Real Estate News

A bold new proposal to expand Ottawa's western suburbs is generating real debate — and real opportunity. Here's what you need to know and how to think about it.

What's Being Proposed

One of Ottawa's largest and most established homebuilders is making a significant move to grow the city's western edge.

The City of Ottawa has received an application from Claridge Homes to amend the Official Plan to expand the Urban Boundary by including two parcels of land — 6437 Flewellyn Road and 6435 Fernbank Road. The proposed expansion, known as the Stittsville West Urban Expansion Area, would allow for a future development of approximately 2,391 new homes. The two land parcels have a combined area of approximately 112 hectares — about 277 acres — separated by Fernbank Road, and stretch to the Trans Canada Trail in the north and Flewellyn Road in the south.

The proposal is possible because of a significant shift in provincial planning rules. In 2024, the Provincial Government changed the rules for adding land to the urban boundary — previously it could only happen every five to ten years through a city-wide review, but now landowners can apply at any time. The deadline for public comments is March 11, 2026.

The proposal has already drawn a clear line in the sand locally. Stittsville Councillor Glen Gower has stated he does not support the expansion, arguing that homes on this land would be an isolated enclave of suburban homes with poor access to transit, no connections to schools, and far from neighbourhood retail. The industry, however, sees it differently. Claridge's chief financial officer has argued that Ottawa hasn't set aside enough land to meet growing market demand, and that the resulting land shortage has driven up prices and made housing less affordable for buyers.

Ruby's Take

This proposal puts two things that Ottawa genuinely needs on a collision course: more housing supply and smarter, more sustainable growth. Both sides of this debate have merit, and that's exactly why the community's voice in the comment period matters so much.

From a real estate perspective, the broader significance of this story isn't just about Stittsville — it's about what it signals for Ottawa's housing pipeline as a whole. We are in a period where developers and the province are actively pushing to unlock more land, while municipalities and residents are asking hard questions about infrastructure, services, and community liveability. The outcome of proposals like this one will shape where Ottawa's next generation of homebuyers can afford to put down roots. For buyers who are watching the market and wondering where opportunities will emerge, the western suburbs — Stittsville, Kanata, Barrhaven — continue to be the areas where the most significant supply growth is being planned. For existing homeowners in those established communities, new supply nearby can feel like a concern, but history shows that well-planned growth in Ottawa's suburbs has generally supported long-term neighbourhood stability and value. The key word, of course, is well-planned. If you have thoughts on this proposal, I encourage you to make your voice heard before the March 11 deadline — and if you have questions about what growth like this means for your property value or your next purchase, my team is here to help you navigate it with clarity and confidence.

About the Author

Ruby Xue is a visionary real estate leader and the founder of Keller Williams ICON Realty in Ottawa. Her journey began as an international student at Carleton University, and since launching her career in 2014, she has become one of the city's most respected realtors. Driven by a passion to elevate the industry, Ruby's mission is to empower clients and agents with expert guidance, world-class training, and a culture of collaboration.

Sourced from CTV News Ottawa: https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/claridge-homes-proposes-expanding-ottawas-urban-boundary-to-build-2300-new-homes/

A major national story is quietly reshaping the true cost of homeownership in Canada. If you own a home — or are thinking about buying one — this is something you need to understand right now.

What's Happening Across Canada

Canada's home insurance landscape is undergoing a significant and accelerating shift, driven by the rising frequency and severity of extreme weather events.

Canada's home insurance safety net is starting to fray at the edges as the costs of extreme weather continue to rise. While competition is still healthy, and the country has so far avoided the coverage deserts growing in the United States, insurers are paring back policies in a variety of ways to adapt — raising premiums above the rate of inflation, increasingly excluding coverage of some risks, raising deductibles, and reducing their exposure to higher-risk areas.

The numbers behind this shift are stark. Between 2021 and 2025, home insurance costs rose 31 per cent according to Statistics Canada, more than double the overall inflation rate of 15 per cent over the same period. The trigger is no mystery: 2024 set a record $9.4 billion in insured losses across Canada, while the number of catastrophic weather events has averaged 15 per year in recent years — up from around two per year in the 1980s.

The squeeze is already being felt in how policies are written. Insurers are raising deductibles to upwards of $10,000 for perils like hail, reducing coverage, or simply not offering it for some risks such as flooding. In worst-case situations, insurance coverage is simply not available for certain perils at all. Flood coverage is particularly patchy: the Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates that about 1.5 million households — roughly 10 per cent — can't get flood insurance, while for those who can, it can add as much as $15,000 a year to premiums.

Experts see no quick resolution. As one industry analyst put it, the only real way out of this situation is for society as a whole to invest in climate resilience — because right now, consumers are on the receiving end with no easy answers in sight.

Ruby's Take

I want to be direct with Ottawa homeowners and buyers about what this means for us locally. While the most dramatic insurance cost increases have been in Alberta and B.C. to date, Ottawa is not immune. We've lived through the 2018 tornadoes, the 2019 flooding along the Ottawa River, and increasingly unpredictable freeze-thaw cycles that stress foundations and roofs. Ontario's insurance market is already under pressure, and what starts as a national trend doesn't stay national for long — it becomes your renewal notice.

Here's what I encourage every homeowner and prospective buyer in our community to do right now. First, review your current policy carefully — don't wait for your renewal. Check whether you actually have overland flood coverage, what your deductibles are for weather-related perils, and whether your replacement cost coverage reflects today's construction costs, which have risen over 60% since 2019. Second, if you're buying a home, factor insurance cost and insurability into your due diligence — not just mortgage qualification. A home near a floodplain or with an older roof isn't just a maintenance consideration anymore; it's an insurability question. This is a fast-moving issue, and the homeowners who stay informed and proactive will be far better positioned than those who are caught off guard. As always, I'm here to help you navigate these layers of the market — reach out anytime.

About the Author

Ruby Xue is one of Ottawa's most recognized real estate leaders and the founder of Keller Williams ICON Realty. Since launching her career in 2014, Ruby has been dedicated to raising the bar for professionalism in the industry. Her mission is to empower clients and agents with expert guidance, insightful market analysis, and a commitment to building lasting wealth through real estate.

Sourced from CTV News Business/Real Estate: https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/real-estate/article/home-insurers-raise-prices-rein-in-coverage-as-weather-events-worsen/

The Ottawa market has cooled — but "cool" doesn't mean broken. It means the rules have changed. And sellers who understand those rules are still winning.

What the Market Is Telling Us

The question I've been hearing most from Ottawa homeowners lately is simple: Is now a good time to sell? The answer, as always, depends on how well-prepared you are — but the market data gives us a clear roadmap.

Ottawa's residential market entered 2026 on a balanced footing, with inventory levels higher than in recent years, giving buyers more choice, while sellers continue to adjust to conditions that reward accurate pricing and patience. In concrete terms, new listings increased to 1,522 homes — up 8.8% year-over-year — while total homes sold dipped to 610, down 5.6%, and the average home price across Ottawa landed at $641,436, down 4.5% from January 2025.

Not all segments are created equal, however. Single-family homes remain the strongest segment, with prices holding relatively steady. Townhomes stayed active, supported by buyers looking for more affordable alternatives. Apartments and condos saw the largest price adjustments, with months of inventory rising to 6.8 — clearly favouring buyers in that segment.

The biggest lesson from the current data? Overpriced homes don't just sit longer — they lose leverage. Buyers watch price reductions closely, and a listing that starts too high often ends up selling for less than it would have if it had been priced correctly from day one.

Ruby's Take

Here's the honest truth about today's Ottawa market: this is not a market where your home sells itself. And that's not a bad thing — it's actually a return to normal. What we're seeing in 2026 looks much closer to a pre-2020 market than anything we've experienced recently. Buyers are active, but selective. Sellers still have opportunity, but only if pricing and presentation make sense. In my experience, the sellers who struggle right now are the ones still anchored to 2021 expectations. The sellers who succeed are the ones who come in with a clear strategy: properly priced from day one, beautifully presented, and marketed to the right buyer pool with urgency and precision.

If you're a homeowner thinking about selling this spring, the single most important thing you can do right now is get a current, data-driven assessment of your home's value — not what it might have been worth two years ago, but what a serious, qualified buyer will pay for it today. The spring market is coming, inventory is still manageable, and motivated buyers are absolutely out there. But they won't overpay, and they won't chase. The good news is that you don't need them to — you just need a plan. That's exactly what my team and I are here to help you build.

About the Author

Ruby Xue is one of Ottawa's most recognized real estate leaders and the founder of Keller Williams ICON Realty. Since launching her career in 2014, Ruby has been dedicated to raising the bar for professionalism in the industry. Her mission is to empower clients and agents with expert guidance, insightful market analysis, and a commitment to building lasting wealth through real estate.

Sourced from CTV News Ottawa: https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ottawa-real-estate-how-to-sell-your-home-in-a-cool-market/

New findings from Statistics Canada shine a light on the real motivations driving Canadians to pack up and move — and the results hold important lessons for anyone navigating the Ottawa market right now.

What the Data Shows

Statistics Canada has released fresh insights from the 2022 Canadian Housing Survey, and the findings paint a clear picture of what drives Canadians to move.

About one third of Canadian households (33%) moved within the previous five years. Among those who relocated, the most common reason — cited by 25.3% of movers — was the desire to upgrade to a larger or better-quality dwelling. The aspiration to own a home ranked as the second most frequent motivation, followed by employment-related moves.

These top motivations were consistent across every region of the country, with upgrading housing quality and pursuing homeownership ranking first and second in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, and British Columbia alike.

When it comes to where Canadians move, the picture is overwhelmingly local. A full 94.4% of movers stayed within the same province — often within the same municipality — while just 5.6% crossed provincial lines. For those who did relocate interprovincially, motivations shifted significantly based on age: more than 60% of Generation Z movers cited school as their primary driver, while 59.1% of millennials and 51.6% of Generation X moved for employment. Nearly half of older Canadians relocated primarily to be closer to family.

Ruby's Take

What strikes me most about this data is how powerfully it confirms something I see every single day working with clients in Ottawa: people aren't moving on a whim — they're moving with purpose. The desire for more space, better quality, and the pride of ownership are deeply rooted goals. They don't disappear when the market gets challenging; they simply get delayed. And a delayed desire eventually becomes an urgent one.

For Ottawa specifically, this data is a reminder of what fuels our market from the ground up. We are a city with a highly educated, professionally mobile population — government employees, tech workers, healthcare professionals — many of whom are in exactly the life stages this data describes: millennials and Gen X moving for career growth, growing families seeking more space, and empty-nesters preparing to get closer to the people they love. If you've been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the "perfect moment," ask yourself: has your reason to move changed, or just your confidence? Because motivation this strong doesn't stay dormant forever. If you're ready to understand what your next move could actually look like in today's Ottawa market, I'd love to have that conversation with you.

About the Author

Ruby Xue is one of Ottawa's most respected real estate leaders and the founder of Keller Williams ICON Realty. Her journey from an ambitious international student to a top-performing realtor is driven by a passion for empowering her community with clarity and expert guidance. Ruby's mission is to elevate the standard of professionalism in the industry, helping clients and agents alike build businesses worth owning and lives worth living.

Sourced from CTV News Business/Real Estate: https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/real-estate/article/from-homeownership-to-work-whats-motivating-canadians-to-move/

The latest numbers from CMHC confirm what many in the industry have been sensing: new home construction is losing steam, and the consequences will be felt right here in Ottawa.

What the Numbers Say

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released its January 2026 housing starts data on February 16th, and the headline figure is impossible to ignore.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of housing starts fell 15% in January, coming in at 238,049 units compared to 280,668 units in December. While month-to-month starts data can be volatile, the agency's six-month moving average also showed a 3.5% decline, marking the fourth consecutive monthly drop in that trend measure.

CMHC Deputy Chief Economist Tania Bourassa-Ochoa noted that the agency expects new construction to continue trending lower, with trade and geopolitical uncertainty, high construction costs, weaker demand, and rising inventories all constraining developer activity — and that a near-term turnaround is unlikely.

The drivers behind the slowdown are layered: lower immigration numbers and economic uncertainty over changing U.S. trade policy are both contributing to the pullback. To put the gap in perspective, Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigned on doubling housing construction to 500,000 homes a year over a decade — but the previous record high was only around 260,000 in the mid-1970s.

Ruby's Take

Here's the hard truth: fewer housing starts today means fewer homes available to buyers 18 to 24 months from now. In a market like Ottawa, where we're already navigating constrained supply and shifting buyer sentiment, this pipeline slowdown is a significant concern. If construction slows nationally and locally, the inventory relief that many buyers have been waiting for may not materialize in the way they hoped — and that creates upward pressure on prices for resale homes, particularly in the affordable and mid-range segments where demand remains strongest.

For sellers, this is a quiet signal worth noting: if you've been on the fence about listing because you feel the market isn't "hot enough," the underlying supply story actually continues to work in your favour. For buyers, especially first-timers, the message is not to panic — but to get educated and be ready to move when the right opportunity comes. The market rewards those who are prepared. If you'd like to understand exactly how this national trend is playing out street by street in Ottawa, that's exactly the kind of conversation I'm here for.

About the Author

Ruby Xue is the founder of Keller Williams ICON Realty and one of Ottawa's most respected real estate leaders. Her journey began as an international student at Carleton University, and since launching her career in 2014, she has been driven by a mission to elevate the standard of professionalism in the industry. Ruby's approach is built on empowering her clients and community with expert guidance, market insight, and a commitment to building businesses worth owning and lives worth living.

Sourced from CTV News Business/Real Estate: https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/real-estate/article/cmhc-reports-january-housing-starts-down-15-per-cent-from-december/

The intersection of heritage preservation and urban density is never simple — and a new development proposal in Hintonburg is putting that tension front and centre.

What's Happening

One of Ottawa's most beloved neighbourhood institutions — the Carleton Tavern on Armstrong Street — is set to be torn down and rebuilt as part of a sweeping redevelopment proposal in the heart of Hintonburg.

The application covers a full city block bounded by Parkdale, Armstrong, Hamilton, and Spencer streets, and proposes a 38-storey mixed-use residential building with approximately 465 dwelling units and four levels of underground parking containing roughly 322 spaces. The Carleton Tavern's footprint is included in the site, with plans to "reimagine" the iconic pub as part of the new development rather than simply demolish it outright.

The history of the site traces all the way back to 1896, and the Carleton has operated as a tavern since 1951 — making it a nearly century-old community anchor in Hintonburg. A community information session is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24 at the Wellington Room at the Hintonburg Community Centre, starting at 7 p.m., where residents will have the opportunity to hear directly from the applicant team and ask questions.

Ruby's Take

This proposal is a story about the two forces that are defining Ottawa real estate right now: our urgent need for more housing supply, and our equally urgent need to protect what makes our neighbourhoods worth living in. A 38-storey tower with 465 units in a walkable, transit-accessible area like Hintonburg makes complete sense from a density standpoint — and frankly, Ottawa needs projects like this if we're ever going to bring the housing market back into balance for everyday buyers.

But here's what I want buyers, sellers, and homeowners in the area to understand: intensification projects like this one are a signal, not just a headline. When developers set their sights on a mature, established neighbourhood like Hintonburg, it reflects real confidence in that area's long-term value. For current homeowners nearby, this is worth watching closely — the addition of hundreds of new residents, ground-floor commercial uses, and improved streetscapes typically strengthens surrounding property values over time. For buyers on the fence, moments like this are a reminder that Ottawa's most character-rich neighbourhoods don't stay undiscovered forever. The community will have its say on February 24 — I'd encourage anyone with a stake in this corner of the city to show up and be part of that conversation.

About the Author

Ruby Xue launched her real estate career in 2014 and quickly became one of the most recognized and consistently high-performing realtors in Ottawa. Her vision grew beyond individual achievement, leading her to found Keller Williams ICON Realty, a brokerage designed to elevate the standard of excellence in the industry. Her mission is to empower clients and agents alike with world-class training, proven business systems, and a culture of collaboration.

Sourced from CTV News Ottawa: https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/carleton-tavern-to-be-reimagined-as-part-of-proposed-development-in-ottawas-hintonburg/