Eric Bekkers Realtor - EXP Realty

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Eric Bekkers Realtor - EXP Realty Backed by years of experience, I am a referral-based entrepreneur.

10/07/2026

7 years in real estate has shown me what makes a home harder to sell, and what not to do to your own.

10 things I'd never do to my home (and what I'd do instead if resale matters):

1. Bold paint colours. They split buyers. Instead: warm neutrals that make rooms feel bigger and brighter.

2. Converting the garage. In an Ottawa winter, buyers want the parking. Instead: keep it and add wall storage.

3. Losing a bedroom for a bigger closet. Bedroom count drives search filters and value. Instead: rework the closet inside the room.

4. Ripping out the only tub. Plenty of buyers still want one. Instead: keep one, put the walk-in shower in the ensuite.

5. Finishing a basement before it's dry. Drywall just hides the problem. Instead: fix grading and downspouts first.

6. Skipping permits or DIYing the wiring. It comes up when you sell. Instead: licensed trades, permit pulled.

7. Out-renovating the street. You rarely get it back. Instead: mid-range, durable finishes that fit the area.

8. A pool for resale. Short season, smaller buyer pool. Instead: a patio, fire pit or pergola.

9. Signing a furnace or water heater rental blind. Those contracts follow the house. Instead: know the buyout terms first.

10. Ignoring maintenance. Buyers care more about the roof and furnace than the backsplash. Instead: keep mechanicals current and keep the receipts.

Bottom line: what feels exciting now can cost you later. Neutral, timeless and functional wins.
Be honest, how many are already done at your place?

Save this for your next project. Thinking about selling? Get a Clear Strategy for Your Ottawa Home. Comment "SELL" and I'll send it to you.

New here? I'm Eric Bekkers, Greely local and REALTOR® with Bekkers Realty, brokered by eXp Realty. I post what I'd tell a friend about buying and selling in Ottawa.

10/06/2026

Three costs people moving to Ottawa get wrong every single time.

1. WINTER HEATING — the guides say $250-$350/month for utilities. On an older rural home in January, that's optimistic.

2. VEHICLES — a transit pass is about $125/month, great if you live on a line. In Greely or Osgoode you're running two cars, and nobody budgets the second one.

3. THE COMMUTE IN MINUTES, NOT KM — Manotick ~25, Kemptville ~45. Test it at 7:30 on a Tuesday, not Sunday afternoon.

The housing math genuinely is better here. It's everything around the house that surprises people.

10/05/2026

Most land makes you figure out what you're allowed to build. This one already answers that question.
2164 Old Prescott Road, Greely. 23.7 acres on a private lake, offered at $747,000.

What's already done:
-RU zoning in place
-A Stantec site plan defining a 2.67 acre buildable envelope
-Allowance for a 1,615 sq ft secondary shop or studio, plus a home business

The lake is non-motorized, so it's paddles and quiet water instead of engines and wake.

You're at Stagecoach and Old Prescott, a few minutes to Greely and Manotick for groceries, coffee and the 416.

If you've been waiting for a place to build custom, with room for a real shop or a business run from home, this is worth a serious look.

Comment PRESCOTT and I'll send you the full listing and site plan details.

Eric Bekkers, REALTOR® | Bekkers Realty, brokered by eXp Realty

10/05/2026

New build or resale in Riverside South?

NEW BUILD — warranty coverage, your finishes. Trade-off: the closing date can move, and you're fencing and landscaping a bare lot after you move in.

RESALE — finished yard, firm closing date, a street you can drive through before you commit. Trade-off: someone else picked the kitchen.

The deciding factor is almost never the house. It's whether you can be flexible on when you move.

Can't be? Resale. Can be? Build.

Want help comparing two specific ones? Message me.

10/01/2026

There's a file on that septic system. It's free. Almost nobody asks for it.

Ottawa does this differently than most of Ontario — septic permits and approvals go through the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority's Ottawa Septic System Office, not the city building department.

That office holds:
– the original permit
– the design drawings
– the inspection records

1978 or later goes to OSSO. Older than that, Ottawa Public Health.

Unpermitted work becomes your problem at resale. Pull the file before you waive conditions.

🏡 Rural feel. City address. Open house this Sunday.📍2940 Prince of Wales Drive | Rideau Heights, Ottawa📅 Sunday, October...
10/01/2026

🏡 Rural feel. City address. Open house this Sunday.

📍2940 Prince of Wales Drive | Rideau Heights, Ottawa
📅 Sunday, October 4
🕐 1:00 to 3:00 PM

If you want room to breathe without giving up a city commute, come see this one in person.
✔️ 1.7 acre lot framed by mature cedar hedging
✔️ Vaulted, beamed living room with a stacked stone fireplace
✔️ Coffered dining room with exposed brick and arched openings
✔️ 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths, including two ensuites
✔️ Detached 2-car garage

Minutes to Barrhaven, Merivale Road and Hunt Club, with the 416 close by.

Can't make it Sunday? Comment PRINCE and I'll send you the full details and set up a private showing.

📧 [email protected] | 📞 343-805-0139

Eric Bekkers, REALTOR® | eXp Realty, Brokerage

09/30/2026

"How low can I go?"

A buyer asked me that at a showing in Riverside South last week. Honest answer:

Ottawa homes sold at 97.9% of asking in August — a number that hasn't moved in a year (OREB). On a $700,000 list price, the typical sale lands around $685,000.

That's an average, not a rule.

The number that actually matters is how the home was priced to begin with. Priced right in July? No room. Sitting since June on spring comps? Plenty.

Send me the address before you write the offer.

A septic system is one of the biggest-ticket items on a rural property, and most buyers firm up knowing nothing about it...
09/30/2026

A septic system is one of the biggest-ticket items on a rural property, and most buyers firm up knowing nothing about it beyond what the listing says.

In Ottawa, there's a paper trail. Who holds it depends on when the system went in, it costs nothing to request, and it tells you whether what's in the ground was ever approved. Get it before your conditions come off, not after.

Comment SEPTIC and I'll send you the exact wording to request it.

09/29/2026

Out here, the house is the easy part.

Five things I check on any well-and-septic property before we talk about the kitchen:

1. Water quality — bacteria, nitrates, hardness
2. Flow rate — does it keep up with a family
3. Septic tank age + last pump-out
4. Where the bed actually sits (it decides where a pool or shop can go)
5. Setbacks

Budget $400-$600 for the water test and flow test together.

All of it goes in the offer as a condition. Part 2 tomorrow.

09/28/2026

4.5

That's Ottawa's months of inventory in August — up from 3.5 in July, and the highest August level since 2016 (OREB).

At August's pace it would take four and a half months to sell everything currently listed.

Rule of thumb: under 4 leans seller, over 6 leans buyer. We're in the middle, drifting toward buyers.

It doesn't mean sellers are desperate — homes still sold at 97.9% of ask. It means you can ask for conditions again.

Want your area's number? Ask me.

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Ottawa, ON

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