Buying your first home may end up being the biggest purchase of your life. It’s not the same as going into a store and buying groceries or an appliance. There are a lot of things to consider.
There are many steps involved in purchasing a home. You may want to consider using the services of an experienced real estate agent. Although real estate agents often come with a hefty bill, their experience can help you get through the process smoothly, especially if you’ve never purchased a home before.
The first step of purchasing a house is the offer. Unlike buying goods, when you buy real estate, an offer must be completed in writing. The offer will include important dates like the date that the deal will close, and the date to waive your conditions by. It also includes other important information about your purchase like what chattels you are offering to purchase with the house (ie. appliances, etc.) and what units in the house are rented as opposed to owned. Your offer will also include conditions you’ll be required to fulfill before your offer is firm. Common examples include obtaining a mortgage, a satisfactory home inspection, and obtaining insurance. Your agent will likely also include a vendor disclosure statement which allows you to see any issues the current owners have had relating to the property.
If you decide not to use the services of an agent, it is highly recommended that you have a real estate lawyer draft your offer, and review it with you, prior to presenting it to a vendor.
Once your offer is accepted, we will get to work on your file, ensuring that you won’t have any problems with the title of your property once it’s yours.
There are a lot of expenses associated with buying a house. Often times people don’t realize all of the costs associated with a purchase. It’s important for you to ensure that you all of the necessary funds to complete your purchase. Take the following into consideration:
Your mortgage likely won’t cover the entire purchase price. Do you have enough to cover the rest? Your financial institution may require you to pay out other outstanding debts before they finance you.
Your legal fees, HST, and disbursements will be additional to the price of your home
Land Transfer Tax. If you are a first time home buyer, you may be exempt for a portion, or all of your land transfer tax depending on your purchase price.
Buying your first home should be an exciting time, but make sure you’re well prepared to avoid problems!
de Bakker and de Bakker are available to help you on your home purchase! Call them today.
