It's Winterlude Time Again... Here's What's Happening Weekend 1 (Feb 5th-7th)

Every February, Ottawa is host to Winterlude, Canada's winter celebration. It goes on for three weekends that have tons of great activities for the family and individuals! It’s the worlds largest skating rink, how much more fun could that be! Winterlude was created in 1979 by the NCC as a means of celebrating Canada’s unique northern climate and culture. Every year, more than 650,000 fun-seekers take part in Winterlude activities. More than a third of our visitors are from outside the Capital region. The success of Winterlude rests on the support — both financial and in donated services — of the private sector, local collaborators, the media and the community. Over 800 generous people volunteer for the NCC during Winterlude.

Here’s what’s happening Weekend 1...

Friday February 5th :
Rogers One Block Challenge (Confederation Park) 8-10am Awards @ 5pm
Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom Activities Launch 10:30am
Winter Rendezvous Under the Stars (Jacques Cartier Park)
American Express Winterlude Opening 7-11pm
The National Parcs (Museum of Civilization) 7pm-8pm
Nite-Lite (Museum of Civilization) 7pm-11pm
Musical Fireworks 8:30pm

All Weekend:
Introduction to Fishing (Jacques Cartier Park) 10am, 12pm, 2pm
Rogers 23rd International Ice Carving Competition
Tethered Hot Air Balloon (Jacques Cartier Park)
Sun Life Movie Night (Jacques Cartier Park) Everynight at 6:30pm
Participatory Art Projects (Major Hill’s Park) 7pm-11pm

Courtesy of National Capital Commission (NCC)

Priority Sales on Executive Townhome Development in Orleans Coming February 1st!

Phase I of a new 23 executive townhome development will be going on sale to priority registrants February 1st 2010!

With a starting price of $268,900 the homes released in Phase I will be in such an attractive setting so close to both urban amenities and natural attractions including a huge pond, woodlot, creek, paths and walkways, these desirable townhomes are sure to go quickly!

Call Me ASAP If Interested,

Mary-Anne
613-612-7355

New Mini Hospital Coming to Ottawa East!

A new $150-million Orleans mini-hospital will be located on Mer Bleue Rd., with groundbreaking expected by March 2011.

The location of the Orleans Family Health Hub was revealed Monday morning. The new project is being called the future of health care delivery in Ontario by its proponents.

The hub will move day surgery, dialysis and cancer detection and treatment into a clinic setting, at almost one-third of the costs of traditional hospitals, said Ottawa-Orleans MPP Phil McNeely.
"This represents a new vision and a new type of delivery of health care," said Dr. Bernard Leduc, the CEO of the Montfort Hospital, the lead agency on the project.

Cumberland Coun. Rob Jellett called the project "the largest single development in Orleans" with an expected creation of 1,500 construction jobs.

"This is the future of Orleans coming here," said Jellett to a group of provincial MPPs, Mayor Larry O'Brien and other city councillors.

As part of the announcement today, the Taggart Group of Companies made a $3-million donation to the fundraising campaign for the hub. Planners purchased property for the site from Taggart.

2009 a Record Year for Resale Home Sales!

2009 will be a year to remember! After a slow 2008 due to the economic crisis the Ottawa Resale Market got right back on track!

Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 689 residential properties in December through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system compared with 467 in December 2008, an increase of 47.5 per cent. This brings the total number of residential properties sold through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® system in 2009 to 14,742, up 7.4 per cent from 2008 and setting a new record. The previous record of 14,565 sales was set in 2007. The average price for all of 2009 was $303,888, an increase of 4.9 per cent over 2008. Of December’s sales, 185 were in the condominium property class, while 504 were in the residential property class.

“Ottawa’s housing market felt the chill of the global financial crisis last winter, but sales warmed up even before the spring weather arrived, and over the course of the year Ottawa had five record-breaking months of sales. Listing inventory was at a low level throughout 2009, which led to many multiple-offer situations,” said Board President Pierre de Varennes. “Ottawa’s housing market bounced back very strongly from its brief downturn, and we ended the year ahead of the previous annual sales record, which certainly no one expected back in January,” he added.

The average sale price of residential properties, including condominiums, sold in December in the Ottawa area was $307,807, an increase of 13.1 per cent over December 2008. The average sale price for a condominium-class property was $246,062, an increase of 17.9 per cent over December 2008. The average sale price of a residential-class property was $330,471, an increase of 12.8 per cent over December 2008. The Board cautions that average sale price information can be useful in establishing trends over time but should not be used as an indicator that specific properties have increased or decreased in value. The average sale price is calculated based on the total dollar volume of all properties sold.

We finished off 2009 with 5 record breaking months and now we’re headed in a good direction for 2010!

Now is the time to buy or sell! Call me if you have any questions!

Your Real Estate Professional,
Mary-Anne