Edmonton Real Estate Blog - home buying tips

Choosing the RIGHT Neighbourhood for your next Edmonton Home

Posted by Chris Proctor on February 17th, 2011

When buying a home in Edmonton, obviously you’ll be looking at key details like square footage, price and condition. However, just as important to your home buying decision is the neighbourhood.

Now, everyone who knows me knows that I love Edmonton, and there are “gems” (some of them hidden) in every neighbourhood. So I’m not suggesting here that one area is necessarily better than another. It all depends on your unique needs, lifestyle, and future plans.

However, when it comes to choosing the right neighbourhood for your next home – which, again, is the neighbourhood that is RIGHT for you –here are some important things to pay attention to:

Schools: Many families narrow down their home search by focusing on school districts, and seeing what…

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An Overview of the Government’s Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP)

Posted by Chris Proctor on January 28th, 2011

A valuable incentive that home buyers can take advantage of is the Government’s Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP). In my experience, however, there is some confusion surrounding this program, and so I’d like to take this opportunity to provide you with a clear, simple overview.

The HBP allows would-be home buyers the opportunity to withdraw up to $25,000 from their RRSP without incurring any withholding or income tax, and use it towards a home. The amount withdrawn then needs to be paid back into an RRSP over a 15 year period, with equal amounts due each year (i.e. 1/15th).

However, not all homes qualify for the HCP program. The home must be in Canada, it must be a principal place of residence, and it must be purchased or built by October 1st of the year…

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Tips for Buying a Home in a Winter

Posted by Chris Proctor on January 20th, 2011

I’ve blogged about how to sell your home in a winter, so now it makes sense to look at things from the other side: buying a home in the winter.

Generally speaking (and this winter is no exception so far), buyers tend to hibernate a bit and wait for the spring before they shift their house hunting into a higher gear. Everything from weather to taking care of those holiday season credit card bills (ouch) contribute to this trend.

However, if you’re in the market for a new or next home, then this doesn’t mean that you should necessarily follow suit. On the contrary, because there are fewer buyers out there for you to compete with -- especially when it comes down to making an offer -- you stand a very good chance of getting an incredible deal. 

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