Be careful when buying a new home or condo!!!

There is nothing more exciting than shopping for a new home or condo. Floor plan selections, color selections and personalizing your unit is all apart of the experience of buying pre-construction. Sometimes it can be a daunting task and seem a bit overwhelming especially if your doing this for the first time.

Something to remember when visiting these lavish show homes is that most of these places are usually fully upgraded and sometimes cost more than $50,000 than the indicated price on the price list in the luxurious package given to you. It is important to ask the sales person what is standard and upgraded in the model that you are viewing.

When you get into that affordable luxury [segment], people don’t want death by 1,000 cuts,” says David McComb, president of Edenshaw Homes “They don’t want to walk in and see a beautiful display suite, only to find out in order to get to that level they have to spend another $150,000. We try to show exactly what they’re getting [so they] know when they look at the sticker price that value is in the number.”

Our new projects are now offering fully upgraded units for a very low price with specifications that include granite or quartz counter tops, hardwood throughout, 39'-42' inch kitchen cabinets as well as integrated appliances of up to a value of $18,000.

These are substantial savings because you want all these upgrades done before moving in so it saves you from doing renovations, which could add additional costs such as labour and taxes.
Call me today to find out which projects are available with all these great upgrades already included in the purchase price.

Were number 1

An Ottawa real estate saleswoman has found herself on top of the world, thanks to her focus on marketing.

Marnie Bennett, an agent with Keller Williams, and founder of Bennett Real Estate Professionals, has been named the No. 1 Broker Worldwide for Keller Williams Realty International in 2010.

Bennett, 57, employs a team of 30 employees, including her three children, her husband, and some of her extended family.

Her team sold 627 new and resale homes last year, besting more than 80,000 other Keller Williams agents around the globe.

"Though there were challenges in 2010, we simply remained focused on our customers," says Bennett, who describes herself as "thrilled" with the recognition for her team's achievement.

Bennett, a fixture in Ottawa's real estate industry for 30 years, has developed a reputation as Ottawa's "condo queen," and her success in selling condominiums propelled her to the top of the Keller Williams ladder. She says she is involved in 25 per cent of all new condo sales in the nation's capital. More than 350 of the units she sold in 2010 were new, and a large number of those were condos. Her group helped to sell about 250 resale homes last year.

Her climb to condo royalty started in 2004 when she was contacted to help market Terry Guilbault's $60 million condominium development at 90 George St. on the edge of the ByWard Market. Bennett says it was then she realized Ottawa's condo potential.

The city has high average incomes, affordable real estate and the largest concentration of baby boomers in Canada.

As those people downsized, the market would be ripe for a condominium sales specialist. She hired interior decorators to help stage model homes and condos, filled a warehouse with quality furniture and brought 17 licensed real estate agents on staff to help with sales initiatives.

Demand for her marketing and sales expertise skyrocketed. She has been involved in several condo developments including, most recently, an Ashcroft Homes project on Richmond Road in Westboro, on the property that once housed the Sisters of Visitation Convent.

Barry Nabatian, an analyst with real estate research firm Shore Tanner and Associates, applauded Bennett. "She is really successful. She is very well known in Ottawa," he said.

"That is really impressive. She has really developed a knack for this."

Nabatian said a driving factor in her success has been the strength of the Ottawa real estate market through the economic downturn. While the volume of resale homes dipped between 2009 and 2010, average selling prices have increased by six to seven per cent, said Nabatian. Many other markets, especially those in the United States, have fared far worse.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Queen+condos/4168054/story.html#ixzz1C9Ln3rks

Can't beat these testimonials!

Good morning everyone, we at the Bennett Pros take our jobs very seriously, and today we received some great testimonials from some of the members at Keller Williams.


“Keller Williams systems and models have been positively changing local markets and the transformation is evidenced by the incredible talent and leadership of Agents such as Marnie Bennett and the Bennett Real Estate Professionals.”
John Furber - Regional Director of Keller Williams Realty Canada


"It was our great pleasure to feature your exciting story in the May/June ‘”Out-front” Magazine Issue. Many thanks for sharing your experience-based wisdom, creativity, and positive energy with everyone!
Each paragraph of your article brought more “wows” as you dedication to five-star customer service shone through in extraordinary and inspiring innovative ways!
We love having you in our Keller Williams family and wish you the perfect blending of continued professional success with personal fulfillment!"
Mo Anderson - Vice Chairman, Keller Williams International Realty Inc


Marnie! I've thought about you a lot since meeting you. I was wowed by your real estate practice. You definitely have built one of the most impressive real estate businesses I've ever seen. Congratulations on that! I'd love to see your office sometime. Can't begin to express adequate kudos for all of your success!
Please stay in touch and let me know if there's ever anything I can do to help or support you!”
Mark Willis – CEO Keller Williams International Realty, Inc


Wow Marnie! Such a wonderful story! I cannot tell you how amazing this is and how much we all truly respect what you’ve accomplished. It’s a real honour to be in business with you! Onward....”
Gary Keller – Co-founder and Chairman of the Board – Keller Williams International Realty, Inc.


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Have a great weekend everyone!