Kitchen &  Eating Area
Consider your lifestyle in relation to the kitchen and dining room. Do you spend hours cooking? Is a full gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances and lots of cabinet space what you need? Do you require an eat-in kitchen or will you always use the dining room?

Living & Family Rooms
Is your lifestyle pretty relaxed, or do you need separate living and family rooms? Many family rooms need to be large enough to accommodate computer stations as well as the entertainment centre.

Master Suite
The master suite is something that really draws the attention of a home buyer. Think about the size of your furniture, do you need extra room for a crib? Do you need a sitting area or study? What about separate walk-in closets or an ensuite bath?

Bedrooms & Bathrooms
How many bedrooms do you need? One for each child? Do they need their own bathroom or can they share? Do you have frequent visitors and require a  separate room for them?

Storage Space
Think about how much storage you require and where you need to have it. Do you need a basement or attic for storage? Are there temperature sensitive items that need to be stored or things that you need to get to frequently?

Laundry
Would it be better for you to have the washer & dryer in an upstairs closet or have a full laundry room? Do you want it on the main floor or in the basement?

Parking
Is a garage absolutley necessary? For how many cars? Could you live with a covered outdoor space?

Home Buyers Checklist
The decision to buy a home can be fun and exciting, but it can also be tiring and confusing. So before you start looking be sure to fill out the Home Buyers Checklist. This checklist will help you decide what you want and need in a home. It will also help you focus on potential future needs and determine which needs are must-haves and which are negotiable. Click here to download a copy of the Home Buyers Checklist.

Eat-in kitchen with lots of storage and a sliding glass walkout to a deck and a fully fenced yard.

Main floor offers a family room, large living and dining room combo and laundry room with access to garage.

Master bedroom boasts a sitting area, walk-in closet and a 4pc ensuite bath with a separate shower and soaker tub.

Click here to view more photos and a virtual tour.

Bidding Blind
What price should you offer when you make an offer on a home? Is the seller’s asking price too high, or does it represent a great deal? If you fail to research the market in order to understand what comparable homes are selling for, making your offer would be like bidding blind. Without this knowledge of market value you could easily offer too much, or fail to make a competitive offer on an excellent value.

Buying the Wrong Home
What are you looking for in a home? A simple question but the answer can be quite complex. Many buyers have been swept up in the emotion and excitement of the buying process only to find themselves the owner of a home that is either too small or too big. They may be stuck with a longer commute to work, or require more fix ups and repairs than they really want to deal with. Take the time up front to clearly define your wants.

Unclear Title
Make sure very early on in the negotiation that you will own your new home free and clear by having a title search completed. The last thing you want to discover is that there are encumbrances on the property such as tax liens, undisclosed owners, easements, leases or the like.

Inaccurate Survey
As part of your offer to purchase, make sure you request an updated property survey which clear marks your boundaries. If the survey is not current, you may find that there are structural changes that are not shown, such as additions to the house, a new swimming pool or a neighbour’s new fence extending a property line etc. Be very clear on these issues.

Undisclosed Fix-ups
Don’t expect every seller to own up to every physical detail that will need to be attended to. Ensure that you conduct a through home inspection early in the process. Hire a home inspector to objectively view the home indie and out and make the final contract contingent upon this inspector’s report.

Not Getting Mortgage Pre-approval
Pre-approval is fast, easy and free. With a pre-approved mortgage you can shop for your home with a greater sense of freedom and security knowing that the money will be there when you find your home.

Rushing the Closing
Take your time during this process, and insist on seeing all paperwork the day before you sign. Make sure this documentation perfectly reflects your understanding of the transaction, and that nothing has been added or subtracted. Is the interest rate right? Is everything covered? If you rush this process on the day of closing, you may run into a last-minute snag that you can’t fix without compromising the terms of the deal, the financing or even the sale itself.

A bit of elbow grew can go a long way. Here are a few tips to get you started.


• clean up gardens by removing weeds and pruning overgrown shrubs
• cut the grass and get rid of weeds
• pressure wash dirty siding, dingy decks and driveways
• clean windows inside and out, replace broken panes, and fix torn screens
• touch up peeling paint on doors, siding, and trim
• get rid of the clutter, put away toys and gardening equipment
• make sure all walks and entrances are safe from clutter

Click here, to download your own curb appeal checklist.

Open concept layout with walkout to private balcony.

Kitchen offers breakfast bar and pantry.

Click here to view pictures and virtual tour.

Keep in mind that the seller does not have to accept the highest offer. They may choose a lower priced offer that doesn’t have any conditions attached, such as a home inspection or financing condition. Any condition gives the buyer a chance to back out of the deal if they are not satisfied. Make sure your financing is in place with a pre-approval from a lender, before you submit an offer.

Multiple offers are generally unfair to buyers, and buyers must be properly educated in advance by their agent. Your agent should give you an indication of how much the property is worth based on recent sales in the area. Can the seller supply you with a property condition statement or a home inspection report? If not that may indicate physical defects in the home and therefore a home inspection is a must.

When there are multiple offers on the same property, buyers must be careful to only offer what they can afford. Listen to your agent who understands the bidding process and can offer you objective advice.

If you are a seller in a multiple offers situation, remember that the more you disclose the more offers you’ll probably receive.

Main floor offers a bright living room / dining room with hardwood floors and gas fireplace and a eat-in kitchen with sliding glass walkout to 2 level deck over looking the ravine.

The second floor features a spacious master bedroom with an updated semi-ensuite bath.

Click here to view more pictures and for a virtual tour.

In 1990 a four bedroom home in Whitby, in the Pringle Creek area, would cost approximately $237,000. Today that same home would cost approximately $400,000.
So how is it more affordable today?
Well, after adjusting for mortgage insurance, interest rates, differences in available mortgage terms and even the increase in property taxes, the monthly caring costs are still over $100.00 per month less today.
I do realize that this is only a temporary opportunity and it only exists because of today’s interest rates, but why not take advantage of this opportunity if you are contemplating entering into the home market

RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada Inc and the Toronto Maple Leafs have teamed up and announced the RE/MAX Home Street Advantage Contest with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

For your chance to win click here to enter before April 16th!!

Watch this video to learn more.

Good Luck!!