Real Estate Blog - homebuyers

Tips for Helping Buyers Navigate New Home Construction

For any real estate professional whose clients are looking to purchase any type of new home construction, heed this golden rule, says Toronto broker and REALTOR® Janice Fox: Do your research.

Whether your clients are seeking to buy into a new house already built, a semicustom home as part of a development or a pure custom home built to their personal specifications, you’ll want to help them create a schedule that allows pertinent questions to be asked in advance for the builder and throughout the build process.

While new builds tend to be designed with modern living in mind, have the latest in technology and plumbing, electrical and efficiency systems, you want to steer your clients to reputable builders and include references from people who have…

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Canadian Housing Market Starts 2022 Hotter Than Ever

Photo by Darren Richardson on Unsplash

The Canadian housing market ended 2021 on a high note. How has it been performing a month into 2022?

Canada’s sizzling housing sector has been resilient throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the economic downturn and global health crisis, Canadian real estate markets from coast to coast have enjoyed unprecedented growth in sales activity and home valuations alike. What’s more, the gravity-defying growth has been consistent across virtually every segment of the market, with urban condominiums bouncing back after experiencing a lull in 2020, to the spike in single-detached activity in suburban and rural communities.

The key question for many market analysts, as well as homebuyers and sellers,…

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What Happens at a House Showing?

What happens at a house showing? This important question has historically been eclipsed by others like, “How much should we list for?” and “How long will it take to sell?” However, COVID-19 has home many sellers considering showings from a different perspective, with extra attention paid to safety, convenience and current best-practices (think technology). Here’s what home sellers can expect when they’re showing their home, and how they can maximize this opportunity to yield higher offers and quicker sale.

Showings versus Open Houses

Showings and open houses are different. As the name suggests, an “open house” is when the seller opens their door to anyone who wants to pop in for a closer look. This method of showing a…

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Home Renovations That Buyers Want, According to Agents

What are the home renovations that buyers want to see on the market? It’s a great question, and one you’ve likely pored over if you’re preparing to list your home for sale in the near future, or you’re embarking on a renovation with a thought to long-term resale value. According to the 2021 RE/MAX Renovation Investment Report, more than half of Canadians underwent a home renovation for personal/non-ROI purposes, with 29% choosing to renovate for non-essential “lifestyle” reasons, such as recreation-inspired projects. Despite the trend of renovating for personal use and enjoyment, 59% of Canadians said they always consider the return on investment that a renovation will have on their home’s overall market value, so while there…

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Canada Saw The Most Homes Delivered Since The 1970s, Possibly Outpacing Households

It might not seem like it, but Canadian real estate is in the middle of one of the most significant supply booms ever. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) data show 2021 housing starts made a big jump. More importantly, the surge of new home construction is beginning to reach the market. New home completions have hit one of the highest levels ever. One Big Six bank even sees it breaking the 1970s high this year.

Canadian New Home Starts Were Up 21% In 2021

Canadian housing starts fell recently, but they’re still much higher than they used to be. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of starts hit 261,000 homes in December. It was down from the SAAR of 268,000 units a month before. Even with that drop, this is much…

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Recipe for homebuying

Buying a home is a big undertaking, and all aspects should be carefully considered before looking to buy. Not only do you want to find your dream home, but you want to do it within a reasonable budget. In hopes of staying within that budget, you may decide to cut some corners by carefully analyzing the things you want over the things you need.

In making these decisions, you may decide to skip using a Buyer’s Agent. Is this a good decision? No. Here’s why:

• It’s free! The cost of using a Buyer’s Agent is covered by the seller out of the sale of their home. This means that choosing to use an agent will not only make your home buying journey much easier, but it won’t add a single penny to your budget.
• A Buyer’s Representation Agreement is what…

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Gen Z adults divided on possibility of owning single-family homes

Photo: Spiroview Inc. / Adobe Stock

Canada’s youngest generation of potential homebuyers say they are pretty optimistic about owning a home at some point in their life, but others have moved on from the prospects of ever possessing a single-family property.

According to a new report released today by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, 75 per cent of Generation Z urban adults (those born between 1993 and 2011) are likely to buy and own a primary residence in their lifetime. A little under half (49 per cent) of respondents said that they “very likely” to do so, with 11 per cent stating that they already own a home.

The report, which was conducted by Mustel Group, surveyed 1,502 Gen Z Canadians who are located in the Vancouver, Calgary,…

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Homebuyers – Be prepared!

Homebuying is a journey that starts well before buyers need an agent. Homebuyers can better prepare themselves. ????

Contact a RE/MAX Infinity Agent today to start your own home buying experience!

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2021 Budget Won’t Fix Canadian Real Estate Affordability

The 2021 Budget won’t make Canadian real estate more affordable for homebuyers, but consumers have dodged a policy “bullet” after much speculation around changes to the capital gains tax exemption, or other measures aimed at cooling the hot Canadian housing market.

The Federal Government has introduced the following budget items related to housing:

• $2.5 billion to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation over seven years, to fund the Rapid Housing Initiative, Affordable Housing Innovation Fund, Canada Housing Benefit and Federal Community Housing Initiative
• $1.3 billion, advanced and reallocated to previously announced funding to build and repair units and convert commercial space into rentals
• $3.8 billion to build, repair and support…

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