Buyer Info

Buyer Info

Buying a home is beginning of an exciting adventure and for most buyers it is the biggest financial investment of their lives. Yet a great number of people follow emotional impulses to the exclusion of sound thinking when they make an offer on a property they want to buy. Very often they regret their lack of good sense. Don't fall into that trap, instead set a game plan for yourself and follow it. Treat finding a home as you would any serious business endeavor and avoid the avoidable.

Since choosing a right property to buy starts with needs and desires and finishes with a sizable portion of your earnings used for paying for it, it's important to ensure that the property you choose both meets your needs and is a good "fit" with your financial situation.

Our goal is to assist you in finding the information you need to make an informed decision before making any big commitment. This page will help bring into balance some of the many factors to consider when deciding how best to meet your needs through home ownership.

Buying a home is not a quick process, there is time, energy and patience that is required to buy a property. Compare your housing needs with your housing wants and keep in mind that buying a home always involves compromises; the perfect home does not exist. It is good to know what compromises your family can accept before you start house hunting.

Important Steps to Take:

  • Prepare Yourself: - Before you begin taking steps toward making your purchase, looking for a property, a mortgage lender, etc., take some time and prepare yourself. Take note of the principal elements to consider so that you will be confident and well prepared as you go through this stage of your life.

  • Review Your General Financial State: - Use net worth calculation as basic method of determining your general financial situation. Use monthly expense estimate to find out impacts on the maximum affordability.

  • Determine What You Can Afford: - Knowing up-front what you can afford will help you save time, money and frustrations later. Use calculator to find out how much you can afford to pay. Calculators provided on this site are helpful tools meant only as a help to provide general guideline for the user and should not be relied upon in connection with any particular transaction or situation.

  • Know Your Housing Needs & Wants: - Make sure that home you plan to buy is going to fulfil most of your housing needs. Good home should also satisfy many of your housing wants. Your new home should be afordable, well located, have good resale potential and should be structuraly sound. It is good to know your housing needs and wants, and also make sure you know which features are essential and which are negotiable.

There are also some other important factors and information to consider before setting off to find your new home:

Sponsored content:

MORTGAGE INSURANCE

Since mortgage insurance is very often confused with other types of insurance associated with home ownership, on this page we will explain the difference, help you understand it better, and learn more about different options available to you.
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MORTGAGE INFO

Arranging to pay for that property you plan to buy is one of the most important financial decisions you will ever make. Regardless of how certain you are that you will get mortgage, it is always good idea to get pre-approved from the mortgage lender of your choice. Read more...

Know your credit file and score. Your credit score has an enormous impact on your financial picture.
Your credit, income and down payment are 3 main factors that will be considered before you get approved for a mortgage.
One way to help boost your down payment is to borrow money from your RRSP.
Don’t make any big purchases before getting approved for a mortgage.

Real Estate & Related Info

Location

Location is an investment too and can also affect property values and property taxes. More...

Downpayment

Learn how to take advantage of government programs available to first-time home buyers. More...

Inspection

Knowing what to expect will help you make an informed decision about the value and the future upkeep. More...

Closing Cost

Don't forget closing costs; they vary greatly by location and they are also relative to your house price. More...

Moving Tips

Pack a box of items that will be needed first at the new house. Clearly mark this box "Load Last." More...

Glossary

Although not complete, the glossary of real estate terms will help you with some of the more common terms. More...

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