Home Buying Tips

In common law agency, the agency relationship exists between the client (buyer or seller), and the real estate brokerage (company).  If both parties to a transaction are represented by the same brokerage, the brokerage has a conflict of interest. Designated agency is a departure from traditional common law agency practices that addresses this conflict. In designated agency, the agency relationship exists between the client and a designated agent(s) from a particular brokerage, and not with the brokerage as a whole.  Royal LePage Foothills declared itself as a designated agency brokerage as of September 1, 2009.

Because the agency relationship is between the client and the designated agent(s), designated agency eliminates the conflicts of interest that…

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The three most important factors are your income, debts and down payment. Any one of these can greatly impact the amount of mortgage you qualify for. Lenders are primarily concerned that housing expenses not exceed a certain percentage (28% - 32%) of the homeowner's gross monthly income. Housing expenses include monthly mortgage principal, interest payments, property taxes, condo fees, utilities and homeowner’s insurance.

Below we have listed the most common obstacles to qualifying for Northwest Calgary homes for sale and possible solutions to each.

EXCESSIVE LONG-TERM DEBT
  • Consolidate your debts by taking out one loan and paying off your bills with the money.
  • Pay off long-term debts by using some of your cash and making a lower…

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Owning a home may be your dream, but in order for the purchase to be the happy and satisfying experience it was meant to be, you need to ensure that you are financially and mentally prepared for the responsibilities that come with it.

ARE YOU READY TO BUY?

Owning your own home is about more than just being able to decorate any way you like; it's about being prepared to maintain your home over the years, realizing that part of your income and time will go towards repairs and maintenance. It's about being willing to take the risks of home ownership with a realistic expectation of the rewards.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU AFFORD?

It can be discouraging to find that your salary won't stretch as far as the home you want to own. However, sacrificing a huge part…

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Selling your home and planning a move? Thorough planning is the key to an easy move. Experience tells us most moves take 8 to 10 weeks from start to finish, so start early. Here's your 8-week guide:

8 WEEKS BEFORE THE MOVE
  • Call for estimates from professional movers
  • Draw a floorplan of your new home. Use decorating charts and a grid to place furniture to scale in each room and decide which furniture to move, and which to dispose of, replace or add.
6 WEEKS BEFORE THE MOVE
  • Inventory all possessions. Decide what to move, sell, replace or donate to charity.
  • Complete Canada Post change of address forms, mail to media, stores, organization.
  • Obtain copies of all medical, dental, legal, accounting, and veterinarian records.
  • Make…

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Should you buy a brand new home that you can customize, or choose a resale one that's move-in ready? Both options present advantages, and there is no right answer, it's totally up to the buyer. We've outlined a couple benefits of each:

Buying New

• Personalized home: with new homes you can choose the colours, fixtures and upgrades such as lighting and flooring
• New homes are built up to current building codes and standards
• Lower maintenance costs: newer homes tend to have lower maintenance costs as all of the materials are brand new
• Builder warranties: the majority of home builders offer warranties for new homes

Buying Resale

• Easy access: homes in established neighbourhoods are in close proximity to services, parks, schools, etc
• Home…

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You may have noticed some changes to the MLS® website (REALTOR®.ca) you're used to, because several new features and upgrades have been added to the website to make the user experience better.

New Features: 

  • Mobile: there is now an easy-to-use mobile app available for most platforms, and the new listing service is also mobile-friendly. 
  • Saved searches: users are now able to create and save their own searches, making information readily available to you. 
  • Button bar: this control panel allows you access all the functions of the website in one convenient bar. 
  • Improved mapping: community maps are now updated in real time and are much quicker for users to scroll, zoom or pan a search area. 
  • Search history: the new system will actually…

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