Real estate is a well known to be competitive. We try to help you be a step ahead of everyone else in selling your home, and investing in another.

When you take out a mortgage on your new home as a first time homebuyer, the more you can pay as a down payment the better. The down payment on a mortgage reduces the principle of the loan and means that you will be paying tens of thousands less in interest payments over the life of the loan.

Most financial experts recommend that you should save up at least 20% of the value of the home as a down payment. Depending on the value of the home that you want to buy, this can be a serious chunk of money. You will need some strategies for saving big. Here are some tips to help you get closer to that down payment:

Make A Separate Savings Account

No matter how much you have already saved for your down payment, create a new savings account to put the money…

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Home sale closing costs can take you by surprise. Here is an estimate of what a buyer or seller can expect in the way of residential closing costs - but always be sure to discuss this with your real estate attorney or mortgage rep.

Closing Costs are fees for final property transfer not included in the price of the property. Typical closing costs include charges for the mortgage loan such as origination fees, discount points, appraisal fee, survey, title insurance, legal fees, real estate professional fees, prepayment of taxes and insurance, and real estate transfer taxes. 

Here are the breakdowns:

A buyer utilizing a loan can expect between 4.5 and 6% of the purchase price depending on the loan amount.

A buyer paying all cash can expect…

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Have you made it your New Year’s resolution to find that perfect home for you and your family? You might have thought that you needed to wait until spring to start house shopping, but the fact is that January is a great time to begin.

House hunting in January offers a number of advantages that will work in your favour. Here are some of the main reasons:

Desperate Seller

If the home is on the market at this time of year, there is a chance that the home sale is somewhat urgent. If they were not desperate, they might pull their home out of the market and wait until spring to try again. With a motivated seller you are more likely to get a better price.

A Dedicated Realtor

Your realtor will have more time on their hands at this time of the year,…

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Interest rates fluctuate frequently, often depending on the news. If you are considering refinancing your home, your loan officer may suggest locking in the interest rate on your loan. There are some valid reasons why this is a good idea including:

Saving Money Over The Long-term

Over the life of a loan, an increase of as little as one-quarter of a percent can cost thousands of extra dollars. Spending a small amount of money now to lock in a rate can save money over the life of the loan. Your loan officer will explain the difference in rate increases initially, over a year and over the life of the loan.

You May Not Qualify At Higher Rates 

Whether you are considering refinancing your property or you are buying a new home, you may discover your…

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Whether you are purchasing a new home or you are considering applying to refinance your home, chances are the lender will require an escrow account. These accounts are often a source of confusion for homeowners. In reality, these accounts benefit the homeowner and help protect the lender.

What Is An Escrow Account?

Escrow accounts are sometimes called "impound" accounts. These accounts are set up to help manage payments of property taxes and homeowner's insurance. Depending on the individual requirements of the lender, you may be asked to pay as much as one-quarter of these upfront and they will be put into the account for the purposes of making payments.

Who Controls Escrow Accounts?

Lenders have complete control over escrow accounts.…

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Selling a home in this economy can be very stressful. This list is a must do to assist in the sale transaction.

The most important thing to remember is "don't spend money." If you need to spend some don't spend a lot and make sure to spend it wisely!

  1. Clean clutter! - Clutter hurts the sale of the home. It make the rooms appear smaller. It is a complete turnoff! Some times people perceive clutter as uncleanliness. Another idea is too have a yard or garage sale. 
  2. If you decide to have a garage sale combine it with an open house. Yes chances are you will have same nosy bargain hunters but you never know. Bargain hunters may have relative or friends that are looking just be certain to have enough help around for obvious security reasons. Don't…

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A recent study of US and UK home buyers, conducted by the London based Nationwide Building Society, found that more than 40% of people buying homes were confused by the jargon that lenders used to describe mortgages. Saying “more than 40%” seems like an understatement.

According to another study, only 31% of homebuyers understood what the term “LTV” meant, an acronym that stands for “loan to value” and describes the ration between the amount of the mortgage and the value of the home. Not only did the survey show that many mortgage borrowers were confused about what the terms meant, but they also were shy about asking for explanations of words that they didn’t understand. It's just like in school when the teacher asks if anyone has questions and no one…

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When you have been researching your different options for a mortgage on your home, you might have heard of an “Interest Only Mortgage”. What exactly does this type of mortgage mean and how does it work?

Usually when you take out a loan, you must pay back the capital debt (the amount you borrowed) and the interest on that debt. An interest-only mortgage offers a cheaper option for purchasing a property, because you will only be making payments on the interest and not the capital. Compared to a repayment style mortgage where you are paying down the principle of the loan, an interest-only mortgage will have much lower monthly payments.

However, when you reach the end of the mortgage term with an interest-only mortgage, you will not have paid off any of…

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What 20 something-year-old isn’t dying for the right opportunity to leave their parents’ home? It is difficult to leave though because you may not have a lot of disposable income, have poor credit and perhaps even student loans.

However, investing in property at a young age can bring you a lot of advantages. When you invest long-term, you will start building your financial independence.

Some might believe that it is impossible for a young person to start investing so early in life, but investing in your 20s is completely possible. You will need a little bit of money to get started, but often you can purchase your first property with as little as 3.5% down.

If you want to get started early, here are some tips that will help you along the way:

    …

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All homes have a lifespan so there is a clear desire to live in a home with renewable energy systems. As advancements in renewable energy systems increase, prices are decreasing which makes it a smart move to invest! 

Go Green!

"Going green" does not only mean turning off the lights when no one's in the room or installing solar panels all over the yard. There is more to becoming eco-friendly.

Green homes are clean homes. Having air filtration and central vac systems will contain two-thirds of dust in homes. You can avoid dirt and dust particles from building up in your home through easy-to-clean surfaces.

Creating a smaller carbon footprint will make a less impact in your wallet long-term. In addition, a few more benefits are: lower…

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