Real Estate Blog

Julie Radcliffe was born in Africa and lived in various places around the world before settling in the Lucan area in 1985, where she met and eventually married Mike Radcliffe and became deeply rooted in the surrounding community. For fifteen years Julie and Mike built, lived in and sold new construction homes in the Ilderton and Lucan area, becoming well versed in what it takes to build a house from scratch and also extremely familiar with the moving process. Having moved MANY times herself, Julie is passionate about helping our clients in any way possible when it comes to making the process less stressful. She now lives on a country property with her husband and 2 German Shepherds, where they enjoy acres of private space, quiet walking trails and…

Cate grew up on a horse farm outside of Lucan and now resides in St Marys with her husband, Trent and two rescue pups, Dexter & Willy in a house they custom built. Her LOVE for interior design and passion for modern architecture is what originally motivated her to get into real estate in 2014. If you put a book of floor plans in front of her, she will seriously nerd out for hours. Her in-depth industry knowledge coupled with education in interior design gives her the ability to truly understand, conceptualize and visualize exactly what her clients are looking for. Cate enjoys educating clients on all of their options so they can make confident decisions coming from an informed place. If you are new to the real estate world and find yourself…

Things you didn’t know about me

1. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Dill Pickle Chips

2. Do you have favourite Holiday? Christmas!! I love this this holiday because I have so many wonderful memories!

3. What song always gets you out on the dance floor: Lots of them, I love to dance

4. When you were a kid did you eat the crusts on your sandwich or not? Nope and I still don’t like them.

5. What activity instantly calms you down? Does drinking a glass a wine count as an activity?

6. What is your favorite season Summer, I love the heat

7. What’s your favorite family tradition? Thanksgiving at my parents place up North and going on walks through the woods.

8. …

Before we get any further, it's important to decide if building your home vs buying an existing home is the right choice for you. There are few factors that can determine this, so answer these questions below to help you decide:

1. How soon do you need to move into a new home? If your answer is ASAP or anywhere between less than 3-6 months, new construction may not be the best option for you. It’s important to take into consideration that building a new home takes time, usually 6 months on average.

2. Do you like to work on home projects and take a hands-on approach? If your answer is no, new construction might be a great fit. With everything brand new, you won’t have to worry about putting on your tool belt and completing any fixer-upper…

These days, I think it would be safe to say that people are searching for security and something to trust.  Dreaming of a future with financial security is part of the human experience but sometimes this "dream" seems very unattainable for the average person.  There is, however, a reliable and attainable format of investing the assets you have accessible right now, to pay off in the future and to create financial stability and growth for you and your loved ones.

History, for many decades now, has shown that Real Estate consistently DOUBLES in value every 15 years (give or take a few, depending on the economy and various factors of the times.)  It is estimated that the value of a Real Estate investment will increase approximately…

Home Renovations: Profiting off a flip, where should money be spent when fixing up a home for resale

Part 1: Look At Comparable Properties

Don’t over-renovate. Only spend on upgrades that add value.

The three key factors in valuing residential real estate are location, location and location. This is important to remember when figuring out what improvements to add.

It is very easy to over improve a property and end up with a product that is beautiful, but overpriced for its location. While some buyers might spend a small amount more for a more improved property, they will not likely spend a significant amount more if there is nothing in the area selling for that high of a price.

Remember, not all improvements add value. Such things as…

Things to consider when purchasing a rental property:

1. Does a purchase make financial sense?

• A minimum of a 20% down payment is required when purchasing a rental property.
• Investing in a rental property should be considered a long-term investment that helps build capital.
• Consider whether your real estate investment has the potential to provide a better return when compared with other investments.
• You will have to pay land transfer tax – this is paid by the buyer when possession of the property is taken.
• When you sell your rental property, you will have to pay capital gains taxes.
• The First Time Home Buyers’ Plan and land transfer tax rebate for first time home buyers can only be applied to your primary residence.