About Ottawa's Hunt Club

A number of people who have posted a Meme have talked about how long they have been married. It reminded me that my friend and I have both been married (to different guys) for 25 year. When we celebrated her anniversary, I looked through my photos for something that would convey her love for her husband.

This photo of a magnolia tree in bloom was taken at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa last summer. The framing is from Picnik. I am going to have so much fun with my photography hobby this year.

It is also a prelude for the flowers to come on Valentine's Day.

Buyers talk about finding 'the' house, about a feeling when they are in some homes and sometimes they talk about karma. What they are really saying is that the home appeals to all of their senses, If you are putting your house on the market, look around your home for anything dead in the house and either toss it or pack it away for your next home. What should you take away?

• Stuffed animals and fish. Some basements are a museum to the owner's hunting and fishing exploits.
• Skins. You might be surprised how many people have animal skins hanging on the wall or on the floor. Why alienate animal activist Buyers?
• Dried flowers and dried flower wreaths. You may have saved your wedding bouquet but that was then and this is now. Put the flowers away. Use fresh flowers, fruit and beautiful green leaves. Yes artificial flowers and trees last longer than real but they also say dead and dusty.
• Dead spiders and spider webs. If the spiders are not dead try a catch and release to the great outdoors. Think - NO BUGS!
• Don't serve the dog a big knuckle bone during the sale. Either it is on the kitchen floor and looks yukky or it is out in the yard and makes Buyers wonder what has been killed.
• Urns with the ashes of deceased pets or family members. Yes, you have put the urn in a place of respect because of your love for the deceased. You may have even staged a little corner with flowers and photos with the urn. However, during the sale, it is best to move the shrine and urn to a new far less visible location.
• Finally, and most important during the fall and winter, check your mouse traps before every showing. You might go years without a mouse and then, just when you have a For Sale sign on the front lawn, the mice move in. Think - NO TRAPPED MICE.

Make your house overflow with life and vitality.

Photo credit: Hearst Castle - Stuffed Owl

I poured Spot Remover on my dog. Now he is gone.

No, not the newspaper (What is black and white and read all over?) but colour.

• Every room in your home should have a touch of black for impact. This could be a picture frame, a black bowl or tray or a black ottoman.
• If you are buying bathroom fixtures, you will not offend the senses with a bit of white. This is the absence of colour. Sometimes it is more difficult to find white things but they have an impact.
• Find a way to add a bit of red to the family room or living room, even just one flower. Just a touch of red goes a long long way.

Buyers have their "seeing sense" on high alert when they are looking at your home. You want them to find things that are pleasing to the eye.

You won't want the buyer seeing red over your decorating.

Photo credit: Black, White and Red Folk Art Dolls

I am a little hesitant to promote a single store but Lee Valley is one of Canada's most wonderful stores. Things can be purchased from the website and shipped all over Canada and the US (and overseas to our wonderful other AR members and readers). When the flyer came with the newspaper, I was thrilled to look through it and realized that we have many of the nifty little gadgets and tools available. Here are just a few:

• A slice precision paper cutter (no scissors) for cutting out articles in the paper or wrapping paper or any little paper bits. $6.95 It works!
• Brick Clip fasteners that allow you to hang things from bricks (such as wreaths) and can be used inside or outside $9.50
• The ubiquitous Stainless Steel Rasp and Zest Holder. We use it all the time for grating hard cheese, you know, the stuff that cost $30 for a tiny piece of really good parmesan. $22.50
• Pouch Pods for putting in eggs and these silicon cups and then in the water$10.95
• Book Darts for sliding on the page you are reading at the point where you finished $8.95 for a can of 50
• The World's kindest nail brush (I thought it was for potatoes but am using for my hands so whew) $1.70 each
• Gardening stuff that I don't use but my husband does and it is out in the shed
• Wood working tools - again that I don't use buy my husband does

This is just a little taste of what is available. I am proud of this company. It started here in Ottawa. It makes many of the tools locally and the owner has branched out to make surgical tools. Everything that we have bought there has been high quality and useful.

Sounds like a plug and it is but...... So worth a look.

Oops - big plug for the hardware - door knobs, door knockers, drawer pulls. There is equipment and hardware available for making or fixing cabinets. A Stagers, Builders, home renovators delight!!!!

You, the Buyer, need to find a middle ground. Don't be rushed into a purchase from which you cannot easily escape and don't freeze from indecision.

Yes, you have a little wiggle room to change your mind after you have made an offer. You can possibly back out if the building inspector finds significant faults, if your banker will not give you a mortgage or if you do not sell your current house (when all of these are part of the contract). These three items are the usual conditions on a sale. If, on the other hand, you cannot get a pen to an offer because there just maybe something better, it is time for you to reevaluate.

These types of Buyers are two ends of the buying spectrum. There are Buyers who find a house and the no other house except that specific house will do. The other end of the spectrum are Buyers who find a great house but are sure that better ones will come along any time so they want to keep looking to make sure that they are getting the best house. Both extremes make purchasing a home difficult. Anxiety builds up and emotions become a significant part of the buying process.

My advice to Buyers is to relax a bit. For the first type of Buyer I want you to know that new listings become available daily. While another house may not have the exact same features, it may have features that are as good or better. Don't panic yourself into buying a house. Life is not really a TV show where you get to see three houses and have to choose one of them. Make time available to look for a house. Do not take longer to buy a car than a house. For the second type of buyer, frozen by indecision, my advice is to determine what you really need, focus on getting your needs met and any additional benefits in the house are bonuses. Once you jump into the purchase you can do it knowing that one house may not satisfy your needs for 50 years. You can move again as your life changes.

Spending money for a house is stressful. Realize that you may become anxious but that you can mitigate this by working with a REALTOR® and being realistic about your needs and wants.

Photo credit: Anxiety attack at the castle