Home ownership is a momentous step toward adulthood. However, many individuals and couples rush into this step too quickly. Follow these essential guidelines to ensure that the house you buy will meet your needs and fulfill your dreams without bankrupting your budget.
Take A Careful Inventory
If you have just graduated from college and do not yet have a steady source of income, this is probably not the right time to buy a house. Create an honest and accurate appraisal of your income and current, fixed expenses. For example, if you have recently purchased a new car, that monthly expense will follow you for the next five years. Include periodic expenses such as car insurance and daily expenses such as the cost of commuting to work, lunches, snacks, and entertainment. Next, evaluate the new costs that you will incur with a house, such as the homeowner’s insurance and real estate taxes. Find an accurate guesstimate as to what your cable costs, utilities, and other miscellaneous expenses will be. Add all of the fixed costs together and subtract that amount from your income. This amount will be the maximum amount of monthly rent or mortgage that you will be able to afford. Guidelines suggest that mortgage payments should equal no more than one third of your monthly income.
Study The Housing Market
While the Canadian housing market did not suffer the same disastrous burst as the American housing market, it did experience a downturn during the recent recession, especially in Toronto and Vancouver. As consumer confidences rises among Canadians, housing prices are also on the rise. Investors want to spend their money on durable, tangible items such as real estate. On average, prices for both houses and condominiums rose by 6% in the last quarter of 2009, and are expected to rise another 7%.
Study the Mortgage Market
Meet with a lender, to determine the amount of money that you can realistically spend on a home. Bear in mind that Canadian banking regulations allow the institution to include other collateral such as your car, boat, or other property should you default on the mortgage. The mortgage interest rate remains the same for a five-year period. At the expiration of the loan, your assets and payment history are re-evaluated to determine your new interest rate for the next five years. Work with your lender to determine how much of an increase you will be able to absorb when you determine the amount of the initial loan.
HowToBuyAHouse.org also offers information about how to buy a house in Canada. Be sure to check that more detailed article out also.