The Riz Team Blog

Looking for that cottage life?

Do you have a dream of owning a place outside of the city where you can escape, kick back and relax? If so, you’re not alone. As demand continues to increase and average prices continue to rise, now more than ever you will need to be patient, establish a list of ‘musts’ and work with a Realtor who understands the recreational market, if you want your dreams to come true.

To begin your search, target potential areas and consider a road-trip to visit your most coveted spots. Once you find your ideal location, narrow your search by establishing a list of priorities. Do you plan to use your recreational property for seasonal versus year-round use? Do you wish to build a new cottage or buy an existing one? What are your hobbies? Is proximity to hospitals, public transit or schools important? If you are near water, lakes can vary tremendously in terms of allowances for boating, fishing and swimming. In the winter, do you want to use both cross-country and downhill skiing facilities?

With your priorities established, you will also be in a strong position to act fast if you need to. Popular sites are in demand.

Buying a recreational property can be considerably more complex than a standard home purchase and it generally takes longer. There is considerably more time and travel involved. The effort, according to a growing number of Canadians, is more than worth it.

Before you begin your search, give me a call. I can get you started down the right path toward your home away from home. If I cannot assist you directly in your purchase transaction, I can refer you to a quality Royal LePage Realtor in your desired area from our network of over 13,000 real estate professionals from coast to coast.

For the most recent Royal LePage Recreational Property Report, visit www.royallepage.ca and click Press Releases.,Demystifying Mortgages – How Much Can You Borrow?

A home is typically the largest purchase you will make in your lifetime, and for most Canadians this means obtaining a mortgage. The amount of your mortgage will determine the size and location of your new home – not to mention the size of your payments. So how do lending institutions decide how large your mortgage loan can be?

Call RIZ today to purchase your home away from home! 519-716-7253 (direct)

 HOT PROPERTY FOR SALE

16424 Marvin Rd, Charlotte North Carolina
For sale: $5,899,900

For the first time in “The Bachelor/Bachelorette’s” lengthy span on ABC (since 2002), the popular reality show did not debut at the Spanish-style estate “Villa de la Vina” located in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California, but rather in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Why the change in venue? Charlotte is the hometown of new Bachelorette, Emily Maynard.

This season’s Bachelorette home is a $5.89 million dollar estate. Not only is it private, set on five acres, but it has all the trimmings for creating romantic reality show moments.

And, as listing agent Nick Peters of Peters and Associates points out, it has a ballroom.

“There are beautiful houses all over,” Peters said, “but this one has an official grand ballroom with a 20-foot-high fireplace made of solid marble. The room also has gold-glazed mahogany trim, silk window treatments and gorgeous lighting.”

An ideal place, if you watch the show, to host the dramatic rose ceremony in which The Bachelorette eliminates potential suitors.

The Bachelorette home is a European-style mansion with stucco and stone exteriors. Boasting 12,000 square feet of living space, the 6-bedroom, 8.5-bath home has plenty of room for filming the show. The home features high-end finishes, and specifically a two-inch thick marble floor that runs from the home’s entrance down its main hallway.

Although the home’s interiors are spectacular, most of the first episode of the show focused on the grounds of the property — from a lawn enough to land a helicopter, to a slate courtyard with benches, intimate gardens, fountain and fire pit. The home also includes a saltwater pool with mosaic-tiled waterfall.

Before ABC snatched the home for filming purposes, the property was listed for $3.9 million. The house was off the market while ABC filmed, but was recently relisted for a higher price.

The higher price can be explained in the publicity that the house will receive over the course of The Bachelorette show.

And it’s not necessarily just the exposure, says Peters.

“You can’t really showcase a house with photos. I’ll bring in a professional photographer, but the way that it shows on TV… it’s breathtaking,” he said. “You can’t get that from a photo shoot.”

According to Zillow’s mortgage calculator, a monthly payment on the Bachelorette home would be $21,424, assuming a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year-mortgage.

Look familiar? This mansion was the setting for this season of “The Bachelorette.”