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Easy Ways to Make Buying a Home More Affordable

Regardless of whether you’re a first-time buyer or an experienced owner looking to purchase your second (or third, or fourth) home, the fact remains: buying a home is a huge financial undertaking. The good news is, the ability to afford a new home is anything but impossible; all you need to do is utilize the right home buying strategies ahead of time.

Improve Your Credit Score 

When it comes to securing a mortgage loan, your credit is the number one determining factor - and the higher your score, the more affordable your loan will be overall. For this reason, we recommend getting your credit in tip-top shape before approaching a lender or bank. After all, who doesn’t want to save thousands of dollars over the lifetime of their loan?

A few…

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Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal With These 9 Simple Tips

Help your Edmonton home make a lasting impression this Spring and Summer with the help of these nine easy and affordable curb appeal-boosting tips!

1. Start With Outdoor Clean Up

Giving your home’s exterior a good clean is an essential first step to improving your home’s curb appeal. Using a pressure washer, rinse away dirt and grime that may have accumulated on your home’s siding, windows, deck and/or porch, sidewalks, walkways and hardscapes.

Note: There are numerous cleaning products you can utilize with your pressure washer to help make your home shine.

2. Go Green

While we understand a healthy lawn doesn’t happen overnight, it’s essential to give your grass as much love as possible. Besides providing regular water and nutrients,…

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The Top 8 Reasons to Sell Your Home in the Spring

Spring is almost here, and with it comes one of Edmonton’s busiest real estate seasons. If you’ve been thinking about listing your home now that the weather has taken a turn for the better, here are eight spring-selling advantages to consider: 

1. A Classic Sellers’ Market

Historically, Spring is the most active time of year for the Edmonton market. With the winter thaw comes an influx of buyers eager to find their dream home. As a result, warm weather conditions often spur a seller’s market – when there are more home buyers than there is inventory available – and the perfect time to get the most money for your home.  

2. Your Home Will Look Its Best

Home buyers aren’t the only ones eager to make their presence known during the…

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5 Simple Strategies For Paying Your Mortgage Off Faster

Looking to pay your mortgage off faster? Shave years (possibly even decades) off your mortgage loan with the help of these five easy-to-follow strategies:

1. Take Advantage of Increased Payment Options 

Upping your monthly payments, even by the smallest increment, can make all the difference in helping you become mortgage-free faster. While your ability to increase your payments will depend on the terms and conditions outlined in your mortgage, many lenders include prepayment privileges in their contracts.

Keep in mind, however, that if you pay more than the prepayment privilege allows, you may be required to pay a prepayment penalty. Your increased payments will also likely apply until the end of your mortgage term.

2. Make Lump-Sum…

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6 Key Reasons Why You NEED a Mortgage Pre-Approval

Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is one of the first and most important steps in the home buying process. If you’ve been thinking about purchasing a new Edmonton home, here are six key reasons why you NEED a pre-approval before you begin your new home buying journey. 

1. It’s Better Than a Pre-Qualification

While a mortgage pre-qualification is undoubtedly beneficial, it doesn’t carry the same clout as a mortgage pre-approval. Simply put, a pre-approval is a lender's commitment to loan you a certain amount for a mortgage based on your current financial situation. 

However, during the pre-qualification process, a lender only takes a high-level view of your finances and provides a guestimate as to what they think they could lend you for a…

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Home Not Selling? Here Are 6 Reasons Why

Has your Edmonton home been on the market for weeks or even months with little to no buyer interest? Worse yet, have you invested time and money into the sale of your home with nothing to show for it but an expired listing?

We’re here to help.

Here are the top six reasons why your home may not be selling.

1. You’re Asking Too Much

We understand you love your home. You’ve no doubt put an immeasurable amount of time, love, money and maintenance into the property, which has, in turn, delivered countless great memories.

For these reasons, it's not uncommon to see a disconnect between what a home seller thinks their home is worth and what it’s actually worth according to Edmonton market conditions. Simply put, market conditions reflect what…

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Buying a Home: 14 Hidden Costs to Prepare For

When it comes to buying your first or next Edmonton home, don’t let these additional expenses catch you off guard. Here are 14 hidden costs to prepare for on your new home purchase:

1. Mortgage Penalties

Unless you plan on porting your mortgage or blending and extending, you’ll likely need to break your mortgage contract. As a result, you may need to pay a prepayment penalty, which will vary according to your contract terms. Be sure to consult your current lender in advance.

Free Mortgage Penalty Calculator

2. Mortgage Loan Insurance

Any down payment on a home in Canada less than 20% will require mandatory mortgage loan insurance. While you will need a minimum down payment of at least 5%, keep in mind, the more you put down, the more…

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10 Tips For Making Your Home More Appealing to Buyers

Boost buyer appeal and sell your home faster (and for more money) with the help of these ten proven tips.

1. Work With a REALTOR®

First thing’s first. We recommend enlisting the help of an expert Edmonton REALTOR®, and for several reasons. Not only will they help you price your home both competitively and fairly (a sure-fire way to attract buyer interest), but they’ll also ensure your listing gets noticed with a fully comprehensive marketing plan.

See our previous post: 6 Great Reasons to Choose a REALTOR®

2. Price Your Home Right (the FIRST Time)

Speaking of pricing, you must price your home right the first time if you hope to sell quickly and for the most money possible. Many sellers are tempted to overprice their home, thinking it…

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How to Get Approved for a Mortgage in 5 Easy Steps

Whether you’re a seasoned homeowner or a first-time home buyer, navigating the mortgage process can be downright daunting if you don’t know what to expect ahead of time. Don’t worry, we’re here to help!

Here is the start-to-finish mortgage process, summed up in five simple steps.

1. Ready Your Down Payment

To purchase a home in Edmonton (or anywhere else in Canada), you’ll need to come up with the mandatory 5% down payment. While we understand it can be tempting to move ahead as soon as you’ve scraped together the minimum (after all, it can take months or years), keep in mind, the larger your down payment, the more affordable your mortgage will be in the long run.

Mortgage lenders also tend to look more favourably on larger down payments.…

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The Top 7 Reasons to Buy a Home in the Winter

Think the only time to buy a home in Edmonton is in the spring or summer? Think again! Here are seven great reasons why wintertime may be the BEST time to hit the market (seriously!).

1. Eager Sellers

We think it’s pretty fair to say that no one WANTS to move in the middle of winter (especially in Alberta). If someone has put their home on the market in thirty-below weather, you can (almost) bet they are selling now because waiting for balmier temperatures isn’t an option.

As a result, you can look forward to highly motivated home sellers who may be more willing to negotiate on sale price, terms of sale, closing date, closing costs and much more. 

2. Less Competition

People aren’t just less enthusiastic to sell in the winter, they’re…

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