Turn a Simple Cottage into a Vacation-Worthy Summer Home

A hot real estate market is seeing more Canadians get into cottages this season, but a summer staycation of cold drinks and family movie nights requires a few upgrades.

A few additions can make the simplest of cottages more comfortable through any summer heatwave. Cottages with an Internet connection can easily become a summer home, especially for Canadians working remotely yet craving a change of scenery after a year of pandemic life.

"The way you outfit your cottage can make the difference between a luxury getaway and roughing it," says Meaghan Wilkinson, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing with Hisense Canada. "Consider these appliances and electronics a smart re-investment of the money you would have spent on a hotel and flight this summer."

Hisense Canada suggests the following pieces to help bring the cottage into modernity:

·         Dehumidifier — Usually the humidity is what pushes summer temperatures into discomfort for many Canadians. A dehumidifier helps air conditioning units run effectively and efficiently while making the air less heavy to breath. They will also help keep the air in the cottage fresh, and fight back against the musty smell that can invade over the dormant winter months. 

·         Portable air conditioner – Portable air conditioners are easy to setup with powerful cooling capacity without being noisy. They are also easy to move from room to room, keeping sleeping temperatures comfortable at night.

·         Second fridge – There are never too many cold drinks in the summer heat and a second fridge can free up some space in the crammed kitchen fridge after stocking up for the week. Place it in a shed or boathouse, or out on a covered deck, to keep the cold drinks close by the action.

·         Smart TV – Bring movies to life with more than a billion colours in 4K high definition. Smart TVs sync with smart home devices and have streaming services built right in – meaning less cords and outlets required. At a Wifi-enabled cottage, a Smart TV brings all the entertainment options you can desire for those rainy days or chilly nights.

·         Soundbar – New movie releases are skipping the box office and streaming at home, and a soundbar brings movies the audio they deserve. Connect to a music streaming app on the Smart TV or via Bluetooth for an even better dinner playlist.

"The whole family will appreciate the added comfort this summer," says Meaghan. "Keep everyone safe and entertained inside with longer cottage trips this year. 

Five tips & tricks for sourcing ethical and sustainable décor from Candon Murphy, Interior Designer at MG2

Consider craftspersons - When you're wanting something new for your home, think about locally made. Think about artists that are working and building in your area. Consider Etsy, where you can search by location to find a local maker. Farmer's markets. A lot of furniture stores will showcase goods from local makers. Antique malls don't only just have vintage stuff; sometimes they have locally made. Also Instagram. Facebook Marketplace. Even Amazon lets you search for local artisans in your region. 

When you need to buy online, do the research on where things are coming from - Really understand the origin of whatever piece you're buying, do your best to purchase from makers who are as close to your home as possible. The fastest way to do this is to call the company and ask them for information on the product, but most product pages have info on where the product is made. Deeper research can be done on the manufacturer simply by googling. 

For example - If you're purchasing a mattress, there are so many companies, and they have these FAQ pages and hotlines where you can find out a lot of sustainability information. More and more companies are adding this info because people are asking the questions. Candon called and asked about manufacturing locations; "If I'm a customer in the Seattle area, where would my mattress be coming from?" 

 Think about the purity of materials you're bringing into your home - When you really want to consider a sustainable home, you want to think about natural materials. Ones like wool, bamboo, cotton, and linen. Make sure you're avoiding materials that are harmful like vinyl and fire retardants. Things like your furniture and bed sheets are a good start, but also things like interiors of your upholsteries are worth considering. Choose silicon over vinyl. If you're considering remodeling your home, avoid the use of artificial wood products, which are not biodegradable. Consider real wood, and if it's local, all the better.

 Avoid chemicals that are harmful - We mentioned fire retardants already, but there are many chemicals in our built environments and in the products we purchase that eventually leech into our living environment. We want to avoid those as much as possible. There are a few ways to do this - There's the UL spot database: these list items that have high levels of air quality. Consider it a consumer report for indoor air quality and health where you can search thousands of products. There are also other indoor air quality certs on the market. Talking about mattresses again, they may have an indoor air quality cert listed on their website, for example, CertiPureUS.

 Focus on company transparency, not the numbers or even the certifications. - If I as a consumer am willing to spend the time to do the research, I expect to get real answers from the companies that I'm asking these questions to, and I know to avoid companies that won't give me the answers, or don't know the answers. There are so many companies readily offering this information, on their websites or over the phone, and those are the ones we want to support and whose products we want to purchase.

The fact that the company is doing what they can to disclose the information is more important than the numbers here. At this point in our sustainability journey as a society, it's about transparency from company to consumer. If all else fails, start there.

Canadians invest in home renovations to improve their quality of life, not to add value to their home

Challenging market conditions have added additional importance to home renovations since the start of COVID-19, both for those looking to stay and those selling, according to RE/MAX's 2021 Renovation Investment Report 

  • More than half of Canadians renovated their home in 2020 with the intention of living in it, with 29 per cent renovating to enhance their lifestyle for non-essential reasons (aesthetic and/or recreational purposes) and 29 per cent doing so for essential reasons (safety and maintenance)

  • Only 16 per cent of Canadians said they renovated to increase the market value of their home in order to sell within in the next one to three years 

Toronto, ON and Kelowna, BC, April 6, 2021 – A new report by RE/MAX Canada is shedding light on shifting consumer trends in home renovations and the perceived return on investment (ROI), as impacted by COVID-19 and historically tight market conditions. The RE/MAX 2021 Renovation Investment Report found that more than half of Canadians renovated their home last year for personal/non-ROI purposes, with three-in-ten (29 per cent) choosing to renovate for non-essential "lifestyle" reasons, such as recreation-inspired projects. 

A Leger survey conducted on behalf of RE/MAX Canada found lifestyle impact to be the top reason for renovating during the course of the pandemic, ahead of motives such as making essential renovations to accommodate life in lockdown (17 per cent), or to increase the value of the home with the intention of selling in the next one to three years (16 per cent). 

Despite the trend of home renovations for personal use and enjoyment, 59 per cent of Canadians still said they always consider the return on investment that a renovation will have on their home's overall market value, so while there is a current renovation trend based on lifestyle aspirations, practicality is never far from the surface. 

"The notion of the home as an investment continues to be an important consideration for Canadian homeowners; however, they clearly value the home for what it is meant to be: a place to live and enjoy spending time," says Elton Ash, Regional Executive Vice President, RE/MAX of Western Canada. "The pandemic has influenced virtually every aspect of our lives, including what Canadians want and need in a home. The uncertainty also compelled many sellers to move to the sidelines or renovate their home to accommodate current quality-of-life needs, which has further tightened market conditions." 

This lack of inventory is expected to be a continuing factor in the spring housing market. In its market outlook for 2021, RE/MAX identified seller's market conditions in 82 per cent of regions, with a spike in demand for single-family dwellings putting additional pressure on already limited supply. 

"Canadian real estate has continued to perform above and beyond expectations, with an increased opportunity for sellers to see a strong return on their investment given current demand," says Christopher Alexander, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President, RE/MAX of Ontario-Atlantic Canada. "As we've seen over the past year, strong seller's markets continue to dominate many regions across Canada, with homes selling in record time and at record prices. While the impact that specific renovations have on ROI will vary by regional conditions, the market has generally shown us that you can't go wrong with anything that improves your home in any way." 

With this in mind, nearly one year after the start of cross-country lockdowns, Canadians are still making renovation decisions based on pandemic living, with over half (55 per cent) of survey respondents stating that they have already done or would like to do a home renovation within the next year. Of this group, 35 per cent say they would opt for minor renovations, such as painting. 

RE/MAX brokers across Canada were also surveyed for the report and identified fresh paint and landscaping as two upgrades that yield a high ROI, despite being low-budget and minor in nature. This is in alignment with and good news for the nearly half (47 per cent) of Canadians who said they would want to keep their home improvement budget below $10,000, even if the guaranteed ROI was at least 10 per cent. Three-in-ten Canadians (31 per cent) would bump up their spending from $10,000 to just under $50,000, and only four per cent would consider spending more than $50,000.

Sixty-five per cent of RE/MAX brokers surveyed also claim that kitchen upgrades, including cabinets, countertops and appliances, yield the highest ROI for sellers, with 87 per cent of brokers naming the kitchen renovation as the top home improvement sought out by homebuyers.

Regional Market Insights

In Western Canada, Calgary, Edmonton and Victoria, homebuyers want the move-in-ready experience, with homes that are already entirely renovated being most in demand. Given this, sellers in these regions have the potential to see a large return on their renovation investment. In Greater Vancouver, outdoor improvements are one of the optimal ways for homeowners to get the best ROI, with landscaping among the top five renovations to undertake. It's also one of the most common renovations that homeowners in this region are taking on themselves, versus hiring a professional to do the work. 

Throughout Ontario, RE/MAX brokers are reporting that listings are selling quickly, regardless of their condition or renovation status. Regions including Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton-Burlington, Niagara, London and Kingston/Napanee saw a strong shift toward outdoor upgrades and amenities in 2020, specifically the addition of a pool or larger exterior living area. Much of this demand was prompted by COVID-19 and the desire for more recreational space within the home – a trend that is not anticipated to be a permanent one. Bathroom renovations and new flooring are highly regarded as yielding the best return on investment. Across markets such as Mississauga, Thunder Bay, London, Barrie and Ottawa, painting is noted by RE/MAX brokers as the top renovation that homeowners are doing themselves, as well as one of the best ways to also see an improvement on ROI. 

In the Atlantic provinces, RE/MAX brokers also placed importance on upgraded kitchens, but noted flooring upgrades as one of the best renovations for homeowners to get optimal ROI in regions including Fredericton, Saint John and St. John's. Meanwhile in Charlottetown, roofing upgrades and landscaping are two of the top renovations that can be done relatively quickly to improve ROI, along with painting, as echoed across nearly all regions surveyed. In Saint John, the finished basement is one of the most sought-after renovations by buyers and creating more open-concept spaces is noted as one of the top three ways for sellers to get the best return on their investment.

Consumers' Understanding of ROI

Only 51 per cent of Canadians claimed to have a thorough grasp of the renovation process and nearly half either don't know or disagree that they have the understanding needed to make ROI-enhancing renovation decisions. Furthermore, 50 per cent of Canadians surveyed said they expect their REALTOR® to advise them on the right renovations to take on if they expressed interest in doing so when purchasing a home. This reliance on external professionals to guide home-buying decisions is anticipated to continue.

Additional highlights from the 2021 RE/MAX Renovation Investment Report:

  • When it comes to the renovations that yield the best return on investment, Canadians see these as the best renovations to undertake:

    • 70 per cent of Canadians state redesigning larger spaces, such as kitchens or washrooms

    • 56 per cent of Canadians state minor updates, such as refreshing paint

    • 55 per cent of Canadians state landscaping the outdoor space

    • 50 per cent of Canadians state changing the home layout, including adding rooms or knocking down walls

    • 32 per cent of Canadians state updating décor and furniture

  • 49 per cent of Canadians prefer to contract out most or all of the renovation work

  • 33 per cent of Canadians consider themselves to be very capable when it comes to home renovations, and don't need professional help 

About the 2021 RE/MAX Renovation Investment Report 
The 2021 RE/MAX Renovation Investment Report includes data from RE/MAX brokerages. RE/MAX brokers and agents are surveyed on insights and local developments. Regional summaries with additional broker insights can be found at remax.ca.

About Leger
Leger is the largest Canadian-owned full-service market research firm. An online survey of 1,540 Canadians was completed between February 4-7, 2021, using Leger's online panel. Leger's online panel has approximately 400,000 members nationally and has a retention rate of 90 per cent. A probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/- 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Covid-19 Support

Canada's six largest banks: Bank of Montreal, CIBC, National Bank of Canada, RBC Royal Bank, Scotiabank and TD Bank, as well as ATB Financial, have made a commitment to work with personal and small business banking customers on a case-by-case basis to provide flexible solutions to help them manage through challenges such as pay disruption due to COVID-19; childcare disruption due to school closures; or those facing illness from COVID-19.

Summary of the major steps that Canada's banks are doing to help customers who are having financial difficulties making their mortgage and other payments:

  • Granting up to a 6 -month payment deferral for mortgages

  • Extending the amortization period

  • Deferment of payments for loans and credit cards

For more information visit: Canadian Bankers Association