Can you believe that the nights are getting cooler already?  It doesn’t seem like August can be almost half over – summer just started!  As fall gets closer, let’s look at what we can do to prepare our yards, flowers and gardens so that they are spectacular next spring!  A little work now will go a long way to preparing the gardens at your Ottawa home for the winter months.

Lawns

Don’t stop watering your lawn just because the hot weather is gone.  Lawns need approximately an inch of water every 2-3 weeks.

Fall is the perfect time to fix any sun-scorched areas or thin areas in your lawn.  Simply spread ¼ inch of soil and sprinkle some grass seed.  It should start growing in a week or two and be well-rooted before the snow flies.

If raking leaves is not your thing, don’t worry.  Simply run your lawnmower over the leaves in your yard to generate a fine mulch for the winter.  Just be sure that your “fine mulch” is not a “heavy blanket” – then you WILL have to do some raking.

Vegetable gardens

Most people clean out their vegetable gardens in the fall and pull out their onions, carrots, potatoes and pumpkins.  These are definitely good practices, however, you can still enjoy some quick-growing crops if you start early enough.

If you have a section of your garden that is cleared, consider planting some lettuce or radishes.  In many cases, they grow to harvest in less than a month, so you can still enjoy some home-grown salads during the fall months.

Flower gardens

Fall is a good time to transplant those out-of-control hostas or get rid of those plants that just didn’t work this year.  Prune your ornamental shrubs one last time and clean out your annuals.  Keep your ornamental grasses, though, as they can be enjoyed all season long.

Spring bulbs

Now is the time to plant those beautiful, spring-flowing bulbs that are one of the first signs of spring.  Tulips, crocuses and daffodils are fabulous when planted in bunches.  They make beautiful cut flower arrangements in the spring and you can always plant other annuals and perrenials around them, so that there are no holes once they are done flowering.

Fall gives you a great view of where any holes are in your garden that could potentially be filled with spring-flowering bulbs.

Container gardening

If you live in a condo or garden home and just don’t have the room for a garden, why not consider container gardening.  Many plants and even vegetables can be planted in containers and enjoyed year after year.  Try planting a hosta in the middle of a container surrounded by some spring-flowering crocuses.  The host will grow year after year and requires very little maintenance.  Also, hostas thrive in both full sun as well as full shade.  It is truly a no-fail plant!

Prepare it and then forget about it!

Once you have taken all of the steps to “winterize” your lawn and garden, relax!  You deserve it!

Finally, why not consider starting a journal of the plants you grew this year, including the ones that worked and the ones that didn’t.  One thing you can be sure will happen every year is that we will have too many plants (or weeds!) and not enough time.  Keeping a journal each year can help keep you garden producing beautiful plants and produce year after year!

Contact the Renaud Otten Team at (613) 288-0090 for all of your real estate needs, including help finding the perfect home for you and your family.

Here are a few “must see” homes for sale in the Ottawa area:

51 Forest Hill Avenue, Ottawa
25 Arundel Avenue, Ottawa
11 Royal Hunt Court, Ottawa

Read on for photos of these amazing homes and properties, including one right on the Rideau Canal!
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The Ottawa Chamber Music Festival starts on July 24th and runs through to August 7th, 2010.  If you enjoy classical music, the festival will be featuring professional musicians from all over the world!

Ottawa Chamber Music Festival website and list of performances

We are your resource for Ottawa events and activities.  If you live in the Kanata area, check out our Kanata real estate and event blog.

Have a great week!

Hi everyone!  Hope you had a fabulous Canada Day.  The weather on the weekend was certainly hard to beat! 

So, the Ottawa real estate market is improving each month over last year.  Take a look at the number of houses listed for sale during the first part of 2010 as compared to 2009.  The year got off to a slow start but is now making up for lost time.

January
997 listings in 2009
787 listings in 2010

February
1095 listings in 2009
1054 listings in 2010

March
1483 listings in 2009
1531 listings in 2010

April
1549 listings in 2009
1676 listings in 2010

May
1414 listings in 2009
1585 listings in 2010

May of 2010 saw a 12% increase in listings over 2009.  What does this mean for you?  If you are looking to buy a home in the Ottawa area, it means that there are more homes on the market now than there were during the same time period last year.  Stay tuned for more market statistics as the summer unfolds.

To find out more about homes that are currently listed for sale in your area, contact one of our Sales Representatives at 613-288-2455.

When you purchase or list an Ottawa area home with the Renaud Otten Team, you can receive our exclusive coupon with the Home Outfitters in Kanata Centrum that gives you 20% off on all regular priced merchandise in their store – up to any amount!

This is just another way the Renaud Otten Team is making your move more affordable and providing you with the best real estate experience ever!

For more of our discount offers, call us today at 613-288-0090 or contact one of our Sales Representatives directly.  We have exclusive discount offers at The Brick, WestboroFlooring & Decor Inc., as well as PODS – Portable ON Demand Storage.

Talk to you soon – happy house hunting!

Condo Hotline wants your floorplans. If you live in one of the Ottawa condo complexes featured on http://www.condohotline.com/ottawa and have a floorplan of your condo unit, please email it to floorplans@ottawaproperties.com for a chance to win a weekly prize of a $25 Starbucks gift card. No matter what floorplan you have, we want it!

Thank you from the Ottawa Condo Hotline Team!

Are you getting ready to move into your new Ottawa home?  Are your days spent surrounded by boxes?  Wondering how you are going to get everything where it is supposed to go and on time?

Perhaps you are selling your current Ottawa home and moving into a new one.  Maybe you are buying your first home and are moving out of your apartment.

Let us help you with the cost of moving!  PODS Moving and Storage is a great alternative to moving everything at the last minute.  Just arrange for a POD to be delivered to your Ottawa area home and start moving items and boxes inside it.  A de-cluttered home sells much faster than a home full of years of accumulated belongings. 

You know all those Christmas ornaments and winter clothing you have packed away in storage boxes that are just taking up space in your basement, garage or spare bedroom?  Simply move them into the POD – no more clutter!

Here at the Renaud Otten team, we have negotiated a 10% discount for our clients with PODS Moving and Storage.  Simply call one of our  Ottawa Sales Representatives at 613-288-2455 so that we can provide you with your 10% discount coupon.  Or, contact us for any other real estate questions you may have or visit our Ottawa real estate website to view some of our listings.

Happy packing!

Well, it looks like we are in for a beautiful spring weekend.  If you are considering buying a home in the Ottawa or surrounding area, we are hosting three open houses on Sunday, May 16th from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

42 Bellingham Place – Greenboro

55 Goulding Crescent – Kanata Lakes

88 Vanstone Drive – Katimavik

Visit the above links to our Ottawa and Kanata real estate websites for photos of these wonderful properties, as well as feature sheets and virtual tours.

If you are looking for a home in a different neighborhood of Ottawa, contact one of our Sales Representatives at 613-288-2455 and we will help you get started today!

Have a fabulous weekend!

1204 Shillington Avenue, Ottawa

Join us today for an open house at 1204 Shillington Avenue from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

This 2 bedroom condo in the Carlington greenbelt area is a must see!

NICELY UPDATED CONDO WITH EXCELLENT LOCATION WITHIN GREEN BELT. ENJOY MORNING SUN ON BALCONY. ALL OPEN CONCEPT LIVING/DINING & KITCHEN. KITCHEN OFFERS GOOD COUNTER SPACE & 3 NEWER STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES. 2ND FLOOR OFFERS UPDATED BATHROOM, 2 GOOD SIZED BEDROOMS & CONVENIENT 2ND FLOOR LAUNDRY W/ WASHER & DRYER INCLUDED. SURFACE PARKING NEARBY. MEASUREMENTS AS PER BUILDERS PLAN. UTILTIES: $250/HYDRO PER MONTH.

To see more photos or to download a feature sheet of this property, visit our Ottawa real estate website or watch our virtual tour of 1204 Shillington Avenue.  For any other information regarding homes for sale in the Ottawa area, contact one of our Ottawa Sales Representatives or call us at 1-613-288-2455 and let us help you find the right home for you and your family.

Well, it’s a rainy day in Ottawa.  Looking for something to do?  How about checking out our open house in Barrhaven?

243 Cresthaven Drive, Barrhaven – 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 16th

This beautiful executive end unit is a must-see!  With its open concept, pride of ownership is evident throughtout this lovely home.  Enjoy many upgrades, including hardwood floors.  This home is close to schools, public transit and parks, yet enjoys the benefit of being outside the downtown area.  There is a spacious master bedroom with walk-in closet and 4-piece ensuite.  want to get the spring chill out of the air?  It’s easy when you have a finished basement with a cozy fireplace!

See you at 243 Cresthaven Drive in Barrhaven to take a look at this beautiful Ottawa home for sale today!

To see any of our other wonderful homes for sale, visit our listings page on our Ottawa real estate webiste, or contact one of our Sales Representatives at 613-288-2455.