FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

I only want to view the newest listings. How do I do that?

Why is the page not displaying properly for me? What browser should I use?

How do I search by neighbourhood?

Can I search in more than one neighbourhood at once?

How do I search by feature (for example, waterfront properties)?

How do I search for Open Houses in a specific neighbourhood?

There are so many Ottawa real estate websites. Why should I visit www.ottawarealestate.org?

When is the Upcoming Open Houses page updated?

Can I sort the Upcoming Open Houses by price or neighbourhood?

Why is my browser not showing the most up-to-date Open Houses page?

What is the difference between a Residential property and a Condominium?

What does Property Style refer to?

What does Property Type refer to?

Q. I only want to view the newest listings. How do I do that?
A. There is now a Hot New Listings Only checkbox on the search-wizard screen that has other search criteria such as Dwelling Type and Site influences. Find it at the upper right, underneath the SEARCH button.

Q. Why is the page not displaying properly for me? What browser should I use?
A. This site is best viewed with Internet Explorer 5.5+, Netscape 6.1+, and Opera 7.5 . Other browsers, such as Safari or Firefox, may not display the pages correctly.

Q. How do I search by neighbourhood?
A. On the home page, mouse over "Search MLS®" and select Ottawa or Renfrew. A page with an interactive map of the region will appear. Click on the district that contains the neighbourhoods you wish to search in. Another map and a list of neighbourhoods will appear. Click on one of the neighbourhoods on the map, and your search will be confined to that neighbourhood ONLY.

Q. Can I search in more than one neighbourhood at once?
A. On the home page, mouse over "Search MLS®" and select Ottawa or Renfrew. A page with an interactive map of the region will appear. Click on the district that contains the neighbourhoods you wish to search in. A map and a list of neighbourhoods will appear. Using the list on the right-hand side of the page, you may select more than one neighbourhood to search in using the checkboxes. Your search will select properties from each of the selected neighbourhoods that meet your criteria.

Q. How do I search by feature (for example, waterfront properties)?
A. Once you reach the Search Criteria page (after selecting region, neighbourhood, and housing class), you will see a number of drop-down menus. One of these, Site Influences, includes criteria such as Waterfront, Family Oriented, Hobby Farm, and many others, which will narrow your search to the specific type of property you are looking for.

Q. How do I search for Open Houses in a specific neighbourhood?
A. You can search for Open Houses in the neighbourhood of your choice using the Upcoming Open Houses button on the Search Criteria page. This search will return only the properties that have Open Houses listed on the Board's web site for the upcoming week.

Also, you can check the upcoming Open Houses on the Board's main Open Houses page, accessible from the purple link at the top of every page, and click on the Neighbourhood heading to sort by neighbourhood. Then scroll down to find the neighbourhood you are looking for.

Q. There are so many Ottawa real estate websites. Why should I visit www.ottawarealestate.org?
A. Because ALL MLS® listings for Ottawa and Renfrew can be found here. MLS® (Multiple Listing Service®) is a co-operative marketing system used by the Ottawa Real Estate Board's members to ensure maximum exposure of properties listed for sale. www.ottawarealestate.org is the board's official website, which holds each and every MLS® listing currently active in the Ottawa and Renfrew County areas. MLS ® information is updated daily at 7:30 AM and 9:30 PM.

Q. When is the Upcoming Open Houses page updated?
A. Upcoming Open Houses are updated every Thursday afternoon with Open House listings for the upcoming weekend and week.

Q. Can I sort the Upcoming Open Houses by price or neighbourhood?
A. Yes. As a matter of fact, you can sort the Upcoming Open Houses by any of the headings - simply click on the one you wish to sort by, wait for the listings to re-load, and scroll down to find what you're looking for! It's that simple.

Q. Why is my browser not showing the most up-to-date Open Houses page?
A. Try clearing the cache on your browser. This removes older versions of pages that your computer has automatically saved to use as shortcuts. If you are using Internet Explorer, try the following steps:

• Click on the Tools menu at the top of the page.
• Select Internet Options. A window will pop open and display your options.
• Under "Temporary Internet Files", click on "Delete Files".
• Under "History", click on "Clear History".
• Click "OK" at the bottom of the window.
• Finally, click on the Refresh icon on your toolbar. The page should reload with the current information.
  

Q. What is the difference between a Residential property and a Condominium?
A. A Residential property is one where the homeowner owns a dwelling unit (both the interior and exterior) and the block of land upon which the dwelling is located. Condominiums and commercial properties are excluded from this category. Condominiums are a form of housing where the owner owns only the unit in which the live--from the interior walls inward, generally--as well as a share in the common areas of the property. All condominiums must be registered as a corporation with the province. This category also includes housing co-operatives.

Q. What does Property Style refer to?
A.  Property style explains whether the unit is detached (stand-alone) or attached to others in one of several formats.

• A Detached unit is a single dwelling unit standing alone, separately titled.
• A Row Unit is one dwelling unit of a group of three or more attached, self-contained dwelling units of similar design and size, where each unit is separately titled. (Row units are often referred to as townhouses.)
• A Semi-Detached unit is one of a pair of self-contained dwelling units, often of mirror image design, attached by a common wall but detached from other buildings; separate titles. (Semi-detached houses are often referred to as duplexes, though this is an incorrect designation; see Property Type.)
• An Apartment is one unit of a complex of self-contained units lying within a low, mid or high rise building, offering common areas such as hallways, parking lots, stairwells, etc.
  

Q. What does Property Type refer to?
A. Property Type offers more detail as to the composition of the property, for example the number of levels above grade, and whether it is a single unit or a building divided into more than one unit.

Single-unit types include:

• 1-level (1LEVEL) An apartment with all its rooms on one level;
• 1.5-storey (1.5STY) A single family dwelling with 2 levels above grade, where the upper level is full height at the centre peak but dramatically slopes to a shorter height along the outer walls;
• 2-storey (2STOREY) A single family dwelling with 2 levels above grade;
• 3-storey (3STOREY)  A single family dwelling with 3 levels above grade;
• Bungalow (BUNGALOW)  A single family dwelling with only 1 level above grade;
• Hi-ranch (HIRANCH) A s ingle family dwelling with 1 level above grade and the basement level elevated partially above grade; its entry is located halfway between the basement level and main level;
• Link Home (LINK) A single family dwelling which is linked underground to another home by either a concrete wall or a steel rod connecting two foundations and may be one or more levels;
• Mobile (MOBIL) A trailer or other moveable structure that is used as a permanent structure; usually connected to utilities; may or may not have a permanent foundation; land might be leased;
• Split Level (SPLIT) A single family dwelling with multiple levels above grade, separated by small flights of stairs.

Multi-unit housing types include:

• Double Side by Side (DBL-SXS), a building which consists of two dwelling units beside one another, is under single ownership, and looks like a semi-detached;
• Duplex-Up/Down (DUP-UD) A building which consists of two dwelling units, one above the other; under single ownership.

There is also the designation Other (OTHER), which covers any other dwelling type not detailed above.

Updated: July 25, 2006