Real Estate Blog - homebuyers

How Much Does It Cost To Buy A House [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Market Update

MLS® home sales in Newfoundland and Labrador post third best monthly total ever in July, overall inventory remains stable

The number of homes sold through the MLS® System of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of REALTORS® totaled 703 units in July 2022, declining 11.9% from July 2021.

Home sales were 17.9% above the five-year average and 30.8% above the 10-year average for the month of July.

On a year-to-date basis, home sales totaled 3,563 units over the first seven months of the year. This was virtually unchanged from the same period in 2021, moving only 0.1% (five sales).

Residential activity in St. John’s was down by 10.9% on a year-over-year basis in July, while activity…

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What Does a Buyer’s Market Mean for Sellers?

Things are changing in Canada’s real estate landscape. 

After a scorching year for real estate in 2021—a time when home prices smashed records and sales volume rose above the norm—there appears to be a slowdown in the marketplace.  

According to the latest numbers from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), home sales recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems dropped 5.6% between May and June 2022. Sales were down in three-quarters of all local markets, led by Canada’s biggest cities – the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Greater Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Hamilton, and Burlington to name a few.

The shift in the marketplace from a hot seller’s market to a balanced or more buyer-friendly one can feel uncertain, especially for people…

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Canadian Real Estate Trends: Putting the Headlines into Context

We’ve all heard the hype: Canadian real estate is facing the deepest market correction in the last 40 years. But this isn’t the first time that experts have forecast corrections or crashes, none of which have materialized in recent history. So, let’s read between the headlines and examine some facts.

“Canadian real estate prices are dropping.”

More accurately, prices are plateauing from the meteoric rise we experienced throughout 2021 and in early 2022. According to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), the MLS Home Price Index edged down 1.7 per cent month-over-month in July, but it was still up 10.9 per cent year-over-year. While we have seen some easing in prices, the sky is nowhere near falling. In fact, there…

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A Beginner’s Guide to Flipping a House

The Canadian government has set its sights on the house-flipping industry to cool housing prices. Ottawa held that slapping an anti-flipping tax would help bring down home valuations, allowing a greater number of prospective homebuyers to purchase a property. Indeed, flipping a house in the Canadian real estate market can be wealth-generator for individuals and corporations, under the right market conditions. But how can you take advantage of such opportunities?

We have compiled a guide of the best tips to keep in mind.

A Beginner’s Guide to Flipping a House

#1 Do the Math

When flipping a house, some people think it’s merely about the market value. However, several other financial factors are critical to remember.

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How To Make an Offer in Cooling Canadian Housing Market

Has the pendulum in the Canadian housing market tilted toward homebuyers? This is the current debate unfolding among market analysts, real estate agents, homebuyers and sellers.

The research arm of Goldman Sachs recently dropped a bombshell of a forecast: Canadian real estate will witness the sharpest drop in the global economic downturn.

“The pandemic-induced housing boom appears to be cooling off,” the Wall Street titan wrote. “From Toronto to Auckland, a slowdown in the housing market is underway as interest rates in developed economies are set to climb rapidly.”

Indeed, it is a reasonable conversation to have after seeing some of the latest numbers being reported in the Canadian housing market, as the central…

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What Are the Monthly Expenses of Carrying a Home?

When prospective homebuyers are exploring the Canadian real estate market and searching for a residential property, many typically only concentrate on the sale price, monthly mortgage payments and interest rates. But this doesn’t tell the whole story. To get a more-accurate picture, and create a realistic budget, homebuyers should find out what are the monthly expenses of carrying a home.

In recent weeks, many reports have surfaced suggesting that some buyers regret their decision to buy at the height of the market, which peaked during the pandemic. While the primary concern is that housing prices have started to come down and borrowing costs have begun climbing, potentially eating away at equity, families are also worried…

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What to Consider When Buying a Home in the Summer

Summer is a great time to buy a home. Plants and flowers are at the height of their bloom, upping a home’s curb appeal, and the sunshine makes every property look warm and inviting. 

But let’s not forget we live in Canada and the beautiful summer weather you might experience when you first visit a home won’t last year-round. 

When visiting potential homes during the summer, be sure to keep an eye out for issues that could become problematic in the winter, as some might be easy to fix, while others may not. 

If you’re planning on taking advantage of the summer real estate market, here are some things to consider.

Benefits of buying in the summer

Aman Singh, a REALTOR® and salesperson with RE/MAX…

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10 Most Affordable Places to Buy in Canada (2022)

Despite recent cooling in Canadian real estate markets due to rising interest rates, the fact remains that housing prices are still hovering at a high, relatively speaking. Add to this the record-high inflation rate, which reached 8.1 per cent in June, up from 7.7 per cent in May, and there’s no arguing that housing affordability in Canada has taken a big hit. While this is particularly true in major markets such as Toronto and Vancouver, as well as their suburbs, there’s still affordable housing to be found in Canada – and Canadians are willing to relocate to find it.

RE/MAX Canada’s 2022 Housing Affordability Report analyzed 24 major housing markets across the country (for Quebec market insights, please visit RE/MAX…

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Property Taxes: What to Expect

In Canada, everyone has an opinion about property taxes. Whether city dwellers or rural folk, each side will argue that the other is not paying enough in property taxes, making for a heated and spirited discussion about levies on the residence you worked hard to purchase.

That said, aside from discussions over what the property tax rate should be, this is an important subject since many prospective homebuyers do not consider their annual tax bill as part of their ongoing expenses, whether they own a condominium or a single-family home, which could hurt their wallets in the future.

Planning for annual property tax payments is just as important as researching the rate on your mortgage or determining what your closing costs…

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