BUYER’S BOOK
ABOUT THE TEAM
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Buying and Selling Real Estate is a big decision and it is very important to put your trust in people who have the experience, tenacity, and the same objective as you have; to help you find the perfect home for you and your family. Our team has come together from different sectors of life to create a comprehensive and educated group of talented individuals. Our team covers all our basis when working hard for you and we are committed to providing for you the best Real Estate experience possible. Our commitment to enhanced customer service, through constant communication, detailed updates, network of related professionals and personalities, has made our team stand out from the rest. We have everything covered for you so this process can be as enjoyable and stress free as possible. Do you have a lawyer? What do you do on possession day? Do you know what a home inspection is for? These are common questions that many people fail to even consider. Don’t worry, we have all of this and more covered for you. Our team members work with many different people on a daily basis and above all we trust them to treat you like family while being as efficient as possible. In this book, you will find testimonies from past clients so you may read first hand what it was like working with us. From exceptional communication, to exceptional marketing, to exceptional service; our agents strive to be exceptional.
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BRAD VAN DE WALLE (BROKER/OWNER) Brad Van De Walle found his calling when he became a Realtor 6 years ago. 6 years later Brad had created a powerful, successful, reliable team of agents known as The888SOLDTeam. However, his ability to connect with all types of people, his understanding of the Real Estate industry, and terrifical sales approach has made Brad one of the most innovative agents in country. “ I started at the bottom, I knew nothing. I took it upon myself to master this industry and my hard work has paid off” Brad has now brought his talents to a thriving real estate industry in Ottawa where he has some roots. The Greater Ottawa Group was formed with one goal in mind; create exceptional agents, with excpetional marketing and service to create excpetional results. Pride of ownership of the team radiates through Brads actions and personality. This career, his business partners and most importantly his clients mean everything to him. “The Greater Ottawa Group is not in this for the transaction, we care about our clients, they become our friends, we want what is best for them.”
Exceptional Agents.
Exceptional Results. 4
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DARCY WHYTE
REALTOR® & PARTNER Born and raised in Ottawa Darcy has the advantage of knowing the city from both personal and professional perspectives. Darcy is a full time licensed, professional real estate agent with vast knowledge of the Ottawa market. He specializes in residential and investment properties. He is always involved in the details to ensure a smooth and easy transaction. Seeing clients settle in the right home is his passion. It is his honour to work with you.
“I specialize in all types of Real Estate from New Construction, Relocation, Foreclosure Property, Military, Condominiums, Development Land, Farm and Land, Investments, and so much more. Don’t hesitate to contact me at anytime.”
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GREG CAMPBELL REALTOR® & PARTNER
Greg comes to the Greater Ottawa Group after 10 years in the business with his real estate mentor and mother, Lynda. He has a track record of proven results and has secured 100’s of transactions. His passion for the business and positive outlook towards helping people achieve their real estate goals stems from years in the music industry as a producer, performer, DJ and personality. Greg says “The look on your clients face at the end of a successful transaction is exactly the same as watching someone light up after they hear your music. Excitement and happiness” He prides himself on keeping you motivated and focused on your goals without making you feel pressured in any way. His concern is making sure his clients are 100% satisfied and enjoying a lifelong relationship together. Greg loves to travel and was married in Bulgaria to his beautiful wife Anna. They have a young daughter named Alexa and newborn Savannah. These 3 ladies are what keeps him focused to succeed and exceed his clients expectations.
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ROB FROST
REALTOR® & PARTNER There are two things Rob does well - travel the world and real estate. Rob got started in real estate in 2006 after several years of trekking around the globe. Beginning as an investor, Rob quickly and aggressively acquired numerous rental properties and used several creative financing techniques and strategic leveraging to amass a multi-million dollar investment portfolio. Rob considers any purchase or sale in real estate an investment and uses his personal experience to help guide his clients in making smart investment decisions. Rob is always ready, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (when he’s not travelling) to help each and every client with their real estate needs! Send him a quick message or give him a shout.
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NICHOLAS ALLDRIDGE REALTOR® & PARTNER
“I service the Barrhaven, Kanata, Nepean, Ottawa and Orleans areas and specialize in New Construction, Relocation, Foreclosure Property, Military, Condominiums, Development Land, Farm and Land, Investments, Lake/ Beach Property, Luxury Homes, RE/MAX Other, Residential Acreages, Buyer Brokerage, Vacation and Resorts, Business Opportunities, Rentals, Horse Property, Property Management, International, Time Share, Auctions, Senior Communities, and Short Sales.” “I am always interested in your requests. Please contact me for all your real estate needs.”
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NICHOLAS GIURGEVICH REALTOR® & PARTNER
Nick had spent years helping youth at risk get on the right path as an active listener and mentor. He has worked in group homes and has helped build various programs and workshops for kids who would otherwise not have such opportunities. His most recent is Pathways to Educations “Hop Shop” in which Nick helps teach music production and recording. That’s right, Nick Is also a very talented singer / songwriter and music expert. Coming from these environments makes him an excellent choice to help you with your real estate needs. “Patience and persistence are key traits and must haves when dealing with kids and musicians alike.” Nick says.
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NICHOLAS ALLDRIDGE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Ariel comes to the team with a great attitude and awesome skills and credentials. A graduate from Bishop’s University, Ariel keeps all the team members on point and on shcedule. An expert in customer service, organzation, scheduling, and sales, Ariel is multi-talented and is an essential and integral part of our team. “I love real estate! It’s my true passion and helping connect potential clients with a place to call home is something I genuinely value. Ask me what I can do for you today!”
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CONTENTS ABOUT OTTAWA 12 THE RE/MAX DIFFERENCE 14 HOME PREPARATION 16 SELLER’S INFO 18 MARKETING PLAN 20 TASTE TEST 22 THE DIFFERENCE 24 TESTIMONIALS 26
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Exceptional Marketing. Exceptional Results. 13
ABOUT OTTAWA Ottawa is known as the one of the best places to live, not only in Canada, but in the world. Known for its political institutions and multicultural diversity, Ottawa offers residents the versatility desired for any lifestyle. Though nearly 1 million residents call Ottawa home, it has a quiet, not-so-crowded feel that truly provides the best mix of urban and suburban. It has a reputation for being a quiet, reserved, family oriented city, where people are laid back, more into sport than nightlife. ATTRACTIONS Though this city is booming and well known for their political influence, Ottawa offers so much more. It is actually a highly desired community with reasonable house prices, high earning jobs, and cultural diversity like no other. One of the most popular attractions is the world’s largest iceskating rink in winter – the Rideau Canal. Skate through the heart of Ottawa like a true Canadian. Covering almost 8 km along the Rideau Canal Skateway, the Canal allows skaters to change skates, snack and enjoy those cool winter days and nights, when hundreds of skaters appear on the canal when the historic waterway freezes over during the winter. Experience this Canadian tradition with a cup of hot chocolate, or a beavertail (invented in Ottawa) sold at one of the on-ice shops, in hand. FUN FACTS Ottawa has a population of more than 900,000 and has a population of 1.5 million in the National Capital Region. Ottawa Is not a crowded city and offers the second highest quality of life of any city in North America.
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OUR TRUE DEMOGRAPHICS ADVANTAGE & ECONOMICS DEMOGRAPHICS In 2011, the populations of the City of Ottawa and the OttawaGatineau census metropolitan area (CMA) were 883,391 and 1,236,324 respectively. Ottawa’s median age of 39.2 is both below the provincial and national averages as of 2011. Youths under 15 years of age comprised 16.8% of the total population as of 2011, while those of retirement age (65 years and older) comprised 13.2%. In 2011, females made up 51.5% of the amalgamated Ottawa population. ECONOMICS Ottawa’s primary employers are the Public Service of Canada and the high-tech industry. The city has a high standard of living and low unemployment. Mercer ranks Ottawa with the third highest quality of living of any large city in the Americas, and 16th highest in the world. It is also rated the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world. In 2012, the city was ranked for the third consecutive year as the best community in Canada to live in by MoneySense. Ottawa had the fourth highest GDP growth rate among major Canadian cities in 2007 at 2.7%, which exceeded the Canadian average of 2.4%. It is estimated that the National Capital Region attracts around 7.3 million tourists annually who spend about 1.18 billion dollars. The region of Ottawa-Gatineau has the third highest income of all major Canadian cities. - Sourced by Wikipedia
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THE RE/MAX DIFFERENCE UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE A RE/MAX AGENT CAN MAKE An independent, unbiased third party has recognized RE/MAX as the commanding presence in Canadian Real Estate. Real Trends, the leader in performance ranking for residential brokerages, has identified 159 RE/MAX Brokerages in this year’s Top 250 report.
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Royal LePage
Caldwell Banker
Keller Williams
Century 21
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Sutton Group
RE/MAX OUTSELLS MORE PROOF THAT RE/MAX AGENTS OUTSELL THE COMPETITION The most well known brand in the Real Estate industry for over 30 years. Combine that with one of the most successful Real Estate teams in the industry and you have a recipe for success! “We believe the two simply go hand in hand.”
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36.8%
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Royal LePage
9.8%
Caldwell Banker
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Keller Williams
6.0%
Century 21
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FOR BUYERS 7 STEPS TO A SMOOTH HOME PURCHASE STEP 1: FIND A REALTOR® Well look no further you just found one! By choosing our team as your REALTOR® you just found someone that is experienced, punctual, efficient and above all honest. We give you our email and direct phone number so you don’t have to use a paging system. You can call us 24/7 with any thoughts, questions or concerns. Ask about our one hour call back guarantee “Remember: REALTOR® fees are paid through the transaction. There are no cost to use our services & expertise!” STEP 2: GET YOUR CREDIT CHECKED Have you checked your credit lately? Before you apply for a home loan, it’s a smart idea to obtain a copy of your credit. There can be errors or things that need to be addressed. It’s easier to address these problems before you find a house, than after you have found a house and are trying to close your loan. STEP 3: GET APPROVED BEFORE YOU GO HOUSE HUNTING: Getting an approval is easy and very beneficial to you. Most banks can hold your rate for 120 days. You may not be looking to buy right away so by doing this you are locking your rate in case rates go up. If rates go down you get the new rate so it’s a win-win situation! During the approval process the bank will verify your employment history and assets to ensure you’re a strong lending candidate. and welcome. 18
STEP 4: LEARN ABOUT LOCATION Narrowing down your search location can be one of the hardest parts in finding a home. Often people find a home in a location that they never thought was a possibility. That’s why it’s important to discuss your housing needs with us. Then we can help guide you to an area. We have taken the liberty of enclosing an MLS® Map to help you narrow down your search. STEP 5: PROTECT YOURSELF: The Greater Ottawa Group will provide you with a copy of the documents necessary to buy your new property. Read them ahead of time so that you’ll understand the questions that you will be asked, the things you need to know, and the decisions you will need to make. STEP 6: HAVE REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS. Understanding and remembering the following two statements will help diffuse the negotiation stage, the inspection stage and the closing stage. When you go to purchase your home just remember the market value of the home is what the buyer and seller are willing to agree to. When we have come to an agreement on your property, getting an inspection is a must. It may cost a few hundred dollars but this could potentially save you thousands. During your inspection, the inspector will go over your property and discuss any deficiencies of the property with you. We will then go over the report and come up with a suitable solution if there’s a problem. STEP 7: HAVE FUN! This is a fun and exciting time in your life. We will make this process as easy and as fun as possible. 19
THE BUYING PROCESS TWELVE STEPS (1 - 6) 1. We will help you determine the price range of the home based on the mortgage payment amount you can comfortably afford. It is strongly recommended that you obtain a pre-approval for a mortgage. Furthermore, we will arrange this for you and work with our mortgage specialists to get you the best rates available; for your situation. 2. We will review all the amenities and features you want in a home and help you find the perfect house. 3. We will help you identify the most desirable properties based on your price range and features, and will set up an automatic search to send you properties that fit your criteria. We also search For Sale By Owner properties and our list of foreclosures to help you find the right house. 4. We will help you estimate your closing costs. 5. We will discuss the process of negotiating, educate you on the contracts and explain the different condition options. 6. We are then ready to go out and look at homes. It is very important to give us feedback and your thoughts on the homes we look at. Remember its ok to say you dislike a home. Tell us why, so we can eliminate these features from your search the next time we go out. “Knowing what you don’t want is just as important as knowing what you do want.”
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OUR TRUE THE BUYINGADVANTAGE PROCESS TWELVE STEPS (7 - 12) 7. When you select a home that you want to purchase we will first do all the proper research and find comparables in the market. Once we know an initial purchase price we will write up the Real Estate Purchase Contract and proceed to send the offer to the other REALTOR® 8. In most cases we will be negotiating to get you the best price. This process can take many hours and it requires patience. We are working our hardest to get it done as soon as possible for you and for the best price. 9. When the purchase contract is accepted by both parties the property is now “conditionally sold”. Conditionally Sold means that there has been an offer on the property and it has been accepted depending on certain conditions. Some of the conditions could be: financing, home inspection and condo document review. At this time we will be waiting for the conditions to be approved and/or waived before becoming a firm sale. 10. We will then help guide you in choosing a lawyer. He is also part of Greater Ottawa Group family. 11. Copies of the purchase contract go to all selling parties and buying parties. 12. When the contract becomes a binding agreement the lawyer searches the title to determine:
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INTRO TO MORTGAGES WHAT IS A MORTGAGE? A mortgage is an interest in property provided by the borrower as security for a loan. There are normally two people involved in this process. Mortgager: The borrower that receives funds. Mortgagee: The lender that has an interest in the property until the loan is repaid. Different Sources of Mortgage Funding: • Life Insurance companies • Chartered Banks • Credit Unions • Sellers • Loan Companies • Mortgage Brokers • Finance Companies DIFFERENT TYPES OF MORTGAGES: Conventional Mortgages: Mortgages that don’t exceed 80% of the value of the home being purchased. High Ratio Mortgages: Mortgages that can exceed 80% of the value of the home being purchased. This mortgage must be insured through a bank or trust company.
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EXTERIOR
HOME INSPECTIONS WHAT YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR To cover every nook and cranny of the house and discover its true conditions you must hire a home inspector with the experience and expertise. Don’t worry we have you covered, we have inspectors for hire. Here’s what our inspectors investigate in and around your new home: • • • •
Exterior Structural Roof Electrical
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Heating Plumbing Insulation Interior
The inspection is a process to learn about your new home and determine the situation the home is in. The type of questions the inspector will ask are: • •
Is the home structurally sound? Is the electrical service adequate?
It is prudent to be an informed purchaser as you make one of the largest buying decisions ever. Home inspections assist in giving you peace of mind that there are no surprises in store.
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40 YEARS OF OUTSTANDING AGENTS & OUTSTANDING RESULTS From a single office that opened in 1973 in Denver, Colorado, RE/MAX has grown into a global Real Estate network of franchisee-owned and operated offices with nearly 90,000 Sales Associates. Those agents constitute the world’s most productive Real Estate sales force. Though their efforts, they’ve made it possible to say that nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX. RE/MAX, LLC is a privately held company still based in Denver and led by its founders, Dave and Gail Liniger. the system is based on attracting productive agents and providing them with the valuable support, incredible brand awareness, educational opportunities, and other competitive advantages. Customer service built on a foundation of drive, experience, and education is the cornerstone of RE/MAX success. The RE/MAX track record built over the past 40 years is proof that a focus on the customer’s needs, backed by the ability to deliver, remains as important as ever. Great things happen when driven individuals come together and treat real estate as a profession. That in a nut-shell, is RE/MAX.
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OUR TRUE ADVANTAGE
RE/MAX BRAND RECOGNITION
MARKETSHARE AND AGENT PRODUCTIVITY Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX, and RE/MAX Associates average more sales than any other real estate agents.
BRAND NAME AWARENESS RE/MAX is the most recognized brand in real estate. Our national advertising campaign positions the RE/MAX name in front of millions of buyers and sellers all over the country and is designed to keep the brand, as well as remax.com, top-of-mind when someone decides it is time to buy or sell their home. ADVERTISING In Canada, RE/MAX has the real estate industry’s strongest presence in national television advertising, helping to make the red, white, and blue RE/MAX hot air balloon one of the most recognizable business logos in the world. WEBSITE TRAFFIC AND ONLINE SEARCHES Remax.ca is the most visited real estate franchise wesite attracting over 250,000 unique visitors every month in Canada. RE/MAX’s internet presence attracts nearly 50 million potential buyers and sellers annually. When consumers search online, “RE/MAX” is the most used search term among real estate brokerages. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION RE/MAX Associates lead the industry in professional designations. THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES SERVED RE/MAX is in over 93 countries, more than any of its competitors.
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Exceptional Marketing.
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OUR TRUE ADVANTAGE
Exceptional Results.
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CLIENT TESTIMONIALS We were originally referred to Frost as he was wellknown in the community for being a successful real estate investor. What we learned from Rob far exceeded any expectations we had. Rob not only guided us through the entire legal process of real estate investing but he also helped us develop a complex strategic investment plan that we continue to follow to this day. We now have 6 rental properties and earn more cash flow passively then with both our full-time jobs combined. We are financially secure and cannot thank Rob enough for all he has done for us. - BRIGITTE AND DEREK
I have known Rob for years and have seen firsthand what real estate investing has done for his quality of life. He has security and freedom all because of his efforts in real estate. In 2015, I decided to take the plunge and get started myself. Rob helped take away all the inhibitions I previously had about investing and taught me all I needed to know to be successful in real estate. I now on 4 properties and have plans to continue investing. He is extremely knowledgeable and always willing to help me learn. - JASON
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My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Greg on the purchase and sale of our first home, and the purchase of our new home. Greg always went out of his way to make sure that he understood our requirements, and was critical in walking us through both the purchasing and selling process. Greg has a great sense of humour and upbeat personality which makes the entire buying and selling process run smoothly. I would highly recommend Greg for your real estate needs. - ADRIAN & AMY
My spouse and I approached Greg in the fall of 2014 to be our representative as we were looking to purchase our first home. From fighting for the right price for us, to even taking care of us by our side during the worst storm Ottawa has seen in years with our car in the ditch after a viewing, He has been attentive every step of the way. Real estate agent is not a term that would define Greg Campbell as a professional. Real estate Demi-god would be more fitting. He will be our representative for house purchases from now until we die. 10/10 - CHRIS & MEG
Greg is definitely the person to go to for all your real estate needs. He is a hard worker and ready to go to any length to help out. I would recommend Greg to anyone looking for a trustworthy agent. His knowledge will get the job done. - MOHAMMED 29
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613.123.4567
info@greaterottawagroup.com www.greaterottawagroup.com