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Top 5 Tips for First Time Home Buyers!

Buying a home can be overwhelming, but more so when it is your first home.  Here are our top 5 tips for first time home buyers:


#1.  Get Pre-Approved.  Mortgage Pre-approval demonstrates you are a serious buyer and allows you to move forward with an offer in your price range.

#2.  Figure out what is most important to you. And what is non-negotiable.  Be it country living or city, large kitchen, 2 bathrooms, etc.  This makes the search easier for the buyer and your buyer agent.

#3. Use an experienced Real Estate Sales Representative who knows the area and the market. It is not only important to have an experienced agent, but one that you feel comfortable with and you know they are working hard in your favour.

#4.  Ask your agent what the closing costs will be and understand land transfer tax and the use of your RRSP’s for a downpayment.

#5.  Be patient.  In this hot market, homes come and go on the market quickly and sometimes with multiple offers.  The right one will come along!


Contact Karen and Betty Ann for more helpful information for buyers or sellers!  We are always here to help!

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Preparing For Your Home Inspection

Well, there is certainly a lot of information out on the web telling people how to prepare/stage their home for sale, but not many experts giving advice on how to prepare for the home inspections to help make things run smoothly and to not raise any red flags!


We, at BK Property Team, believe this is of the upmost importance!


After speaking with many inspectors, some of the key things they recommended were to:


1.  Clear out under your sinks

2.  Clear access to your electrical panel box

3.  Clear access to your attic and/or crawl space

4.  Clear out your garage as much as possible

5.  Move furniture away from walls to help the inspector see behind large objects (beds, dressers, couches, etc.)

6.  Give clear access to your furnace and hot water heater

7.  Change light bulbs inside and outside of your home making sure they are all working

8.  Change batteries in smoke detectors

9.  Change your furnace filter


These are just a few of the suggestions we have compiled, but should help make things go a lot smoother and hopefully avoid going back to the table with a price adjustment!


Please come back and vsit us often for more real estate tips and tricks!

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Are you looking to make life easier?  There are several smart home ideas on the market to do just that.

For example:

 

1.  How about adjusting the temperature of your home from your smart phone?

 

If you happen to be a snowbird, or someone who travels often, you can set the temperature on your home with your phone so that when you arrive home, it is the temperature you prefer.  Or, set a schedule, or have the temperature adjust based on where you are in the house, instead of where your thermostat is located.  Research your options, but here are a few to look in to:  Honeywell, Nest, Ecobee.


2.  How about snapping a picture of the barcode on your prepackaged dinner and the instructions are sent directly to your oven or microwave, automatcally?  Just put it in and hit start.

 

Whirlpool's Scan-to-Cook offers this.   Or, you can go to to get ideas for your next meal using items you already have in your cupboard.

 

3.How about having lights come on when you wake in the morning and venture to the ktichen for the coffee you have already pre-set to be ready when your pre-set alarm goes off?

 

Google Home, Google Mini with outlets or Alexa.  Check them out and many coffee makers have an option to set your coffee to come on when you most need it!



4.  How about opening your door for someone when you are not there to open it?  You have guests using your home and you can't get a key to them?

 

There are a few products that can help you with this.  Imagine you are enjoying the warmth in your sunny destination and your grandchild calls needing to check on your home in your absence.  You can open it from your smart phone and even turn off your alarm from your smart phone, too.  In some systems, you can even see who is at the door before you open it.  How cool is that?  Here are a few items to research before making your decisions:  Many alarm companies have the option to remotely turn off, check with your provider.  Other suggestions for door opening/viewing are: Kevo, Ring Video Doorbell, Kwikset and others; features vary.

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