Thoughts & Happenings

No matter where you are in Canada, recent fluctuations in oil prices do have a profound effect on your property’s value as we’ve blogged about earlier this year. Find out how and more about this topic by reading on below.

Buying a luxury vacation home is a huge investment. Yes, you may not spend a lot of time at your luxury vacation home and may only be buying one for a summer time or a wintertime getaway; but, just like buying any type of property, you should consider it as a form of investment.

To assist you in getting that perfect getaway, read on the following top 8 things to consider when buying a vacation home.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, a couple selling their luxury home was completely flummoxed (their word, not ours) that they couldn’t sell their home. Fantastic location, an on-premises tennis court, a veritable monument to luxury - but they just couldn’t sell.

Selling Oakville real estate in summer is easy – but when it comes to winter it’s a different kind of problem. You can’t turn on the air conditioner and put out flowers in your flower pots; you’ll find that there are different kinds of buyers on the lookout and you’ll have much different conditions to deal with. Brown and muddy lawns aren’t helpful, and neither is half the property being buried under snow… but there is a way to do it! Here we’re going to go over a few tips to sell your home in winter and to get those bids as high as possible, so let’s get started.

When someone looks at your listing you have 15 seconds to give them a great impression. That means your description has to be just so, you have to have the right pictures and you have to know JUST how to draw them in… but how do you DO that?

Lenders can and will monitor your purchases until closing – it’s important to make each purchase count! The last thing you want is to go on a spending spree to furnish your home right before you close; the lender will wonder why you’re putting a $5k 3DTV on a credit card. When it comes down to it, you’re just going to want to err on the side of caution in the days leading up to buying a home. Even if you are going mostly with cash when you’re buying a home, just be careful. When you’re buying or refinancing a home your lender is going to keep an eye on things until closing.

When you’re looking at luxury homes, the heart may rule the head – but the best way to make sure you get the right house is to research, research, research. You’ll want to walk around the neighbourhood on foot to make sure you talk with the neighbours and know that this is a great place to live. Know how much you can afford realistically, versus how much you can qualify for on your next mortgage. Working with the right realtor (us!) will help you make the most of your experience and making sure you can get title insurance is a must! Let’s get started and see what other ways can help you avoid buying the wrong house.

When it comes to mortgage loan renewals, most Canadians are getting the sharp end of the stick. A recent RBC study showed that most Canadians aren’t able to get a good deal when they try to renew – if anything, they actually end up paying more. While we’re raised to believe that loyalty pays, you may be surprised at how much work you’re going to have to do to make sure you’re getting the best rate. Remember: always get preapproved for your mortgage BEFORE you start looking at Oakville luxury real estate for sale.

If you and your partner haven’t taken the plunge just yet but you want to buy a home, you’re in luck! You’ll still be able to buy a home, you’ll just need to be smart about it. Like buying a home on your own you’ll both need to be able to prove your income and assets, you’ll want to work with an attorney or real estate lawyer and you’ll need to plan for the worst.

And cents? You need to know that you’re getting something that really does help you when you buy a home, but you may not know what they cover. The internet is littered with stories of people that chose to avoid spending the money only to have a severe issue within the first couple years of owning an older home. It can cover everything from the electrical wiring of the home, HVAC and even your appliances. Here we’ll talk about what value they provide and who they work for best, so let’s get started!