Ready to Buy a Home this Winter? Consider These 5 Things First

Searching for a new home? While you might be dreaming of the perfect household to live in for years to come, there are some things you need to consider right now. Before committing to a purchase, you need to take a few more steps to ensure it’s right for you.

Consider these five things when preparing to buy a home in Vancouver:

Take Time To Find Potential Problems

Whenever you find a property that may become your home, you need to scour it for any potential problems. This might mean visiting the property a few times to see if you smell any mould or odd odours. Check for water damage, dry rot, hollow walls that lack insulation, and signs of vermin. You should also check the appliances to make sure those are operating well and no pests are living inside. Check the plumbing (if the water is on). Look at the state of the HVAC unit. If anything is amiss, then you have a right to say no.

Negotiate As Much As Possible

While you may want to use Vancouver real estate agents to do the negotiating for you, ideally, you want to have a say as well. Know exactly what you want and push hard for it. You should never feel pressured into making a purchase. Rather, you should have complete control of what is happening.

Buy a Home You Can Afford Now, Not Later

Though budgeting for the future of home-ownership in Vancouver is just the beginning, you should focus largely on what you can pay right now, because ensures flexibility later on. Your mortgage should be 28% of your total income. If it’s any more than that, you might have problems later on. Also, keep in mind that in a few years, the circumstances you are dealing with right now might change drastically. Make sure the cost of owning a home doesn’t dampen the other substantial costs that will inevitably come up in the future.

Work With Professionals

Working with top Vancouver realtors, such as those of use from Remax Select Properties, means getting an advantage in this ever-changing Vancouver real estate market. You can have the confidence to ask the questions about buying or renting a home that matters the most.

The other professionals you want to work with are licensed home inspectors who can pinpoint issues you might miss.

Location Really Does Matter

Remember, you will be spending a large portion of your life in this household, so you better like the location and surrounding area more than anything else. Depending on your life, you might need to consider things like nearby schools, commute time to work for you and whoever else is living with you, the safety and state of the neighbourhood, potential weather damage (for example, are there nearby rivers or lakes that can flood?), and noise level.

Buying a new property in Vancouver can be extremely daunting, but if you consider these 5 things and choose to work with a top realtor, you will be able to find the perfect home for your future.

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For more Vancouver real estate tips, contact Paul Eviston (604-737-8865) or his team of Vancouver real estate agents at Remax Select Properties. Our office is located in Kerrisdale, Vancouver and we specialize in Downtown Vancouver, East Vancouver and Westside Vancouver real estate.  

Learn more at www.pauleviston.com/blog.html