Buying a home is an exciting venture, but it's also a decision that requires careful consideration. Before starting it’s vital to be well-prepared, so here are 10 tips to guide you through the home buying process, ensuring that you make informed choices and find the perfect place to call your own.
First impressions count, especially if you are looking to sell your home. We know buyers are guided by emotions, and so much of this can be influenced by what they see before they’ve even stepped foot in your property. Because the exterior of your property is the first thing anyone will notice about your home, it’s important to take the time to showcase your property in the best light!
But curb appeal isn’t just about selling your property — it’s a long term investment that can make a property a more enjoyable place to live, as well as raising the value and appeal of your neighbourhood. It can also often be an inexpensive and relatively simple cosmetic makeover that still has a marked effect on the look and feel of a property, ensuring you create a meaningful and lasting first impression on visitors and prospective buyers.
For homeowners there are an array of costs and fees that go beyond the initial cost of purchase, including maintenance, repair, and renovation. But in this post, we’re going to focus on the administrative costs of the various federal, provincial, and municipal taxes you will need to be aware of.
This is especially true for first time buyers who may not know what even needs to be considered, and having a handle on the closing costs and taxes, as well as future fees, will help you make an informed and knowledgeable decision about your future. To help you out, here is an overview of the relevant taxes prospective BC homeowners should be aware of.
Being able to provide knowledgeable and effective real estate advice to our clients is a key part of the service we provide, and in order to do that, we need to have an understanding of a wide variety of factors, including market trends and outlooks for the region.
However, it’s not just professionals that can benefit from that knowledge. For homeowners and prospective buyers, knowing what’s happening can help you make informed choices, and guide your decision making process.
With that in mind, here’s why buying and selling at the right time is so important, and what the market conditions in Victoria are telling us about whether now is the right time for you to make your move.
When it comes to figuring out your next move, location will undoubtedly be at the top of your criteria. This doesn’t just mean the neighbourhood you choose, but the area as a whole that you want to live in as well.
And there can be few cities that can match Victoria in terms of scenery, culture, amenities, and quality of life. If you’re on the fence about moving, don’t worry — here’s our mini guide to what you need to know about living in Victoria, and advice for what to keep in mind when making your move to this fantastic city.
Pricing your home to sell is an essential part of budgeting and planning for your next move, and there are several factors that go into the final number. For homeowners it can sometimes be a little difficult to parse the number they’re offered by appraisers and real estate experts, but with a little research and understanding, you can have a better idea of what the market value range for your home truly is.
Something that’s unique to BC homeowners is the BC assessment, which provides an estimated value for your home. In this blog we are going to to explain a little more about that, and its limitations, as well as providing you with advice on how to understand the true market value for your home, and what to do afterwards should you receive multiple offers.
When it comes to property timing is everything, not just in terms of the market, or picking the right time for you to make your move, but in terms of making sure you have the easiest transition possible between your old and new homes.
One of the most important decisions any homeowner has to make is whether they want to sell their old home before or after purchasing their new one.
Truthfully there is no one right or wrong answer, it’s a matter of understanding your situation, and finding the right path for you. Which is why we’ve laid out some of the benefits and drawbacks of each approach when it comes to whether you should buy or sell first when moving to a new home.
When choosing the type of property you want to purchase, you’ll be bombarded with many different choices. You need to consider a variety of factors, such as the size of the property, features like if you want your own yard or if a management company handles any of the outdoor/community upkeep, and the types of financing available to purchase the property.
With the increase in buildings being constructed, there is a varied choice of whether to purchase a house or a condo. Note that this blog is talking about a condo, and not an apartment, as technically an apartment is a rental unit, whereas while a condo exists in a building with other units, it is individually owned.
It’s not just the technical label, but there are lots of other technical and practical aspects to deciding between a house and a condo, which will be discussed here.
Even in these uncertain times there remains, as the famous aphorism goes, only two certainties; death and taxes. Today, thankfully, we’re going to be looking at the latter!
Now that the dust has settled on your 2020 taxes, it’s somehow already time to start looking to 2021. We couldn’t possibly cover everything you need to know about taxes in one blog, but we are going to cover some of the things that can help make paying your taxes easier, as well as the various tax relief programs you could be eligible for.
In the wake of Covid-19 many investors were left wondering about the future of the short-term rental market, with expected downturns as people isolated at home. However, that prognosis is slowly shifting.
As domestic tourism is set to become even more popular, the short-term rental market is set to bounce back in a big way. With that in mind, here’s a guide to what you need to know about short-term rental investment in Victoria.
