Fall in Ottawa is a good time to prepare your home for winter. Eavestroughs need attention, outdoor water lines need to be winterized, heating systems need servicing, and snow-removal arrangements need to be made.

But what happens when the seasonal checklist starts to feel harder to manage?

Perhaps climbing a ladder no longer feels comfortable. Carrying patio furniture has become difficult. You’re worried about shovelling, or you simply don’t want to spend your time organizing repairs and appointments anymore.

It’s worth paying attention to those feelings. There are several ways to make the work more manageable, and the best choice depends on your circumstances, resources and preferences.

Notice What Has Become Difficult

Sometimes the change is gradual. A job that once took an afternoon now takes several days. You find yourself putting things off, or you’re uncomfortable doing tasks you previously handled without much thought.

Consider which parts of maintaining your home are becoming challenging:

• Physical work, such as lifting, raking or clearing snow

• Tasks involving ladders, awkward reaching or uneven ground

• Remembering inspections and service appointments

• Finding reliable people and coordinating their visits

• Paying for maintenance and unexpected repairs

• Keeping up with a large yard or property

Be honest with yourself about what feels comfortable and what requires help. You don’t need to wait for an injury or an urgent repair before changing your approach.

Hiring Help May Make Staying More Manageable

If you enjoy your home and want to stay, paying for help may be a practical option—if you have the resources.

Depending on your needs, you could arrange:

• Eavestrough cleaning and exterior maintenance

• Lawn care and seasonal yard cleanup

• Snow removal, including steps and walkways

• Heating-system servicing

• Small repairs through a qualified handyman or appropriate tradesperson

• Help storing outdoor furniture and putting up holiday decorations

You can choose help for particular jobs rather than handing over everything.

Before hiring someone, confirm what is included, how scheduling works, and whether they have appropriate qualifications and insurance. For snow removal, be clear about which areas will be cleared and when service takes place.

It also helps to look at the annual cost. Several smaller bills can add up, so compare the full expense with your budget.

Hiring help can reduce the physical work, although someone still needs to manage appointments, payments and decisions.

Family Help Can Be Valuable—When It’s Available

Family members may be willing to help with a seasonal cleanup, move furniture into storage or coordinate service appointments.

A conversation about specific tasks is usually more useful than a general request for help.

For example:

“Could we choose a Saturday to put away the patio furniture and get things ready for winter?”

Or:

“Would you be able to help me arrange someone to clean the eavestroughs?”

Discuss what each person can realistically take on. Distance, work, health and other responsibilities can affect availability, even when everyone wants to help.

It’s also wise to have a backup plan for time-sensitive jobs. Snow removal and urgent repairs may need attention when family members are unavailable.

And some tasks belong with a professional. A willing family member may not have the equipment or experience for roof work, electrical repairs or other specialized jobs.

Could Your Current Home Be Made Easier to Manage?

Before considering a move, look at whether changes to your current property could reduce the workload.

Simpler landscaping, fewer seasonal decorations, more convenient storage or replacing worn materials may make a difference. Moving frequently used items to accessible locations can also reduce unnecessary lifting and reaching.

The important question is whether those changes would meaningfully address the difficulties you’re experiencing.

A smaller garden may help with yard work, but it won’t resolve a long staircase, a difficult entrance or the responsibility of maintaining an older house. Consider the whole picture before investing in changes.

A Different Home May Offer a More Manageable Lifestyle

Sometimes the responsibilities of the property have become greater than you want to carry.

A smaller home, a property with a smaller lot, or a condominium may reduce certain maintenance demands. Moving closer to family or services may also make daily life more convenient.

However, a smaller home is not automatically easier to maintain. A bungalow can still have a large yard, an aging roof and significant upkeep. A newer property still needs regular care.

When comparing homes, consider:

• The amount of exterior work required

• Steps, stairs and access from parking

• The age and condition of major components

• Storage and everyday convenience

• Access to family, shopping and services

• The ongoing costs and responsibilities

Think about an ordinary week—and a snowy January morning—as well as how the home looks during a showing.

Understand What a Condominium Takes Care Of

Condominium living may remove some responsibilities from your personal checklist, but the arrangements vary.

Depending on the property, the condominium corporation may look after certain exterior maintenance, landscaping and snow removal. Owners remain responsible for other items.

Before buying, confirm exactly what is covered and what you would still need to manage. Review the condominium documents and status certificate with your lawyer.

Monthly fees, the corporation’s financial position and the possibility of special assessments also belong in the comparison. Maintenance still has a cost, even when you aren’t personally arranging every job.

The goal is to understand whether the property would actually make your life easier.

Compare the Costs Along With the Workload

It can be helpful to compare three practical options:

• Staying and hiring more help

• Staying with a realistic combination of family and professional support

• Moving to a home with more manageable responsibilities

Include regular maintenance, utilities, property taxes, insurance and likely repairs. If you’re considering a move, include moving expenses and transaction costs, along with any condominium fees.

Cost matters, but so do your time, energy and comfort. Ask yourself how much responsibility you want to keep and how much you would prefer someone else to handle.

Make the Seasonal Plan Fit Your Circumstances

You don’t need to make a housing decision just because fall maintenance feels tiring. Start by identifying what needs attention and arranging help for the jobs you can no longer comfortably manage.

And yes, if outdoor holiday decorations are part of your tradition, arrange to put them up on a mild day—before it’s so cold that you freeze your fingers! That might be a good job to share with family or hire someone to do.

Over time, notice whether the support you’ve arranged is working. Does your home feel manageable again, or are the responsibilities still weighing on you?

A Conversation Can Help You Explore the Options

As a Seniors Real Estate Specialist® serving Ottawa, Orléans, Cumberland and surrounding communities, I help people consider how their housing choices fit their circumstances.

That can include discussing a more manageable home, understanding the practical differences between properties, or connecting you with professionals who may help you maintain your current home.

You don’t need to have decided to move before we talk.

If seasonal maintenance is becoming difficult, let’s have a no-obligation conversation about your options and what would make life easier for you.

Book your no-obligation conversation Here

Fall in Ottawa gives us some beautiful days, but it also gives us a fairly short window to get our homes ready for winter.

Whether you’re in Orléans, Cumberland or elsewhere in the Ottawa area, a little preparation now can help prevent unpleasant surprises when the temperature drops. Most of these jobs are also much more comfortable to tackle before you’re wearing a winter coat and trying to work with frozen fingers!

Here are the things I suggest checking before winter arrives.

Start With a Walk Around Your Home

Take a slow walk around the outside of your property. Look for anything that has changed, become loose or needs attention.

Check siding, exterior trim, steps, railings and the areas around windows and doors. Watch for gaps, damaged caulking and places where water could enter.

Look at your roof from the ground for missing or damaged shingles. If something doesn’t look right, have a roofing professional take a closer look. You don’t need to climb onto the roof yourself to identify a possible concern. If you haven’t had your roof checked from above in the last couple of years, find a service who can take drone images to check for issues around flashings, vent pipes, chimneys and shingles.

It’s easier to arrange repairs before snow and ice make access difficult.

Clear the Eavestroughs and Check the Downspouts

Once the leaves have fallen, make sure your eavestroughs and downspouts are clear. Leaves and other debris can interfere with drainage.

Check for loose sections, leaks and downspouts that have become disconnected. Make sure water drains away from the foundation and doesn’t discharge onto a walkway where it could freeze.

The Government of Canada recommends checking eavestroughs and downspouts in both fall and spring. If the job involves working at a height, consider hiring someone with the equipment and experience to do it safely.

Put the Outdoor Water Systems to Bed

Disconnect garden hoses, drain them and put them away before freezing weather arrives.

Prepare outdoor faucets according to their design. Where there is a dedicated indoor shut-off, shut off and drain the outdoor line as appropriate. Frost-free faucets also need their hoses disconnected so they can drain properly. If you’re unsure how your system works, ask a plumber.

Have irrigation systems winterized, and empty rain barrels before temperatures drop below freezing. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for storage. 

Give Your Heating System Some Attention

Don’t wait for the first very cold morning to discover that your heating system needs service.

Arrange a professional checkup for your furnace, boiler or heat pump. Check the filter and clean or replace it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Keep heating vents clear of furniture, rugs and boxes. Check that outdoor intake and exhaust openings are unobstructed, and keep them clear of snow throughout winter.

Natural Resources Canada recommends scheduling heating-system maintenance in the fall, before the system is working through the colder months.

If you use a wood-burning fireplace or stove, arrange any needed inspection and chimney cleaning before lighting the first fire.

Check Windows, Doors and Drafts

A small draft in October can become a much less pleasant draft in January.

Check weatherstripping around exterior doors, including the door between your home and an attached garage. Look for gaps around windows and inspect door sweeps.

Repair or replace worn materials where needed. Follow product instructions, including the temperature requirements for applying exterior caulking.

Avoid sealing intentional ventilation openings. The goal is to address unwanted drafts while keeping the home’s ventilation working properly.

Test Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Fall maintenance is a good reminder to check your alarms, although testing should be part of your routine throughout the year.

Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly. Check their age and replace batteries or the entire alarm as directed by the manufacturer. The City of Ottawa recommends monthly testing of both types. 

Make sure everyone in your household knows what to do if an alarm sounds.

Get Entrances and Snow Equipment Ready

Before the snow arrives, check your steps, walkways and handrails. Address loose railings, uneven surfaces and other problems that could become harder to see under snow.

Make sure entrance lights work and your house number is visible.

Bring shovels and suitable ice-control products somewhere easy to reach. If you have a snowblower, have it serviced and check it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you hire someone for snow removal, confirm the arrangements now—including which areas they will clear.

Store Outdoor Furniture and Protect Your Equipment

Clean and dry patio furniture, cushions and garden tools before storing them. Secure anything that could blow around in strong winds.

Prepare lawn equipment, barbecues and other seasonal items according to their manufacturers’ instructions.

Check the guidance for your outdoor air-conditioning equipment before covering it. An outdoor heat-pump unit that operates in winter must remain uncovered and clear of obstructions.

Put Up Holiday Decorations Before You Freeze Your Fingers

This one may not be traditional home maintenance, but it belongs on the fall list!

If you put up outdoor holiday lights or decorations, take advantage of a mild, dry day to install them. You can leave them switched off until you’re ready to celebrate.

It’s much easier to handle clips, cords and decorations before it’s so cold that you freeze your fingers.

Check lights and cords for damage before using them. Choose products rated for outdoor use, follow their instructions and keep cords out of walking paths. Use appropriate outdoor electrical protection, avoid overloading outlets, and stay well clear of overhead power lines.

Hydro Ottawa also recommends turning decorative lights off when you leave home or go to bed. 

Make a List You Can Manage

You don’t have to do everything in one weekend.

Start with the jobs that need to happen before freezing temperatures: outdoor plumbing, drainage, heating maintenance and any necessary repairs. Then work through the remaining items as weather and time allow.

If some jobs have become difficult to manage, arranging help is a practical part of looking after your home.

Whether you’re staying put or considering a move, regular maintenance helps keep your home comfortable and cared for. If you’re thinking about buying or selling in Orléans, Cumberland or the surrounding Ottawa area, I’m always happy to have a conversation about your plans.

Book your no-obligation conversation Here

If you were watching Ottawa’s housing market in September, you may have noticed more homes coming up for sale. The latest figures help explain why.

After a sharp slowdown in August, home sales edged slightly higher in September. That was encouraging, particularly because sales usually decline between those two months.

But there is another part of the story: new listings increased much faster than sales did.

So, while activity steadied, buyers had more properties to choose from, and sellers faced more competition. September gave us a pause in the decline—not enough evidence, on its own, to call it a rebound.

Let’s look at what happened and what it could mean if you are thinking about buying or selling.

Sales Were Steady, Rather Than Strong

Ottawa recorded 1,010 home sales in September, compared with 1,002 in August. That is an increase of 0.8%, although sales were still 6.6% lower than in September 2025.

Eight additional sales may not sound like much. What makes the result interesting is the seasonal pattern. Only one of the previous ten August-to-September periods saw sales increase. The typical change, measured by the median, was a decline of 5.9%.

However, we also need to remember where September started. Sales had fallen approximately 24% from July to August. A small increase after that drop means activity stabilized at a lower level; it does not mean the earlier slowdown was reversed.

Looking at July through September together, sales were down 8.2% compared with the same period last year, making it the third-lowest summer total since 2016.

It was a quieter summer overall, with a less predictable month-to-month pattern than we usually see.

More Homes Came Onto the Market

This was the bigger change in September.

There were 2,927 new listings, up 38.1% from August and 3.0% from September 2025.

An increase in listings is normal when the fall market begins. People return from holidays, routines settle down and some homeowners move ahead with selling plans. But this year’s increase was much larger than the usual seasonal rise. Over the previous ten years, the median August-to-September increase was 12.9%.

By the end of September, Ottawa had 4,813 active listings—up 7.1% from August and 7.9% from a year earlier. That was the second-highest September level since 2016.

For buyers, that means more options. For sellers, it means more homes competing for buyers’ attention.

Why the Gap Between Listings and Sales Matters

In last month’s update, one of the things to watch was whether homes were coming onto the market faster than buyers were purchasing them.

That gap widened in September.

Across July, August and September, new listings reached their highest three-month total since 2016, while sales recorded their third-lowest total for that period.

Think of a buyer looking at several similar homes. When more properties become available, that buyer has more opportunities to compare condition, location, layout and price. A home that might previously have faced only a few close competitors may now need to stand out among a larger selection.

That can give buyers more negotiating room, although the situation still depends on the particular property and the competition around it.

Prices Presented a Mixed Picture

The average residential sale price was $685,640, down 1.0% from September 2025 and nearly unchanged from August.

The median sale price was $625,000, down 0.8% from a year earlier and slightly higher than in August.

Those figures suggest that overall sale prices did not change dramatically. In fact, the average price stayed within a range of less than 1% from July through September.

However, the MLS® Home Price Index declined more noticeably. This measure helps account for changes in the mix of homes selling, providing a different view from the average or median.

Together, the figures point to relatively stable headline prices, with some underlying price softness. They do not tell us that every Ottawa home gained or lost the same amount of value.

Property Type and Location Still Matter

Sales were lower than a year earlier across the three major property categories:

• Single-family homes: 535 sales, down 4.6%.

• Townhouses: 329 sales, down 3.5%.

• Apartments: 121 sales, down 24.8%.

Apartments accounted for more than half of the net year-over-year decrease in citywide sales.

Location also made a difference. OREB President Tami Eades noted that suburban areas accounted for nearly three-quarters of September sales, while downtown and rural areas experienced more volatility and a wider gap between new listings and sales.

That is why I would not use the Ottawa-wide result alone to decide what your home is worth or how you should approach a purchase. We need to look at your neighbourhood, property type, price range and the homes buyers are comparing with yours.

What Does This Mean for Buyers?

If you are ready to buy, the larger selection may give you more opportunities to find a home that fits your needs.

You may also have more room to discuss price, conditions or timing. But having more choice does not mean every seller will accept a large discount, or that a well-positioned home will sit unsold.

Start with your budget, financing and priorities. Then compare the actual properties available to you. The goal is to make a sound decision about a home you can comfortably afford and enjoy living in.

What Does This Mean for Sellers?

Your home can still sell, but preparation and positioning deserve careful attention.

With more competing listings, buyers have more reasons to move on if the price does not match what they see. Cleanliness, lighting, presentation, professional marketing and reasonable showing access all help buyers understand what your property offers.

Pricing should reflect current comparable sales and active competition. Once listed, showing activity and buyer feedback can help us assess whether the strategy is working.

What Should We Watch Next?

New listings declined in both October and November in each of the previous ten years. The coming months will show whether September’s increase eases with the usual seasonal pattern or leaves inventory elevated for longer.

For now, September’s message is fairly straightforward: sales steadied, supply increased, and conditions shifted further toward buyers.

If you are thinking about buying, selling, downsizing or rightsizing in Orléans, Cumberland or elsewhere in Ottawa, let’s look at how these conditions apply to your plans. A citywide headline is useful background, but your next step should be based on your circumstances.

Book your no-obligation consultation. Call 613-853-5807, email steve@stevesicard.ca, 

Market information based on the September 2026 Ottawa Real Estate Board figures supplied for this article.