The Evans Real Estate Group Blog

A backyard swimming pool can be a joy to own – especially on those really hot and humid days. By keeping to a consistent maintenance schedule and following strict safety guidelines, your pool will provide hours of enjoyment cool relief from summer’s heat.

To keep your pool at its best and your family safe this summer, the Ontario Real Estate Association offers the following tips.

Safety first Although a pool is fun, fun, fun, it can also be dangerous. Each year a number of children drown in backyard swimming pools so attention to safety is critical.

Before beginning your swimming season, review the importance of strict safety guidelines with every member of the family. Be sure everyone knows the rules and informs any guests of those rules too. You may even want to consider taking a pool safety course from your local Red Cross.

Here are some pool safety guidelines from Health Canada:

• Check with your municipality to find out the rules for putting up a fence around your pool.
• Build a fence and a gate that will keep children away from your pool.
• Keep the gate locked at all times.
• ALWAYS have an adult watching children in and around the pool.
• Children under the age of 3 and children who cannot swim must wear a life jacket or PFD (personal floatation device).
• Send children to swimming and water safety lessons.
• Make sure lifesaving equipment and a first aid kit are handy.
• Take a course on pool safety, first aid and lifesaving skills (such as CPR).
• Have emergency phone numbers listed at the telephone closest to the pool.
• Make sure toys, garden furniture and tools are not near the pool fence. Children can climb up on these things to get into the pool.

To learn more about water safety and learn to swim programs, please call your local Canadian Red Cross Society, or the local Branch Office of the Lifesaving Society.

Sparkling water Keeping your pool crystal clear and sparkling does not need to be a challenge. A proper maintenance schedule can make the chore of pool maintenance a breeze.

• Use a pool leaf skimmer to remove any floating debris.
• Frequently check and clear the drainer baskets in the skimmer and pump for excess debris.
• Vacuum the pool at least once a week or more especially following a heavy rainstorm.

Some pool owners prefer to use an automatic pool vacuum that remains in the pools at all times. With this device, manual vacuuming is rarely required. If you are vacuuming the pool yourself, begin by brushing down the walls from top to bottom. If your pool surface is vinyl, you can clean the “bathtub ring” with a vinyl pool cleaner and a sponge. Keep your filter clean by rinsing it with a garden hose. A clean filter will ensure proper circulation and flow of water through the pool jets.

Clean your deck area by using a garden hose and direct the water away from the pool to keep dirt from getting into your clean pool.

Depending on your type of pool, you will need to test your water and add the correct balance of chemicals to keep your water safe, hygienic and clear. Your local pool store will test your water free of charge and recommend the proper chemicals you will need. Many pool owners prefer to hire a professional pool maintenance company to provide weekly cleaning and inspections. Prices vary depending on your service contract.

Although it is relatively easy for a homeowner to open up the pool for the season as well as close it in fall, pool maintenance companies will take care of it for you for a fairly reasonable price.

Take the time to learn about pool safety and maintenance and you will make a big, safe splash this summer!

Alot of people would say that jumping into it would be – and it’s actually very true. People are afraid of the unknown, and are very hesitant to push their comfort limits whatsoever.

People that frequent the deep end will tell you that there is MUCH more room for you move around, you aren’t surrounded by the novices, you can fully extend yourself and even try some cool summersaults underwater. If you are really brave you can even get down to the bottom and pick up some blue, yellow and green rings!

Real Estate is no different, and here’s why – when the recession news hit, people got SCARED. Its ok, its natural. They saw the deep end and said, ” No way Hosé! Im not getting in there! I can’t see the bottom!” Some of these people already had their trunks and floaties on, and some were even about to get on the diving board.

A few brave souls jumped into the deep end because not only did they have a good idea of how to swim, but they knew there were professionals helping them every step of the way; just like instructors and lifeguards do in the water – REALTORS do in Real Estate. You know what these people found in the deep end? You guessed it – some really cool spots to explore and the confidence to know that they can make it where others were too scared to try. This market has seen buyers come in with cheap money and pick up some really good bargains.

Now that the deep end has been around a little while, people are starting to look at it again and think, “Ok – I’ll just put my legs in, its not so scary!” People are coming around! Here in Ottawa, we are blessed to have lower than National Average Unemployment rates, more stable incomes, and the SAME cheap money available to us! One of the reasons I personaly believe is causing this is the great number of public servants in our core – security and competitive pay, but thats another blog.

The point is that people are starting to become a little more comfortable and realize that the sky is not falling. People are coming outside, opening their eyes and starting to get out there and make smart and strategic moves again. Real Estate is all around, as are the opportunities – so get that swimsuit back on, squeak into those floaties and come let the experts show you how you can make it in the deep end!

The water really isn’t that cold, and there are some really cool rings down here.

So a client of mine sees a house they like from a search I provided them with. The next day we go see the unit, and the next day he brings his significant other with him to get her approval. THEY LIKE IT, and want to submit an offer! I dont blame them – the house was very nice, the layout was very functional in a unique way, and it provided JUST enough room for improvement so that they saw future potential but not at the expense of a headache of renovations upon their move-in. There was one thing however, that didnt make sense – THE PRICE. This particular unit was in a range of townhomes in Orleans that would normally  be much more palatable than this one, equiped with up-to-date hardwood and a new kitchen as well.  Something about the unit just seemed to be slightly outdated and outclassed by its competition in its respective range.

So what did I do? What any good REALTOR would – HOMEWORK. I went back to the office and dug into past and present comparables and adjusted the price of all the nearest comparables to see what they would go for at this very moment had they had the exact same features. The results were in – 20K overpriced! How had a seller, or even worse, a listing agent – overpriced by THAT much? Has the market appreciated significantly? No. Is this particular type of housing in shortage and in high demand? Townhomes in Orleans! HA! Not exactly…

So not only did I prepare the offer, with all the documentation and information for all parties involved, but I actually supplied my analysis to the other side and indicated that their ‘ballpark’ was in a completely different end of town! How had they overpriced so high?

Phone Rings.

Its the Listing Agent.

“Yadda Yadda .. (wait for it)… Yadda.. THE CLIENT KNOWS ITS OVERPRICED, and they wont look at this offer. I know its a good offer but they’re not in a rush”

Wait a minute.. they KNOW??? Do they also know that not only are they throwing ALL the comparables on their street off, but their unit will miss the search for people that are looking for houses in its acceptable range, and that this house will sit there and develop a negative stigma and eventually get low-balled? Do they not know its a BUYERS MARKET and there are better houses down the street, block and in every direction from them?

What they are doing makes NO SENSE. If they dont want to sell, get the product off the market. Here  my clients are, going to visit the unit TWICE (they live out of town) and go through the emotions of submitting an offer and waiting – just to hear that! How many others are going to have to waste their time? What about all the sales representatives that are putting in effort to make the market more efficient?

I am not in the business of ‘sitting and waiting to see what happens’. I am in the business of  SALES, and I help my clients BUY Real Estate for the best bang of their buck, or SELL Real Estate for top dollar. That does not include by ANY means, an inflated price just for giggles.

A suggested Market Price is something that SHOULD take a great deal of dilligence to arrive at. If a REALTOR does ALL their work and can properly support their suggested market price, it provides an undeniable basis of strength in negotiations.

That is what I provide my clients with.

I dont put signs up to have them float around for months on end just to see if I get any action. This isn’t fishing.

If you want a smart, hard working REALTOR that will REALLY work in YOUR best interests, give me a call or email me.

This is my passion and I pride myself on doing it right.

POSTSCRIPT: This reminds me of a home I went to view – a good old GRAPEVINE listing. The woman who was trying to sell her house was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and she was doing a terrific job of cleaning her house and making it welcoming. We asked her what about her slightly- high price is justifiable. Her Answer? ” Well theres no justifying it, its because some guy down the street didnt know what he was doing and underpriced his unit by about 25K.”

Think about that for a minute. Not only did that man LOSE 25K that he should have gotten in a free and efficient market, but now about 5 other Grapevine’s on the block were all stuck with no negotiating basis for their house! Not a strong one atleast! Whoever wants to sell their house out of the remaining 5 is going to have to say ” FINE, just take it, here is your discount”. What does that do to the remaining 4? You guessed it – a distorted market where inneficiency has caused them to LOSE MONEY.

Its a good thing good people like the Founder of our Senators Dr.Bruce Firestone is hiring a strong team of talented, young and good-hearted individuals to be the next round of REALTORS to work for Partners Advantage GMAC Real Estate and show this market what strong, independent and passionate people can do.