It is official! Spring is finally here, somewhat to an extent with the unpredictable freezing rain and snowfall Ottawa receives from time to time. 

The spring season is also the time of year where many eager buyers are feverishly and anxiously looking for their dream home in the Ottawa real estate market. Although this trend is great for Ottawa’s economy, what I have been seeing is that home prices are continuing to increase due to the low inventory of homes available for sale which are driving up prices. This impact combined with high buyer demand from other Canadian cities and foreign countries is placing pressure on buyers to pay more for homes that are available on the market. In fact, I have seen homes sold in less than 24 hours beyond the original listed price as soon as they hit the market, which has made sellers earn a substantial amount of profit. As well, the impact of the mortgage-stress test has made it impossible for some buyers to have the affordability to purchase a home, especially for first-time home buyers.  

According to the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB), 1,511 homes were sold in March 2019, a decrease of 8.6 per cent compared to 1,654 properties sold in March 2018. When it came to new listings, there was a 21 per cent decrease in March 2019, compared to the same month in 2018. The number of those new listings in 2019 was a 30 per cent decrease compared to March 2017. It will be interesting to see how the market will perform this spring and summer. 

Maintaining good health always plays a critical role in our lives. Without good health, we will not be able to do things we love to do to have the quality of life we want to have for ourselves and our families.

One important way to maintain good health is weight loss.

According to the World Health Organization, overweight and obesity contribute to:

1. cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke);
2. diabetes;
3. musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis – a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints), and some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon).

I recently met up with Emily Manuel of Plant Forward Nutrition to learn more about weight loss where she explains:

1. Foods that contribute to weight loss;
2. Some helpful nutritional tips on losing weight sustainably, and
3. Practical tools to support the body in weight loss.

Enjoy the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NloxoTVCi9o 

Best regards,

Michael B. Arthur

         While real estate also follows a cycle, it tends to be a much more gradual one.  Investing in revenue properties offers us limited immunity from fluctuation. 

         This means that you don’t tend to see the massive ups and downs of the stock and commodity markets.  It’s a much gentler ride, and tends to provide very solid returns on investment over the long run.  This is another reason I prefer real estate investing over other kinds of investments.