Real Estate Blog - October, 2022

A Look at Financial Help and Incentives for First-Time Homebuyers

Despite recent softening in the housing market, home ownership in Canada is expensive and can be intimidating if you’re a first-timer. Luckily, there’s financial help and incentives for first-time homebuyers, which can help offset the cost of purchasing a new home. You don’t need to feel as if you have to do it all alone – read below to see what incentives are available.

Incentives for First-Time Homebuyers

Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP)

The Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) offers an alternative way of securing funds for a down payment for first-time homebuyers. If you have a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), you may withdraw up to $35,000 from the account to buy or build a qualifying home for yourself or a related person…

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Happy Thanksgiving

RE/MAX Infinity would like to take this opportunity to thank every client, business associate, and Realtor® that helps contribute to our success. 

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart" - Helen Keller

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

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Where You Should (and Shouldn’t) Store Things in Your Home

The changeover to fall and winter is often a little melancholy in Canada as we bid adieu to the fair weather months and hunker down for winter. The storage battle is sometimes a challenge, particularly if you’ve added something like new outdoor furniture,or if you have leftovers from a summer renovation project. 

The garage, basement, and attic are all go-to seasonal storage solutions—we know this. In the crunch to get everything put away, it’s tempting to simply stick it where it fits. That could be, unfortunately, a setup for disappointment. 

The garage, basement, and attic are three distinct environments and the things they store best aren’t always interchangeable. To help you make sure everything in storage survives the winter, check out our…

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What’s Mortgage Pre-Approval? Canadian Real Estate Questions Answered.

To get pre-approved for a mortgage, do I just have to be really nice to the broker?  You have questions about Canadian real estate. Read on for answers.

Though you’re probably that aware posting selfies with the house you’re interested in buying and tallying “likes” has nothing to do with pre-approval. But you may have other questions about the Canadian housing market, mortgages, offer conditions and negotiations and selling. It can all be a little overwhelming, and sometimes you need help.

That’s why RE/MAX Canada decided to hit the streets and talk with Canadians, to see what real estate questions they may need answers to.

How Much do People Really Know About Canadian Real Estate?

How much does the average person…

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Prepping Your Home for a New Puppy

After a long search you’ve finally found the perfect furry friend to bring home. Your world is about to change in the best way as flapping ears, a wagging tail, and a droopy tongue become your new normal. Before bringing home your new puppy or dog, there are important changes to make to ensure your pet is safe and happy in its new space, and that your home doesn’t get completely destroyed!

Flooring

When it comes to floors and dogs, hardwood and carpet both have their pros and cons. Hardwood is good because it’s easy to clean paw marks, accidents, and shedding fur. The downside to hardwood is it can be easily scratched by long nails. Waxing floors often, clipping pet nails, and taking long walks with your puppy can help extend the life of…

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What Reno Gives the Best ROI?

Will the carpet in my bathroom increase or decrease my property value? Let’s just say if you’ve asked that question then you’re in the right place to find out what’s relevant in the current Canadian real estate market, whether you’re browsing, buying, or selling.

RE/MAX® has been around since carpeting in bathrooms (please, no!) was a thing. Our 50 years of experience has taught us a thing or two about Canadian real estate. Don’t worry if you can’t keep up with everything there is to know about home-buying, selling and staging a property. That’s why we’re here – to clarify all your questions. And you can be sure that there are many, many questions.

So, How Much do People Really Know About Canadian Real Estate?

RE/MAX…

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How to Create a Homeowner’s Journal

Once you become a homeowner, you can forget about calling the landlord or superintendent if something breaks—you’re now responsible for maintenance and repairs. Let’s face it: there’s a plethora of tasks and projects to stay on top of to keep your home in top shape, everything from replacing the furnace filter and cleaning your gutters, to testing your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and winterizing your lawn. You also have lots of important paperwork to keep track of, such as warranties and manuals for your household appliances and systems. The best way to stay organized is by creating a homeowner’s journal. Here’s how to get started so you don’t find yourself drowning in random reminder notes.

What is a homeowner’s journal? 

Simply…

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Canadian Housing Market Outlook: Fall 2022

RE/MAX Canada Network expects Canadian housing market prices to decrease 2.2 per cent this fall

• RE/MAX brokers and agents anticipate prices in the Canadian housing market to ease by 2.2 per cent this fall, due to high inflation, rising interest rates and economic uncertainty
• Rising interest rates have prompted 44 per cent of Canadians to temporarily shelf their home-buying aspirations, while 34 per cent say they won’t hold on purchasing a home for the foreseeable future
• Recession worries have impelled 41 per cent of Canadians to wait to purchase/sell their home in fall 2022

Toronto, ON and Kelowna, BC, September 28, 2022 – RE/MAX brokers and agents are anticipating the national average residential sale price in the Canadian housing…

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Canadian Real Estate is Changing: What You Need to Know

The Canadian real estate market is in a state of flux right now.

It is hard to fathom that Canada’s housing sector recorded unprecedented gains a year ago – from tremendous sales activity to enormous price growth – and now the industry is in the middle of a sharp correction. Every market analyst and financial institution has offered a forecast of how much more the country’s real estate market could fall. The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) projects a 25-per-cent decline by the end of next year, while Desjardins economists anticipate a 20-per-cent drop over the next year.

Whatever the case may be, the Canadian real estate market – be it major urban centres or cottage country – is going through an exceptional transition. Nobody…

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What You Need To Know About Underfloor Heating

In ancient Rome, underfloor heating was the height of sophistication—a sign its owner was an individual of high status. When it came to Roman building methods, it was state-of-the-art, cutting edge, something you might have invited the local merchants round to see, with your hypocaust (underground furnace) at full tilt to show you meant business. These were expensive systems to maintain, requiring round-the-clock attention, probably by a small team of attendants, and vast amounts of fuel to drive the furnace. But what about underfloor heating today? Two thousand years later, we’re here to tell you what’s hot and what’s stone cold.

What is underfloor heating?

Let’s start with the basics. Underfloor heating is a method of temperature control, …

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