The Jody McDonnell Team

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Porch Repair 101: How To Save $25,000
posted by Allyson Scott I think we can all agree that the 1980s were a time of questionable design choices, but this one is particularly confusing: who would choose a fleshy, salmon-coloured coating for their front porch?! It already had a bit of damage when we bought the house more than a decade ag ...
Yew Gotta Be Kidding Me
posted by Allyson Scott I hadn’t realized the yew hedge at the front of the house was winning the battle. For nearly 13 years I’d tried to tame its growth spurts, and yet somehow it was still taller, wider, and just generally bushier than ever before. (more…)
Spring Fever
posted by Allyson Scott Each spring as the grass begins to turn green and fill in, our dogs make a beeline for the closest access point and burn it to a crisp when they go out to pee. We would fence it off, seed it, sometimes sod it, and rotate the “pee-free zones” in the yard to battle ...
The Late Bloomer
It was September 24th, all of my caterpillars were safely in their chrysalides, and it was time to clean up my messy patch of milkweed. As I chopped down the yellowing, aphid-infested plants, I was utterly shocked to see a last monarch straggler crawling up one of the stakes. (more…)
Cottage Country Challenges
posted by Allyson Scott I recently received a phone call from a close friend asking for some real estate advice, and the excitement in her voice was palpable. “I think we’ve found our dream property…but you’re going to think we’re crazy!” she laughed. She and her ...
Jenn & Mark: A Piece of Heaven in Haliburton
posted by Allyson Scott In early August, our friends Jenn and Mark contacted us to ask if we could help their family with exploring a cottage purchase, most likely in the Haliburton area. Our answer was absolutely! Realtors are licensed provincially, and our team regularly helps our clients buy and ...
Happy Trails
posted by Allyson Scott – all photographs courtesy of and copyright © Alex Armstrong Our friend Alex was taking a walk on the Qplex trail in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, when she spotted a colourful rock. Further along, she spotted another…and then another. (more…)
How Does Your Listing Look?
As a buyer, a new home is one of the biggest purchases you’ll make in your life. As a seller, your home is likely your largest asset. Recent reports put the statistic for online house-hunting at around 80%, meaning many buyers are deciding whether they are interested in a property just by look ...
Expect The Unexpected
When we bought our house, the back yard was as blank a slate as it could be. We had dreams & good intentions, but a cascading list of challenges (financial and logistical), plus a set of hard-partying neighbours just made us want to stay indoors. Over time we took some baby steps: a hand-built r ...
City Snapshot #1: Dovercourt
posted by Allyson Scott Over the last several years, a lack of inventory in many Toronto areas has pushed some house hunters to reconsider their choice of neighbourhoods, as “affordable housing” (always a subjective term) became unattainable. The low supply and high demand has required i ...