Home buying tips & tricks

Real estate buying guide
Everything you need to know about preparing to buy or sell a house.
Buying a home, whether it's your first time or as an existing homeowner, is a little overwhelming and it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement. We’ve turned to real estate agent Linda Turner from Royal Lepage Meadowtowne Realty in Mississauga, Ont. to provide you with a comprehensive real estate buying guide, including all you need to know about the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) that will set you on the right path to homeownership.

25 insider condo buying tips
As real estate prices soar, many Canadians are rediscovering the joys of urban living and buying condos. Before you take a leap, check out 25 tips for smart buying.

Condo sales are at an all-time high. In cities like Toronto and Vancouver, people are rediscovering the joys of living downtown again, along with the low-maintenance, easy lifestyle that goes with havng your very own castle in the clouds. And with housing real estate prices at truly stratospheric levels across the country, a condo is an affordable way into the market, especially for young people.

House hunting: A buyer's guide
Check out our guide on how to make all the right decisions when buying a home.

With all the doom and gloom we've been hearing lately about the softening real estate market, one important fact is being overlooked: it's a great time to buy. Housing prices in many Canadian cities are flat or actually lower than they were this time last year, houses are staying on the market longer, and the supply of available homes is increasing, making sellers more willing to negotiate. The heady days of the real estate boom -- characterized by multiple offers, bidding wars and having to move fast or risk losing out -- are, by most estimates, over.

Home buying essentials

10 secrets from a real estate agent
Buy and sell your house successfully with 10 tips from a real estate professional.

With the economy on a slow rise back to normalcy, many are still unsure of whether they should be buying or selling a home. Despite the uneasiness you may feel, you don’t necessarily have to stay put, explains Linda Turner, a real estate agent with Royal LePage Meadowtowne Realty in Mississauga, Ont.

The hidden costs of buying and selling a house
Find out what additional costs you should expect when buying or selling a house.

The actual purchase price on a house listing is only part of the ultimate cost of buying or selling it. Whenever a house changes hands, there are a number of associated fees -- some of them amounting to thousands of dollars -- that affect the final price of the transaction, whether you are buying a new home or selling your old one.

The HST and homebuyers
10 things you should know about the HST, especially as it relates to buying and selling your home.

With a great deal of fanfare (from government) and cries of gloom and doom (from taxpayers’ groups), the Harmonized Sales Tax (or HST) is being implemented starting on July 1, 2010 in British Columbia and Ontario. The HST combines the federal Goods and Services Tax of 5% with Provincial Sales Taxes of 8% (Ontario) and 7% (B.C.), for a single tax at the register of 13% and 12% respectively.