Anneke Cundasawmy

I have been known to be somewhat perfectionistic... in fact, my mother has a nickname for me Miss Perfectionista. What I've come to realize in recent years is that it's a handicap! This week I shot my first video tour of a listing: 144 Post Road, Kanata. And while the producer, a pro, assured me I took less takes than actors do... I interpreted this as a bad thing.

Faced with not enough time to do my hair, no idea how my clothes would show on camera, and worried that I'd sound nasal and somewhat "Fran the Nanny " or "Janice on Friends"... I bravely stood beside my sign and spoke clearly and loudly, "Welcome to 144 Post Road!"

The home is situated on a very quiet curvy street. Ironically, the minute he hoisted his camera onto his shoulder, three cars needed to drive by. Nothing like an audience to make a girl nervous!

Here's the thing - as much as I still cringe when I view the video tour of 144 Post Road - I remind myself that my promise to the seller is to sell his home, and that the video tour is to enable buyers to see it. In Ottawa, it's not as common as in other markets to do video tours of properties. I decided to film this to eliminate looky-loos and thus reduce the inconvenience to my client.

So there I stood, hating every minute of it, and thinking, "Why am I doing this!? No one else really bothers!". Well, Miss Perfectionista... you can worry about getting it perfect or you can keep this gentleman's best interests at heart. Easy choice! Chase the elusive "Get It Perfect" or simply get it done...

I welcome your thoughts of course: the good, the bad and the ugly! Here's Anneke's 3-minute guided tour on 144 Post Road.

Sure it can be inconvenient to be a landlord, but you'll always find me smiling on the 1st of the month! The only real regret I have is that I didn't become a property investor in my twenties. I've been looking at a lot of Centretown Ottawa investment properties lately and it struck me that there are more and more smart, young investors... and the tenants appear to be older than their landlord!

Is it a hands-on business degree of sorts... you betcha'! Marketing, purchasing, negotiating, project management, labour relations, law, finance, economics... it's starting to look like my old curriculum. Many of the popular television shows make it appear easier than it is by leaving out key elements. On the other hand, many people are afraid of the proven wealth-building strategy that property investment is... the perception is that it's hard. It is at times. And... it's easy and rewarding at times.

What other investment vehicle offers the potential of an income stream from the rents and steady asset apprecation? And my favourite part... you can force appreciation by improving the property. I don't remember the last time I was able to make a difference myself in the value of a stock or fund I owned. I'm just sayin'... it's something to consider!

For a great example of what's possible, come see me at an Ottawa investment property open house. Forget brunch, jewellery, flowers... why not give the gift that keeps on giving?! "Happy Valentine's Day, honey... I bought you an income stream!"

I have a good sense of direction, tested in numerous cities around the globe, despite having grown up thinking west was north in Ottawa. (I know!) At the heart of the issue: aside from getting some fun driving lessons in a hot little red Fiat Spider convertible tooling around Rockcliffe (back when it was still a village) I never really drove in Ottawa. I grew up walking all over the downtown core: Centretown, the Glebe, the Market, Golden Triangle, and so I oriented around the Rideau Canal which occurred to me (erroneously) as running east-west. I've got it handled now... don't worry. If you tell me you want sunset views, I won't sell you a place where you'll wake up blinded every morning. I promise! I refuse to give yoga mats out as apologies.

But lately, I've been wondering about my Ottawa real estate colleagues... There's been an awful lot of confusion about the field "fronting on", which you'll see when perusing real estate listings on the multiple listing service (MLS). I find that it's wrong about 50% of the time. Here's why:

This field refers to which side of the street the front of the property abuts, or said another way, the side of the street to which the front of the property is adjacent.

Contrary to popular belief, "fronting on" does NOT describe the direction the property is facing.

Remember there are no dumb questions, just dumb people who won't ask questions. Seriously, don't be shy to ask me your Ottawa real estate curiosities.

Thinking of locking in a mortgage rate while you search for a home? Good news: looks like you've got a few months... or weeks?

The Bank of Canada maintains overnight rate target at 1/4 per cent and reiterates *conditional commitment to hold current policy rate until the end of the second quarter of 2010.

*Conditional on the outlook for inflation, the target overnight rate can be expected to remain at its current level until the end of the second quarter of 2010 in order to achieve the inflation target.

The next scheduled date for announcing the overnight rate target is March 2nd, 2010. So if you're thinking of taking the first step in the purchase of a home, speaking with a lender about mortgage pre-approval (and locking in a mortgage interest rate for 90 or 120 days), the good news is that it looks like you've timed it right!

If you're considering listing your home in February/March to benefit from the hot spring market, then good news for you too, as (a) you're likely purchasing somewhere else, and will need a mortgage, and (b) you'll have motivated buyers who want to take advantage of the continued low cost of borrowing.

News to consider:

• Economic growth in Canada resumed in the third quarter of 2009 and is expected to have picked up further in the fourth quarter.
• The Bank projects that the economy will grow by 2.9 per cent in 2010 and 3.5 per cent in 2011, after contracting by 2.5 per cent in 2009.
• The private sector should become the sole driver of domestic demand growth in 2011.

Highlights from the Bank's outlook for the economy and inflation:

• the outlook for global growth is somewhat stronger than in October,
• recovery is also under way in Canada, but considerable excess supply remains,
• the Canadian economy is expected to return to full capacity in Q3 2011.

The Bank's outlook, including risks to the projection, is published in the Monetary Policy Report, released yesterday; click here for the 4-page summary: http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/mpr/pdf/2010/mprsumjan10.pdf.

Source: Bank of Canada Press Release January 19th, 2010. For full details, click here: http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/fixed-dates/2010/rate_190110.html

urbanique urban lifestyle. low-maintenance living. an expression of your unique style.

Low-maintenance living in Ottawa? It's here! The future... as it was promised to us on the silver screen... all that "far-fetched" high-tech goodness... is here my friends! It all reminds me of Sean Connery (my fave Bond) smoothly cueing the mood lighting and the make-out music. Not that his mojo really needed any help from props...

The easy-to-live-with genius of Smart Condo manages everything effortlessly– energy use, lighting, even ‘mood’ and entertainment. Control everything conveniently: music, home theatre entertainment, lighting, room temperature, your fireplace – all with one remote control you already know how to use. Audio stream where you want, to any room in your home. There’s even an email alert. Programming is a snap with features that go way beyond thermostat, lighting and security settings, to handle ambience and entertaining all night long. How Bond, indeed! Metropia homes are smart wired for remote control energy conservation plus security – whether you’re just around the corner or half-way around the world. Dial heat down when you’re out; tell the system to warm things up for you when you’re on your way home. The same system that keeps a wary eye on energy use also monitors advanced automated security controls. Cue the lighting to simulate active occupancy. It’s intelligent conservation plus peace of mind.

Come see me this Sunday in the urban village of Old Ottawa East, at 140 Springhurst! I'm not driving anywhere to see the leaves this weekend - I've got the best view in town right there overlooking the grounds of St. Paul's.

Research shows that you know at least 5 people who are considering buying or selling a home... I love referrals and treat them as the huge compliment that they are. I'm happy to meet with the people in your life and be of assistance to them.

2pm - 4pm @ 140 Springhurst: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Ottawa&state=on&address=140+Springhurst

Low-maintenance living in Ottawa is here... and I predict we'll see an increase in the sale of faux-fur rugs and martini glasses!