Monica & Chris Hollands' Home Trends

HOLL ANDS Monica & Chris SERVICE YOU DESERVE

101-2255 Carling Ave Ottawa, ON K2B 7Z5 Office: 613.596.5353 Hallmark Realty Group Brokerage. Each Office Independently Owned and Operated

Monica: 613.864.7975 monica@remaxottawa.com

Chris: 613.797.3977 chris@remaxottawa.com

MonicaAndChrisHollands.com

Monica Direct: 613.864.7975

Chris Direct: 613.797.3977

GIVE NEW LIFE TO AN OLD CARPET If you have carpet in your home and are looking to sell, you may be wondering if you should replace it. Of course, putting in all-new flooring is a big job and might not be in your budget. Alternatively, if you’re house hunting and come across a property you love that has carpet – these tips on how to give new life to an old carpet are for you too. • Brighten a faded carpet with water, salt and a rag. Mix salt into the water, soak the rag and then ring it out. Give the carpet a scrub, periodically re-soaking it. You also may need to change out your salt water if it gets too dirty. • If your carpet is super dirty or has soiled spots, open up your windows and mix ammonia with water. Then use a rag or mop to clean. Because ammonia is very strong make sure to test in an inconspicuous spot first. • If your carpet is clean, but you recently moved furniture and want to get rid of the dents left behind, melt an ice cube in the dent. Then grab a fork and gently fluff the fibres. • Consider renting a carpet cleaner from your local hardware store. DIY carpet- cleaners can get out stains you thought would be there forever.

MonicaAndChrisHollands.com

Monica Direct: 613.864.7975

Chris Direct: 613.797.3977

3 REASONS TO CONSIDER A PERMEABLE DRIVEWAY What is a permeable driveway? And how exactly can it benefit you as a homeowner, as well as the environment? First off, a permeable driveway is any driveway surface that allows water to naturally pass through it and run off. A few examples of permeable driveways are gravel, paving blocks and reinforced grass. Here are three reasons why you should consider a permeable driveway. • Permeable driveways replenish bodies of water. When rainfall sits on the surface of non-permeable surfaces such as concrete, it’s more likely to evaporate away. Permeable driveways allow the water to pass through so it can return to rivers, lakes, oceans and underground aquifers. • Permeable driveways help reduce chances of flooding. When water can’t drain, the chances of flooding increases. Especially during rainstorms when large quantities of water fall very quickly. Non-permeable surfaces allow the rain to build up and cause flooding, while permeable surfaces quickly drain it away. • Permeable driveways help keep urban areas cooler. One of the reasons why cities are warmer than rural areas is because of the large amounts of concrete and asphalt surfaces. Heat from the sun is stored in these materials and then released throughout the day, upping the temperature. Permeable surfaces don’t store heat in the same way and thus help regulate temperature – which is especially important during the summer or in places that experience hotter weather year-round.

MonicaAndChrisHollands.com

Monica Direct: 613.864.7975

Chris Direct: 613.797.3977

KIDS CREATIVITY-SPARKING CRAFT ROOM

A child’s creativity is awe-inspiring. Give your budding artist a special area to dream up all kinds of projects with a craft room. If you have the space for a dedicated kids’ craft room in your home – great! If not, consider a craft nook in the corner of your kitchen, living room – or their own bedroom. • Create a workspace. If you’re happy with your small table and chairs, set them against a wall. If you want to give them more personality, paint them fun colours. You can also try painting the table a neutral colour and the chairs a bolder shade. • Create a statement wall. Use a large stick-on decal to make the wall behind the table pop. Your decal can be anything from circles, to a tree, to birds. If you’re feeling creative yourself, you can hand paint shapes, stripes or a full mural. • Organize art supplies. Place art supplies in small baskets or containers and put them on the table. If you’d prefer they were out of the way, you can install a shelf above or put the smaller containers in a larger one under the table. • Hang your child’s masterpieces. Place your child’s artwork in the frames and hang them on the feature wall. You can add one or two – or an entire gallery. Buy extra frames if you want to continue to add as they create.

MonicaAndChrisHollands.com

Monica Direct: 613.864.7975

Chris Direct: 613.797.3977

REMOVE THE SMELL OF PETS FROMYOUR HOME You love your pets! But if you’re planning on selling, or just want to do a deep clean of your home, here are five tips on how to remove the smell of cats and dogs. • Give them a bath. The most obvious solution is to regularly bathe your pet. How often you do this will entirely depend on your pet – and you may need to take them to the groomer to have it professionally done. If you’re doing it at home, try using natural shampoos that won’t irritate their skin. • Keep a cleaning solution at the back door. Often the smell of pets is actually the scents they’ve tracked in from the outdoors. Keep a natural cleaning solution and a cloth at the back door so you can wipe their paws every time they come in. • Clean the litter box. It usually isn’t enough to simply scoop out the litter box daily. You also should be completely emptying it once a month and scrubbing the surface with soap and water. • Sprinkle baking soda. Baking soda sprinkled on a pet-loved rug can do wonders. Dose the carpet at night and leave it until the morning. Then vacuum it up and relish in your fresh smelling home. • Consider enzyme cleaners. If all of the above don’t do the trick, consider using cleaners that have enzymes in them. Enzyme cleaners release helpful bacteria that eat odour-causing matter.

MonicaAndChrisHollands.com

Monica Direct: 613.864.7975

Chris Direct: 613.797.3977

FEBRUARY RESALES SNAPPED UP QUICKLY

AVG. SALE PRICE Residential $717,914

March 3, 2021 - Members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,390 residential properties in February through the Board’s Multiple Listing Service® System, compared with 1,134 in February 2020, an increase of 23 per cent. February’s sales included 1,028 in the residential-property class, up 24 per cent from a year ago, and 362 in the condominium-property category, an increase of 19 per cent from February 2020. The five-year average for total unit sales in February is 1,101. “Resale properties are virtually flying off the shelves,” states Ottawa Real Estate Board President Debra Wright. “Even though our inventory is significantly lower than 2020 – a combined 46% decrease in housing stock for residential and condos – we witnessed a record number of sales in February 2021. How is that possible? Simply put, properties that come onto the

AVG. SALE PRICE Condo $407,671

SOLD LISTINGS Residential 1028

SOLD LISTINGS Condo 362

Source: Ottawa Real Estate Board Market values stated are of the average of Ottawa and surrounding region. Individual home market values will vary and are affected by factors such as location, size, interior and exterior condition. Please call to get an up-to-date evaluation of your home.

market are selling very quickly.” February’s average sale price for a condominium-class property was

$407,671, an increase of 17 per cent from last year, while the average sale price of a residential-class property was $717,914, an increase of 27 per cent from a year ago.

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