Buyer Tips
Preparing To Buy
Planning Your Finance
Viewing Homes
Making An Offer
Closing The Purchase
Make sure you’re ready
- Decide if the timing is right
- Be prepared to make sacrifices
- Remember your home will require constant care
- Have your finances in order
- Manage your debt
- Consider your family’s future needs
Decide what you want
- Carefully consider the options available
- Prioritize your lifestyle needs to find the best property fit
- Urban – big city living
- Suburban – modern neighbourhoods
- Small Town – close community living
- Rural – country living
- Learn and understand real estate terms
- Single-family Detached – free standing house; styles range from a single-story suburban bungalow to a three-story Victorian
- Semi-detached/Linked - two houses that share a common wall; usually less money than a fully detached home
- Town House - comprised of several homes with a common style and joined in a row
- Condo – you own 100% of the unit and have access to common facilities such as gym rooms, party rooms, and pools. Have to pay condo fees for the building's overall maintenance.
- Resale – an older home that may or may not have been renovated and upgraded
- New – a home being developed and built where you will be the first owner
Sell your current home
- Usually people cannot afford to manage two homes and the associated mortgage payments at the same time
When should you sell?
- Seller's market – when there are many people looking for homes, but there are not many available on the market
- Buyer's market – when there are many homes for sale, but not many people are buying them
- The time of year can also affect how quickly you can sell and buy a property
- Winter sales tend to be slower, spring sales are tend to be quicker
If you need to sell fast
Ask a REALTOR® for help establishing a price and for making your home look attractive without making you look desperate.
- Sometimes you can time your current home's sale with the future home's purchase
- Can make the sale of your home "conditional"
- Can try to extend the "closing period" to have more time to find your next home
- Smart to enlist a REALTOR® for professional services, just like you would hire a mechanic or dentist
