeal to
more active maybe retirees.
Semi -retired.
Semi -retirees, entrepreneurs who can work from home.
Remote workers.
It's attracting people from Toronto and Kingston and Yeah, he said it was kind of
a hub, he?
So he was saying it was kind of the centre, I think Victoria said it was the
centre between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa to connect in that kind of water
resort town feeling.
you know, of course a little bit further from Toronto, but still.
easy to get to.
hours.
Exactly.
He called it the Niagara on the Lake of Ottawa.
That's right.
I thought that was so cool.
It's true.
It really feels that way.
I did feel that way as well.
Yeah.
So great to check out our links for sure.
Check out our links.
Yes.
Okay, so I know we have to move on, but there's just so much we can just keep
talking about this for days and days, but we're going to add pictures of the
properties and of Westport.
We'll have links to the watercolor property website as well as pricing so you
can go and check out everything over there.
Absolutely.
Do you ladies ever feel lucky?
I do sometimes.
Have you ever played the lottery?
Yes.
Occasionally.
If it's a big jackpot.
70 million.
Yeah.
70 million.
Well, that is the winnings that just happened over last week.
We have an Ottawa area woman who won the latest jackpot.
And this is just such an incredible
there really is no one more deserving than somebody like this to win this lottery,
especially with what she is planning on doing with the funds.
I'd love to hear that.
Yeah, so this woman, she won the jackpot and she knew that she was going to win
after her left hand started itching.
Wow.
Has that ever happened to you guys?
Yes, that's the sign, isn't it?
That you're coming into money?
That's the sign you're coming into money.
And as she was reading the numbers on her ticket, which match those of the OLG.
Can you imagine that 70 million dollars 70 million?
can't even imagine.
Well, if not me then good.
It's her.
Thanks.
Well, she wants to give back.
So this is a woman that has survived cancer.
She has is a recovering from a drug addiction and she really wants to help
those people who have helped her along the way and support them with the troubles
that they're going through.
I just can't believe how amazing this is.
She wants to buy a home for herself and she wants to keep the family in it.
So she's living with, there's multi -generations living in her home right now.
And instead of buying everyone a home, she's going to buy one for her daughter.
But the rest of them, she wants to buy a multi -generational home and keep the
family together.
Yes.
And then she, she also wants to help the community that helped her.
And she had this dream, right?
Sonya of owning a ranch.
Yeah.
I saw on the news that she was saying that her dream has always been to open
this ranch and bring in, horses and animals and have other addicts come in and
work the farm, work the ranch and help with recovery.
So I think that's incredible.
And I know she's also very interested in helping people
autism, so I'm sure she'll incorporate some of that to the ranch as well.
don't think anyone better could have won this lottery.
amazing.
for our community as well.
She's giving back to our community.
that is just so special.
I was really happy to hear this.
that's probably the nicest lottery story I've heard ever,
Yeah, so toast to the amazing people in our community doing amazing things like
Patricia.
Cheers to Patricia.
And if you would like to give back to your community, the Distress Centre of Ottawa
is looking for volunteers.
Oh, yeah, nice.
Yeah.
So the Distress Centre of Ottawa is a local distress centre that is accessed by
calling 988.
And this is place that people can access for 24 hours a day, seven days a week to
connect to mental health support and other resources.
They are offering free training and free parking.
If you would like to volunteer.
And to answer phones, if you're a good listener, this would maybe a really great
place for you to give a few hours a week or a few hours a month and really
contribute.
contribute positively to the community.
And this is something that I'll be signing up for.
Yeah, that's I'm giving it right now.
Yeah, that's great.
for sharing that.
Yeah, absolutely.
That's amazing.
So if you'd like to volunteer to help, then you
you can email send an email out or go to the website of dcottawa .on .ca and you go
right onto the website and you can click to volunteer.
Wonderful.
Yeah, thanks for that.
You're welcome.
So that's it for today's episode of Ottawa Getaways.
We hope you found some inspiration for your next day trip adventure.
Be sure to subscribe, leave us a review if you enjoyed the show, and write in if you
have someone or something uplifting you feels worthy of a special toast from us.
And as always, safe travels.
Safe travels, everyone.
Safe travels.
That's a wrap, guys.
That's a wrap.
Peace out.
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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Until next time, keep dreaming big and happy house hunting!
Summertime set?
Summertime by Louis Armstrong.
think that's the one I want.
Is it Will?
Anyways, nevermind.
Summertime by Will Smith.
Okay.
it is Will Smith.
It is Will Smith.
I'm so smooth.
I'm fine