Journal
Notes on the Ottawa market.
Market letters, buying & selling guides, neighbourhood notes, investor and commercial analysis.
BUYING
Price is the last lever: an Ottawa buyer's negotiation playbook
Jul 21, 2026 · 5 min read
Everyone thinks negotiating means grinding the price. In a market where correctly priced homes still fetch 98.5% of ask, price is the last lever. Here's where the real negotiation happens, segment by segment.
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Buying your first Ottawa condo in 2026: the soft market and the document that decides it
Jul 14, 2026 · 5 min read
Ottawa's condo segment is the softest in the city right now, and for once that is the buyer's advantage rather than a warning. Apartments are off about 6% year over year with 5.3 months of supply, the most buyer-friendly reading in Ottawa. Here is how to shop your first one, and why the status certificate is the document that actually decides the deal.
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The first-time buyer GST rebate: what it's worth in Ottawa
Jul 7, 2026 · 5 min read
The feds made the GST disappear on new homes for first-time buyers, up to $50,000 back. In Ottawa, where most new-build product sits under $1 million, that's usually the full ride. The catch: it does nothing for resale.
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Stacking the FHSA and HBP for your Ottawa down payment
Jun 30, 2026 · 5 min read
The FHSA and HBP aren't either-or. Stacked, an Ottawa couple can assemble up to $200,000 of tax-advantaged down payment, and the 2026 repayment rules just got friendlier. Here's the playbook.
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Home inspection: the 12 things to look for in Ottawa homes
Jun 9, 2026 · 3 min read
Ottawa's housing stock spans pre-Confederation stone homes in the village of Manotick, post-war bungalows in Carlington, 1980s vinyl-sided detached in Kanata, and brand-new builds in Riverside South.
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Pre-approval vs pre-qualification: what Ottawa lenders actually mean
Jun 2, 2026 · 3 min read
I had a client lose a Westboro semi last month because they brought a "pre-approval" to the offer table that was actually a pre-qualification.
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Closing costs in Ontario explained, line by line
May 20, 2026 · 3 min read
If you're buying in Ottawa, "closing costs" is the line that ambushes more first-time buyers than any other. Let me walk through every cost, what it actually pays for, and what you'll see on a $700,000 purchase.
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How much home can you afford in Ottawa in 2026?
May 15, 2026 · 3 min read
The affordability question gets asked at every coffee, and the answer is always: it depends. But the inputs are not mysterious. Let me walk through how an Ottawa lender actually decides what you can borrow in 2026, with real numbers.
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First-time home buyer's complete guide to Ottawa
May 8, 2026 · 3 min read
Buying your first home in Ottawa in 2026 is easier than it was in 2022 in some ways — there's actual inventory, conditions are back, and rates have stabilized — and harder in others, because the qualifying rate still floors around 6%.
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