My friends,
hello everyone! Today I want to answer questions about Canadian real estate.
This question has been asked many times, especially, as you know, I am a
professional realtor. Under what conditions can I buy real estate, and is it
necessary to buy immediately at full cost, or is a loan possible? If there is
such a practice, what do the buyers then do with it, live constantly themselves
or come once in a while, and rent the rest of the time? And if a foreigner can
buy real estate in Canada, then in what status will he live in the country
without Canadian citizenship? Or they give him a multiple-entry visa for a
residence period of six months to a year, etc.
Money will not save you
In fact,
such questions are asked quite often. One question that I get almost regularly
sounds something like this: “What is the cost of real estate? “In what
place, in what province and for what money can I buy an apartment or a house in
order to receive the status of residence in Canada?” I am not an immigration specialist,
but I talked with lawyers, and from what I know from my life in Canada, buying
a property will not help you get a residence status in Canada. In no province.
For no money. Some people are a little outraged about this, saying that this is
some kind of stupid position, because if I have money, I can invest it in the
Canadian economy, it should be quite profitable and interesting for the
country. I think that you are partly right, any country needs money,
investments are always welcome, provided that this does not violate democratic
principles.
Opportunities must be equal
Canada’s
democratic principle is: “We cannot discriminate against an individual on the
basis of whether he has money or not.” I’ll try to explain what I mean. Imagine
that someone organized a prostitution network, sells weapons, drugs or conducts
a criminal business, he managed to get a lot of money. At the same time, he
says that he will go now and will settle in this country for a million dollars.
The Canadian government and the Canadian level of democracy do not provide for
this, considering that all people are equal in their rights, and if there is
another person who works honestly, does not steal, does not rob anyone, does
not engage in criminal activity, pays taxes, but As a result, did not earn a
lot of money, then, it turns out that he should be denied entry into the
country? I had situations when people came from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,
Belarus, other countries with big money, at least that is how they positioned
themselves, the conversation was about 2, 3 and 5 million dollars. These people
usually reasoned like this: “If I want to come to Canada tomorrow, I will
pay the Canadian government half a million dollars …”. Their intonation
was such that if they transfer this money to the Canadian government, then
tomorrow afternoon they will be given a visa or a residence permit to almost
their home. Most of them never came back later. Because if you have money, this
does not mean that everything will happen very quickly. From what I know from
conversations with immigration lawyers, this can last a year, two, or three.
And I completely understand why. Because, as soon as you declare that you have
big money, the government of Canada must understand what kind of money it is,
what its origin is. Least of all, the Canadian government wants to see some
thieves, bandits, corrupt officials, people who sell weapons, prostitution,
drugs, etc.
How to
increase the loyalty of the authorities
Now let’s
talk about buying real estate. There are several concepts. You go through
emigration in your country, at some point you get the status of
landed-immigrant, that is, you get the right to permanent residence in Canada,
what is called a green card in America. That is, you are not a citizen of the country,
but you can stay in it as much as you see fit. You do not need any visa, you do
not need to leave the country. If you come to Canada as a landed-immigrant,
then for you there is a program for new immigrants, when you have to make 35
percent of the amount you buy from your own money. In this case, Canadian banks
will treat you very loyally. They will not ask you for a credit history, which
you naturally don’t have, they will not ask for a job that you also don’t, of
course, because you have just arrived in the country. And with these 35% you
can easily buy real estate. There were a lot of such deals in my time. The
second option: you are a foreigner who came to Canada and just decided to buy
real estate. Even in this case, you do not have to pay 100%, you can buy real
estate, making only 50% of the cost. But in this case, the Canadian bank will
give you a loan, most likely, without any problems. The only thing they usually
ask is to provide a certificate from your bank stating that you are a good client,
and not some kind of violator. In addition, they usually ask you for a
certificate stating that you own a business or have a certain income. The
meaning of this document is that you paid your 50%, they give you their 50%,
but they also want to make sure that you have income in order to cover payments
on this loan. Is there a visa? Now about what gives or does not give the
purchase of real estate in Canada in relation to the status of residence.
Canada is a visa-free country for so many countries, such as France, Germany,
Italy, the United States, but it is a visa country for Russia, Ukraine,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc. Some of my colleagues said that a certain rather
large Russian businessman Before arriving in Canada, he decided to build a very
large, beautiful and expensive house. When the house was actually ready, he had
to come for some reason. But it seems that something did not like the Canadian
embassy, and he was not given a visa. As a result, the person could not look
at his own house, and as a result, this house had to be sold, because the owner
either could not come here, or had already gone out of bed.
Who is
buying a house? Nevertheless, every year I have two or three transactions when
people who have just arrived in the country buy property — migrants or
foreigners. Who are these people and why are they buying this property? It has
become very popular with us to send our children to study in Canada. That is,
children are sent to some private school, they begin to study from the 7-8th
grade, then they go to the university. Thus, they are in the country for 7-10
years. Therefore, parents often reason as follows: “He enrolled in school, is a
fairly successful student. Why do we pay rent, throwing out 15-20 thousand
dollars every year? Isn’t it easier to buy him housing there, and we can
regularly visit him in Canada, and we will have where to stay. ” I have a lot
of such deals. In such cases, you usually buy a home like a foreigner,
depositing 50% or more, depending on whether you want to deposit more or not.
How beneficial is a mortgage in Canada? Lending rates today we fluctuate at a
very low level: 2-3%. Therefore, of course, it is profitable to take such
loans. Not only do you not throw away money for rent, you still have your own
real estate, which is gradually growing in price and is also paid in parallel.
It makes sense to me, and we conduct such transactions quite often. In the case
when your child is studying and has been living in Canada for a long time,
parents are usually given the same multivisa for 5-10 years, according to which
you can come there every year without applying for a new visa. Will it turn
out?
They also
asked me what happens if a person bought property, whether he can rent it out.
Of course, it can, like any Canadian citizen, either with the help of a
realtor, or on their own. The only thing you should not forget to pay taxes on
this. Realtors go for a trick. Another person read on the forum that a kind of
selling method has been adopted in Canada, when the price of real estate is
slightly underestimated in order to create an excessive demand for it, thereby
selling it can be more expensive and more profitable. They ask me if this is
true. Yes it’s true. There is such a technology, and I, as a realtor, also
often use it, if the seller does not mind. It happens as follows. Let’s say
your property is worth half a million dollars. If we put it out for $
480,000-490,000, it may very well be that in the area where 40-50 houses are
sold in the district, this will turn out to be the best house. Especially if he
is in excellent condition, plus his price is very good. Then it is not
surprising that several potential buyers will appear on this property at once.
It is easy to guess what will happen, as they say here, a multiple offer situation
– an auction. The price will go up, and as a result, a house that cost half a
million can be sold for $ 520,000-530,000.
Therefore,
yes, such a sale technology exists, but I would not idealize it. Sometimes it
gives positive results, but often it is not as simple as it might seem.
Because, imagine a situation where the property that you put up for 480,000
will attract only one buyer who is not going to pay more, and he may also want
to bargain. Where else can you bargain if you already set a low price. But, if
you don’t go into professional subtleties, there is a way out of every
situation, and if someone needs this sometime, I’ll explain how to act here.
But, if you answer briefly to this question, that is, such a sale technology
sometimes gives very good results. But nothing ideal happens, and at some
moments it may not give positive results. For all there are certain cases and
the will of God.
Let’s talk
about what the buyer should know directly about the negotiation process of real
estate purchase.
So, you
have watched with the agent a sufficient amount of real estate, and one fine
day, you finally chose a house that you liked so much that your indispensable
desire to buy it matured. Of course, you want to buy it not only by all the
rules, which the agent will probably help, but also naturally beneficial. Each
of the buyers, having decided on the choice of a house, almost always asks the
agent the same question. “What do you think, for what amount can we really
buy this property? Tell me five thousand dollars will be ceded to us, or maybe
ten? Our friends have bargained seven thousand. Can you do the same for
us?”
You ask the
agent as a specialist a question and expect a professional answer from him,
which is quite natural. Nevertheless, you are hardly seriously reckoning that
the agent will scratch his head, look faraway into space and say that he will
be able to bargain 5.560 dollars. I must say that it is quite accurate to
predict the amount of price reduction – not a very real task. Each house is unique
in its own way, and the personal situation of sellers and their position can be
completely unpredictable.
Some people
believe that the amount of money conceded in the auction is approximately the
same for all cases and, as it were, was originally included in the sale price.
Therefore, the agent is asked a question usually in the following form.
“How much are usually inferior when selling?” Of course, this is
hardly the right approach. Suppose you buy a house, one of which is in very
poor condition, and the other is almost impeccable. It is clear that a decrease
in property prices of the same value can be very different in these two cases.
At the same time, you will agree that it is quite difficult to demand a
significant reduction in the price of a house, which is reasonably priced and
has practically no flaws. Even if the seller is willing to listen to your
arguments, which ones do you plan to bring to him? There is also a situation
when the seller is interested in the quick sale of his home and the initial
cost is already extremely close to the real selling price. It is clear that in
this case it is quite pointless to demand a significant reduction in prices.
Despite the foregoing, it is still possible to obtain approximate information
on the size of the price reduction in a standard transaction, and a little
further we will talk about how to do this.
So far we
touch on another situation, which also often arises with the buyer. It looks
something like this. “We like the house. Please call the seller and say
that we are ready to offer $ 10,000 less for their house. If this proposal
suits them, then we agree to buy a house.” The buyer should know that the
work of real estate agents in Canada is a bit like the work of lawyers. You
know that each side there is represented by its own lawyer, and neither lawyer
has the right to conduct direct negotiations with the client of the opposite
side. Absolutely the same situation in the relationship between the parties in
the real estate market. Neither you nor your agent has the right to contact the
seller personally and decide with him any questions regarding the property he
sells. All negotiations can only be conducted strictly through the agent of the
seller. In addition, the consumer should know that in most cases, neither the
buying agent nor the seller will discuss any details of the proposal verbally.
It’s not difficult to explain. If I act as an agent representing a seller’s
interests, then I always answer the same phrase to another agent about such
calls about the possibility of lowering the price of a house. “If your
client is serious about buying a house, then we expect from you an official (in
writing) proposal, which my client and I will gladly consider.” By the
way, not only me, but most agents adhere to a similar position and that’s why.
Firstly, I
can’t give any forecasts regarding the reduction in the price of real estate
for sale, since the decision for what amount in the end it can be sold only to
its owner.
Second
moment. An official offer to buy is valid only if it is signed by the buyer. As
a seller’s agent, such a written offer speaks to me of the seriousness of my
interest in acquiring this house. In all other cases, such calls about the
price are just conversations, and conversations not supported by specific
actions are not valued too expensive.
Thirdly.
Even if I’m ready to speak orally with the buyer’s agent over the telephone,
what after such a conversation can I tell my client? It will be difficult for
me to explain that a certain agent called and offered some money for the house.
The idea is
quite simple. Houses are not bought or sold by phone and we will have to
negotiate, as they say, face to face with the opposite side of the transaction.
Another of
the common situations.
“Can
we invite friends or relatives to participate in the negotiations. We have
never bought real estate, and therefore are a little nervous. They have already
bought a house and know how to behave in this process.” Almost always, all
negotiations are conducted by your agent and neither you, nor, moreover, no one
else, are allowed directly to the negotiations. The terms of the transaction
for the purchase of real estate are confidential and outsiders cannot be
present at the same time. Even if you are not concerned about the
confidentiality of the transaction information on your part, then at least you
must provide the opposite side with such an opportunity. Also put yourself in
the shoes of the seller. When selling a house, you are unlikely to want to see
at your door an advanced group of negotiators consisting of 4-5 people, waving
posters and chanting “Give the house!”.
This is of
course a joke. Seriously speaking, the presence of a knowledgeable agent in the
negotiations is more than enough. In addition, it is very difficult for me to
imagine a situation in which your friends could be more sophisticated in
matters of acquiring housing than an experienced realtor working daily in the
real estate market.
Now a
little about what generally happens the position of the buyer at the time of
bidding. Try to determine for yourself which group of buyers you enter.
The client
wants to buy this particular house and no other, and accordingly is ready to
offer the amount initially acceptable to the seller, so as not to lose this house.
The buyer
is set to bid in terms of price and is ready to offer a low starting price at
the start of negotiations.
The buyer
wants to buy only cheap real estate and offers a significantly lower price for
the house. If you want to buy only this house and no other, then the situation
is really risky for you. If you have a desire to bargain, you will have to do
it carefully enough, since not only you may have liked the house. There are
frequent cases when the buyer, knowing that he found what he was looking for,
refused to bargain at all, but simply paid the asking price in full, and
sometimes (if several offers come in) even a higher price.
Now about
those who are set up for persistent bidding.
This
position is not always explained by the stubbornness or everyday stinginess of
the buyer. Most often, the situation shows that the buyer is limited in funds
and physically unable to pay the proposed price. In this case, the only hope is
that the seller will go to lower prices, which is possible and will allow the
buyer to stay within his budget. In order not to waste time and nerves to
nothing, immediately determine the upper price limit for yourself, and inform
your agent about it. The agent, in turn, in the negotiation process will
quickly enough determine how far the parties diverge in their ideas about the
final price. For example, if the seller’s agent makes it clear that his client
is not ready to drop below $ 700,000, and you are not ready to rise above the $
650,000 mark, it’s obvious that with a tough gap of $ 50,000, there is
practically no negotiable item.
Finally,
the last option. I came across cases when, no matter how strange it may seem,
it was not very important for the buyer what exactly to buy if only it was
cheap. In this case, the initial proposal for the purchase of real estate is
usually made much cheaper than the asking price. Usually this is the most
unpromising purchase option and such transactions do not often end in success.
In addition, such transactions are not a small test for the agent. Imagine a
seller’s reaction when a buying agent comes up with an offer of $ 400,000 to
buy a home worth $ 500,000. To put it mildly, the agent’s house is not very
happy with the agent.
Property prices
Let us
return to the conversation on how to find out the size of the approximate price
reduction in a standard transaction. The easiest way out is to make an analysis
of the latest and relatively recent sales of similar houses in a given area.
Such a database is available to any agent and an experienced specialist will
accurately calculate what your chances of reducing the price are. For example,
if similar houses worth $ 580,000 were sold on average for $ 538,000-540,000,
then you have a pretty clear idea of what you can count on. It is hardly
reasonable to expect miracles, offering the seller an amount significantly
lower than the price level of recent sales. Keep in mind that the seller’s
agent always has excellent knowledge of this information and is sure to present
it at the time of bidding. Analysis of the latest completed transactions is a
pretty powerful tool in case the price of the house being sold is significantly
overstated. Obviously, in this case, the buying agent, having made such an
analysis, has serious arguments in negotiations with the selling party.
By the way,
about the low price of the initial offer. Typically, the buyer argues in
approximately the following way: “First, we will offer the seller as
little as possible. For example, for a house worth 550,000 dollars, we will
offer 450,000 dollars and look at the reaction of the owner.” It seems to
the consumer that the more the price of the initial offer is underestimated,
the cheaper it will be possible to buy a house. For some reason, there is an
opinion that the parties agree approximately in the middle between the asking
price and the offer price. This is probably why an understated proposal is
being made in the hope that the aforementioned summary middle will be at a
lower point. Practice and my personal experience show that such tactics lead
the buyer to success not always. Moreover, too low an initial price, often
leads to results quite different from those expected.
Why is this
happening?
Option one.
The seller is annoyed and does not want to conduct further negotiations with
such a buyer at all. In such a situation, negotiating with the property owner
is already very difficult. He seemed to lose interest in bidding, as it were,
in a sense, deleted the buyer from the list of potential bidders and returning
him back to negotiations from this moment is not at all easy. In a sense, the
low price is perceived by the owner of the house as disrespect not only to real
estate, but also to him personally. As a result, such negotiations can end
almost without having begun.
The second
reason. The seller does not take the buyer seriously, as he believes that he
simply does not have the financial ability to buy a house for the money that he
really costs. The seller’s position in this case is that it makes no sense to
waste time on an insolvent buyer, it’s easier to wait for another. As a result,
the seller’s agent will quickly make it clear that discussions at this price
point are not of interest to the property owner. In a word, either you need to
offer the seller a different price, or not waste time in vain and just look for
another property.
The third.
The seller believes that the buyer is not very clear about what he is buying
and how much it really costs and, again, quickly loses interest in him.
Figuratively speaking, the owner of a valuable collection of paintings will not
paint the merits of an artwork worth $ 100,000 to a person who does not
understand painting at all.
As you can
see, in the end it turns out that the final result often turns out to be
exactly the opposite of what the buyer was counting on. In some cases, you have
to buy a house even less profitable than was possible. The reason is simple.
The seller does not want to concede in price in principle, without experiencing
the slightest sympathy for the buyer. “Someone may concede, but excuse me
no.” Unfortunately, in the hope of buying cheaply, we often forget that
the negotiation process consists of the positions of several parties and
ignoring the interests of the opposite side can cost the buyer dearly. In my
view, entering the negotiation process needs to be soft and smooth. It is
worthwhile to offer the seller an initial price at a reasonable distance from
the real one and only then, benevolently, politely and reasonably, try to
approach the amount planned for himself. Just in this sense, a sharply
understated offer often works like a blow, after which no one wants to be
friends. As they say, it was possible to achieve a powerful effect, but there
is no one to talk to anymore.
Of course,
you do not need to go to extremes, and of course I do not urge the buyer to
indulge all the desires of the seller. The idea is only that a reasonable
starting price of the proposal often allows to achieve significantly greater
results in the negotiation process.
What to expect
Finally,
the decision on the price of the house was made, the proposal to buy it was
signed by you, submitted by the agent, and now you are waiting for the reaction
of the seller. What to expect
It rarely
happens that the seller from the first call is ready to accept your offer. Most
often, he will return the draft proposal with his changes back to you. Realtors
call this situation “counter offer”, that is, the offer is written
back. This means that the seller is not ready to accept the amount you proposed
or is not satisfied with the other parameters of the proposal, but does not
refuse to continue negotiations with you. At this moment, the buyer is faced
with the following choice. Accept seller’s counter offer (accept) or put
forward new contract terms?
It’s rare
when it makes sense to continue to insist on your initial price, or for this
you must have reasonably good reasons. It seems to me that the physical meaning
of successful bidding is to move towards each other in search of a middle
ground. I would even say that concessions on your part, in a sense, oblige the
seller to make such concessions on his part.
The bidding
process often creates a rather nervous state on both sides. Often the buyer,
seeing the seller’s resistance, for example, in terms of price, becomes even
irritable. At the same time, the owner of the house is perceived by him as an
implacable, stubborn adversary, which must be defeated at any cost. Often
emotions are so heated that the auction comes to a standstill when the parties
are unable to agree on a price difference of $ 1,000. As you know, the point
is, of course, not in money, but only in the reluctance of the buyer and seller
to give in to each other.
If you buy
a house, then it is hardly worth being annoyed with the seller. Imagine that
tonight we were able to successfully buy your chosen home. For 5 years, you
happily lived in it, then the situation in life changed, it became necessary to
sell it and buy another. As you may have guessed, this story ends with the fact
that we are sitting in the kitchen and are considering the offer of one of the
buyers to buy your home. Suppose a bid price of $ 12,000 is at variance with
the price at which the house was put up for sale. Try to imagine your condition
at the moment when you see these papers on the table. Do not forget that you
have lived in this house for years. You certainly love your home, each part of
which contains pleasant memories of past years. It is possible that your
children were born and raised in this house. Much of the house was done with
their own hands, with love and what is called soul. And now this native
brainchild should fall into the hands of strangers (obviously an unpleasant
couple) who came to bargain for him. Not only do they not understand WHAT they
are acquiring, they still do not want to pay humanly for this miracle!
But
seriously speaking, in reality a lot of people are not easy to part with the
house and the buyer unwittingly looks for them as an evil detective. By the
way, the buyer’s agent, in the eyes of the seller, also looks like an evil
person. Do not forget about the eternal formula “my house is always better
than everyone and it should cost more than others.” Anyone who does not
agree with this position of the seller, obviously not included in the circle of
his sympathies. As you can see, the moral position of the seller is no easier
than the position of the buyer. Do not forget that the owner of the house
probably already bought a new house for himself, which means that he needs to
receive from the sale an amount sufficient to pay for the newly purchased
housing. In a word, the seller has his own problems and he is trying to defend
his own interests. I repeat once again that the ability to respect the position
of the opposite side not only helps to facilitate the negotiation process, but
also often achieve great success in the negotiations.
Continuation
… It is
quite common that a contract for a house purchase repeatedly walks from buyer
to seller, back and forth, in search of a mutually acceptable solution. Be that
as it may, the auction continues and the higher the buyer has to rise in price,
the more doubts arise. “If I still want to buy this house, how far am I
willing to go in my desire?”
Suppose
that we do not agree with the owner of the house at a price of $ 3,000, and the
seller makes it clear that we should not expect him to further reduce the price.
How to be This is not a difficult psychological test. Without going into
details, imagine in a simplified form the following situation. Right at the
time of negotiations, a certain person appears at the door of the house and
speaks to the seller. “I looked at this house, I liked it and I, unlike
another buyer, am willing to pay a little more.” The transaction was
successfully completed, but without your participation. Answer your question.
Will you feel sorry for the lost home in this case?
If not, then
it means that you know exactly what limit amount you were ready to pay for the
house, and then everything is in order. Option Two. You feel sorry, but not
really. I like the house, but not enough to fight for it to the end. The same
big problem is not. It is worth working with an agent and picking up something
more suitable for yourself. Finally, the last situation. If you feel that
losing your home will greatly upset you and would like to buy it, then you
should not risk it. Having lost the selected property, you will not only bring
down a stream of negative emotions, but you may also get serious problems with
the subsequent purchase of a home. The lost house will always stand in front of
your eyes, and the rest of the property will seem like a miserable parody of
it.
Often the
stubborn desire to bargain for the difference in the price of a house for $
2,000-3,000 is explained quite simply. This usually happens because such money
is presented to the buyer by a rather large amount. This is true if you are
required to get this money right out of your pocket right now. You can look at
the problem from a different point of view. Keep in mind that an extra 1,000
dollars in a loan for a period of 25 years will affect the payment for the
house only at the level of 5-7 dollars per month. Just decide what is more
important for you, to win 2-3 thousand dollars in the bidding process, or to be
sure that from now on this house will belong to you.
Until now,
it has been said about a simplified option for buying real estate. The
simplicity of this option is that you are the only buyer. The tactic of this
purchase is to try to buy a house as cheap as possible. In reality, this
situation is not always found. In fact, if you have chosen a really decent home
with a very reasonable price, then be prepared for the fact that you may have
to compete with another buyer or even several buyers. I had to see cases when 5
people simultaneously expressed a desire to purchase the same house. The
approach to buying a house with this option is fundamentally different from the
standard type of real estate purchase.
The first
recommendation. Decide how seriously you want to buy this house. You already
know that you are not the only contender, which means that winning the
competition will not be easy. Second wish. Do not try to buy such property
cheaply, almost always it will be useless. Each buyer knows that he is not the
only bidder, and, therefore, each of them will try to offer the seller the best
conditions. This is the main tactical idea of buying such a property. Decide
initially what is the maximum amount and what are the most convenient
conditions you are ready to offer the seller.
It’s
probably worth explaining a little why it is necessary to act in this way. The
fact is that in Canada, when buying real estate, an auction system has not been
adopted. The competition to buy a house here is more like a tender. If several
offers to buy are received at the same time, then the seller, having examined
each of them, as a result chooses one. All final negotiations are conducted
with the applicant who has proposed the best conditions of the contract.
Now,
apparently, it will be clear why your proposal should be attractive initially,
otherwise the chances of being a strong opponent are pretty small. That is why
often the interested buyer immediately offers the full amount, that is, the
amount for which the house was offered for sale. Be prepared that even such an
offer does not always guarantee success. A good house is often for sale significantly
more expensive than the price for which it was offered.
If the
seller is interested in the imminent release of real estate, try to adapt to
his terms. It is not a good idea to include a large number of conditions in a
purchase proposal. For example, ceteris paribus, your offer will most likely be
rejected if it contains a condition for obtaining transaction financing. It is
clear that in this situation, the seller will depend on whether you can get a
loan from the bank or not. Most likely, he prefers not to take risks and deal
with a buyer who does not put forward such a requirement. Carrying out a
technical inspection at home, in this case, is also hardly a good idea. In a
word, the less the seller has trouble with you, the more likely it is that he
will prefer your offer to others.
Advice
To the
recommendations on the acquisition of real estate in a situation where several
buyers simultaneously claim to purchase it, I can only add a few last details.
It happens that in the excitement to buy a house, the competing parties are so
passionate about the struggle between themselves that the final price of real
estate sales sometimes rises above the prohibitive level. As a result, the
house is being sold for money, which, most likely, is simply not worth it. In
my opinion, it is justifiable to offer a price that you consider reasonable and
justified for your personal case. Then you just need to wait for the seller’s
decision and rely on luck. Why not overpay for a house under the pressure of
emotions? Even if you really liked the house, do not forget that sometime there
may be a need for its implementation, and then the unreasonably paid price will
painfully remind yourself of itself during the sale.
The reverse
situation also happens. Some buyers, as soon as they find out about the
availability of other bidders, immediately refuse to participate in further
bidding. At the same time, the consumer considers it reasonable to wait at
home, for which no one claims to calmly bargain with its owner. In my opinion,
this is a rather controversial position and that is why. Most often, the lack
of active interest of buyers indicates the initial overpricing of real estate
prices or the fact that the house is not in the best shape. As a result, it may
turn out that we managed to find a house for which you can bargain quite
calmly, since nobody just needs it anymore.
A bit about
the reasons for lowering the price.
Often the
buyer prepares for himself a whole list of what the seller needs to express in
the struggle for the price of the house. Gather these arguments for yourself
and tell them to your agent, perhaps this will facilitate his work in the
negotiations. Nevertheless, do not be surprised if you see that he does not
show special interest in them. The fact is that an experienced agent himself
knows what to say. It can lead, among other things, arguments that are not even
among your claims to the house, but which are quite effective in the
negotiation process.
What are
the reasons for reducing prices effectively affect the seller?
The age and
condition of the roof or, more precisely, roofing material. If the age of such
material approaches 12-15 years, then there is no guarantee that in the coming
years there will be no problems with the repair of the roof. The expectation of
such work soon may be a very weighty argument in the auction. Further. Of
course, a general home renovation, if it really requires it. By the way, if you
are the only contender for the purchase of a house, then the general technical
inspection of the building will probably help in terms of arguments. An
experienced inspector will offer you a whole list of what you can pay attention
to the seller.
There are
many other tricks to help bargain for the price of a house. One has only to
remember that claims must be reasonable and their number should be limited.
Otherwise, it’s easy to get into a situation when you are asked, why are you
buying this property? And indeed, if the house is so terrible (according to the
number of claims), then what is the point in acquiring it?
By the way,
there are a number of not very effective methods of reducing prices. For
example, the unfinished basement of a house is not always an effective argument
in negotiations. You are probably surprised, because this is its significant
minus compared to houses with such an option. The fact is that many Canadian
families do not consider it necessary to finish the basement of the house and
use this part of the building only for technical and warehouse purposes.
Therefore, it will not always be easy to convince the seller that this is a
lack of home. In addition, if it was so important for you, it would be more
logical to just buy another house.
The
argument that the house stands at a noisy intersection of streets or, for
example, by the railroad also does not always work. No one hid this fact, and
the buyer saw the location of the house from the very beginning. In other
words, the house is located where it is, and, in addition, the initial sale
price already probably takes this fact into account.
Rather, it
is worth talking more about the shortcomings of the house that can be
eliminated, but such work will require additional costs from the buyer.
Moreover, it is better to talk about the disadvantages of housing that
interfere with momentary living in it. Do not confuse such claims with
arguments for home remodeling. For example, the following customer position is
often found. “The carpet in your home is green. We want to remodel it with
beige. We will certainly have to bear the cost. If you are willing to reduce
the price of the house by this amount, we are ready to buy it.” In most
cases, this is also a rather unpromising position. Having bought a house, you
have the right to subsequently rebuild and remodel it up and down, however this
has nothing to do with the seller. Another thing is if the condition of the
carpet is really poor and it clearly needs to be changed. In a word, you buy what
you see already, then you will decide how you want to see your house in the
future.
I
deliberately do not disclose all the details about buying a property, and it’s
hardly possible to tell everything. In addition, many subtleties of the
negotiation process to the consumer are not so important to know. Actually for
this you invited a specialist to work. Just trust an experienced agent who
knows well what needs to be done to succeed.
Canada is among the
countries where the standard of living is high and property prices are still
relatively low. Therefore, it is considered one of the most attractive
countries for real estate investment. Prices for houses, apartments and offices
here are growing almost constantly, ahead of inflation. And such dynamics has
been observed for the past 10-15 years.
Today, property prices
in Canada are growing at an average rate of 11% per year. Thus, the purchase of
an inexpensive apartment in the future will bring significant profits during
its subsequent sale. However, do not forget that the difference in price for
resale will be taxed on income.
What brokers say
In the event of an
increase in the value of real estate in the process of its resale, a foreigner
must pay a capital gain tax. For its calculation, 50% of the difference between
the price of the initial purchase and subsequent sale is taken, minus
associated costs (for purchase and sale). And from this amount you need to pay
tax at the usual income tax rates for residents of Canada.
Capital gain is not
paid if the property owner is a resident of Canada, and if this property was
his primary residence. It is difficult to say how much this fact affects the
overall profitability of the transaction and the attractiveness of Canadian
real estate as an object for investment. There is no definite answer here, since
the schemes for investing in real estate in Canada can be very different, the
types of real estate are different, the costs and growth in value are
different, there can also be other income / expenses, etc. For more accurate
answers, you will need to contact a Canadian accountant
Profits can also be
obtained from the rental property purchased. Firstly, for this it is absolutely
not necessary to go to Canada, just write a power of attorney to represent your
interests in the name of a resident of the country. The cost of renting
one-bedroom apartments in Vancouver, for example, averages at least $ 1,500 per
month.
Secondly, Canada has a
very large influx of immigrants – annually about 300 thousand people arrive
there for permanent residence. And all of them, one way or another, are
thinking about renting, and then buying an apartment in Canada.
It is also worth
noting that not only residents, but also foreigners can own real estate in
Canada. They can even get a mortgage, however, on slightly less favorable terms
than residents.
What brokers say
When buying property
in Canada, the owner incurs the following costs:
Buying an apartment in
a condominium: 1) Property tax – approximately 0.7% of the total cost; 2)
Monthly fees condo fee – the size depends on the area, the building itself, its
coolness, age. For example, for a 1-bedroom condo these condo fees can be of
the order of $ 200- $ 350 CAD per month, for a 2-bedroom condo – $ 350- $ 450
per month; 3) Insurance ($ 30-50 per month); 4) Utility payments (if they are
not included in the condo fee) – about $ 45- $ 50 CAD for each type (Internet,
electricity, gas).
Buying a detached
house or freehold townhouse: 1) Property tax; 2) Insurance; 3) Utility bills.
Moreover, if the property is rented out, then the owner does NOT pay utility
bills from the listed list.
How much is real
estate in Canada: offers and prices
You can invest in
residential real estate (apartments in condominiums, townhouses, separate
houses), and in commercial (offices and trading floors). Apart are investment
projects (building a hotel, for example) that require large investments, but
which bring much greater profit.
When compared with the
United States, it is more profitable to buy in Canada.
Real estate in
suburban areas and small towns in the USA and Canada does not differ
significantly in value. In the central areas of the city, the difference is a
little more noticeable, but it all depends on which American metropolis to
compare with.
However, the main difference between American
and Canadian real estate is not in price, but in the constant increase in
housing prices in Canada and the inexhaustible influx of immigrants. Entering
Canada is much easier than entering the United States, so renting a house there
or reselling it after a few years is a very lucrative business.
Premium Real Estate in Canada: Vancouver has the highest prices.
The residential real estate market in major cities of Canada and the secondary housing markets are in high demand, both nationally and internationally. In particular, in the luxury segment in many places there is a clear excess of demand, which leads to a significant increase in prices. This was found out from a survey conducted in six selected real estate markets. Conclusions are based on estimates from Engel & Völkers’ local residential sales teams. In Vancouver, the most expensive area in the city is Shaunessy, where they meet
both old and modern villa buildings. Prices for individual houses, here reach 35 million. – 40 million canadian dollars.
Another exclusive destination is West Point Gray. The area is prized for its green spaces, urban beaches and proximity to the University of British Columbia. The abundance of ocean sites in West Vancouver also makes it a welcome place to live. Consumer interest in this community north of Vancouver Centers is centered on luxury apartments available for purchase to the property and meeting high technical standards. The asking prices for property apartments in all three of these premium locations have reached C $ 20,000 per square meter. International buyers dominate the luxury real estate market in Vancouver, which accounts for 85 percent of transactions. Chinese citizens in this case constitute the largest group of buyers, followed by the French and Germans. Real estate in East Vancouver testifies to a new growing trend in which millennials – representatives of the two thousandth generation – are seeking to acquire small lofts in the area.
Canada has a high
standard of living, and housing prices are more affordable than in America or
European countries. However, according to the data for 2020, each year the cost
of housing on average grows by 11%. The country is attractive for foreign
investment in real estate. Earnings on real estate in Canada Canadian laws do
not restrict foreigners in acquiring housing. The exception is recreational
areas. Buying a property is profitable if the buyer decides to sell it after a
few years. It is worth remembering only the difference in resale, which is
taxed. Another popular way to make money on real estate in Canada is to buy
low-cost housing in order to rent it out. This does not even require a trip to
the country. A non-resident needs to issue a power of attorney in the name of a
person who lives in this country. He will represent interests.
According to the
Housing Corporation of Canada, the average cost of housing in the country is $
940 per month. Property rental is also popular due to the large influx of
immigrants. According to the immigration plan, the Canadian government for
2019-2021 will constantly increase quotas for foreigners. In 2020 alone, about
330,000 thousand people will receive a residence permit. Types of housing Condo
– an inexpensive apartment in a multi-storey building. Its area usually reaches
80-130 m² (700-1200SF). The condo includes a living room, 1 to 3 bedrooms, a
kitchen, 1-2 bathrooms. Communications and the surrounding area are considered
the collective property of all residents.
Townhouse. A type of
house that includes 3-4 buildings. Semi-detached house Private property with a
personal plot that belongs to two owners. Private housing. Such houses are
mainly built in the suburbs. Its area is an average of 350 m².
Duplex. Each owner has
his own floor. Common to all the owners are the adjacent plot and garage.
Prices are shown on
the websites of foreign real estate rew.ca, realtor.ca, antoninabc.com.
More Vancouver and
suburbs. The house will cost 1,500,000 CAD, and the apartment is about CAD
500,000.
Features of the purchase of real estate Law
firms are involved in all real estate transactions. Transactions of the seller
and the buyer are protected by the laws of the country, so the risk of becoming
a victim of fraud is minimized. Additional costs include: Payment of a law
firm. Insurance. Monthly and utility bills. The transaction is carried out by
bank transfer. For the implementation, special trust accounts are used, to
which a deposit is paid only for the sale of real estate. The owner will
receive the money after re-issuing documents to the buyer. The price of real
estate in Canada is affected by the number of rooms, the size of the living
space, and the location. In the country, housing is purchased not only for
life, but also for subsequent resale or rental. Buying housing in Canada is
more profitable than America and Europe, therefore Canada is considered an
attractive country for acquiring real estate.
Have you
decided to buy a house in Canada? We recommend that you learn about the
features of the construction of Canadian residential real estate. This country
has its own construction methods. In Canada, several types of houses are being
built:
•
appartment / condo,
•
townhouse,
• Detached
House,
• Row
House,
•
duplex-fourplex.
A
condominium is a house with several apartments or townhouses. If you live in
such a house, then you are the owner of the apartment. But the land under the
house does not belong to you. You do not own common areas.
Private
house – real estate, which is separate. This is an expensive property, because
land is expensive. Together with the house you buy a plot of land.
Townhouse –
a house with apartments in several levels. Each apartment has its own street
entrance.
Row House –
a house that connects to another house from 1 or 2 sides. Such property is like
a private house. Care of the land is carried out by each owner for his part.
Duplex-
fourplex – a house that consists of several parts. Each owner of one of the
parts has his own entrance. For his part, he is responsible for the condition
of the house and the land. Such houses are often bought in order to lease the
apartments in it later.
How are
houses built?
Homes in
Canada are built to withstand the Canadian climate. If it is a harsh region in
its climatic region, then houses are built using technologies that can ensure
its long operation. More often, houses have a frame made of wood, as well as a
foundation of concrete. Using wood in Canada is a common technology.
Where the
main breed is located close to the surface of the earth, houses are made with
the first basement. For housing, the second floor is used. On the ground floor
heating equipment is installed, as well as equipment for hot water. There are
provinces in Canada, where central air conditioners are installed outside the
houses, through the air ducts they supply air to the living quarters. The house
may have a place for washing, drying clothes.
Many houses
are built of bricks. But brick is used as a facing material. Roofs often cover
shingles, but today you can often see buildings with roofs made of metal
materials. Many houses are faced with wood or stone. Often, construction is
carried out using wood-containing materials, wall, floor panels.
How long is
a house being built in Canada? It all depends on its size, design features, as
well as what construction methods are used. The construction period is affected
by the number of inspections carried out by local authorities, how many workers
work at the facility and other issues.
Preliminary
construction
Before you
start building a house, building plans are prepared, then they are approved by
the municipal authorities. The latter issue a permit that allows you to start
building real estate. Permission can be issued both for the entire process, and
for its individual parts, for example, sewage.
At the time
of preparing the plans, an analysis is often performed that makes it clear how
close to the surface groundwater flows. Analysis results can cause a change in
the construction plan.
Foundation
construction
The land
plot is marked, the dimensions of the future house are marked, then the land is
prepared. The topsoil is removed, stacked next to the construction site, it
will then be used. Further work is carried out on the construction of supports.
At this stage of construction, water supply, electricity, communication lines
can be summed up.
When a foundation
is being built, much attention is paid to its isolation from moisture. A
special drainage system is installed, which prevents moisture from entering the
soil. By the way, at the stage of foundation construction, builders may ask to
buy materials for interior decoration. This is necessary so that later there
are no delays in the finishing of the house.
Framing
After the
foundation, external walls are installed, partitions are installed, the roof is
mounted. After this, a frame is made that allows the exterior cladding of the
house. Further windows, doors are put. Work is being carried out on the
basement: electrical lines are being carried out, plumbing equipment is being
installed, a heating and ventilation system is being installed.
At this
stage, a municipal inspection may be carried out. Local regulatory services
will want to make sure that the house is being built in accordance with
building codes. At the same time, work is often done on laying power supply
networks and plumbing lines.
Indoor and
outdoor work
Next, the
home is finished, both outside and inside. Warming of the external walls is
carried out, vapor barrier is mounted. It is possible that at this stage
another check will be carried out by the controlling services. Then the walls
are painted, ceilings are installed, kitchen cabinets are put, bathrooms are
finished. Sanitary equipment, electrics are put into operation, and interior
doors are also installed.
If siding
is used, it is also mounted at this stage of construction. Paved paths,
driveways. And again, checks can be carried out, they can be carried out after
a certain type of work, the result of which can harm the safety of residents of
the future home.
Completion
of construction
Builders
are preparing a house for delivery. They remove construction debris, finish
small work. Builders often offer the customer to go around. If there are any
comments requiring the implementation of small additional work, the builders
will make them. The house is rented to the customer with the delivery of keys.
The construction of the house is completed!
It is
likely that for the uninitiated, these English words are few that speak. This
article will focus on houses that were originally built or subsequently rebuilt
in order to lease them and, accordingly, in order to generate income.
Such a
house can consist of 2 duplex apartments, 3 apartments (triplex), four
(fourplex) or more apartments (multiplex). Now you know what these words mean.
The cost of such real estate ranges from $ 800,000 to about $ 1,500,000 or
more, depending on the number of apartments, as well as depending on the
location of the house and the annual income it brings. In downtown Vancouver,
for example, such buildings can cost several million dollars or more.
For whom
such a property could be interesting? It is worth saying right away that if you
have free money and are looking for ways to invest them most profitably, then
it is unlikely that investing in such houses will bring you big profits.
When
planning to make, for example, 5% of the value of real estate as your own
contribution, you can most likely rely on the fact that the resulting annual
income will only cover all the necessary expenses for its maintenance, taking
into account the payment of the loan and give some annual profit. From this it
can be seen that the more you are able to make your own money as your own
contribution, “down payment”, the more your income will increase.
So, who is
all the same, the person who makes sense to buy this kind of real estate? Such
real estate, in my opinion, can be interesting for people who have a free
amount of money, and who recently arrived in Canada for permanent residence.
As I wrote
in other articles, the situation of businessmen, or just people who managed to
come to Canada with a fairly large amount of money, is often not at all easier
or sometimes more difficult (for example, mentally) than the situation of
people who came here to live with a minimum of money.
Surprised?
Do not wonder. The first problem in this case is not to lose, save the money
brought in, and make it work as soon as possible.
2. The
second problem is of a psychological order. It is difficult for a wealthy
person to go to work at the factory as a worker, because there is still not
enough English, and accordingly there is no way to get a higher paid job.
Investing
in downpayment from $ 250,000 to, for example, $ 500,000 in the purchase of
such a house, can bring from $ 90,000 to $ 150,000 of annual income, and from $
50,000 to $ 150,000 of net income (excluding all expenses, excluding loan
payments). If you decide to pay the full amount of the cost of the house, and
therefore do not have to pay a bank loan, then as you can see, the income from
such a house already corresponds to the annual salary of the average working
Canadian. Buying such a home-business allows a person who has just arrived to
live in Canada to look around for several years, decide what to do next, and at
the same time begin to immediately receive income from the money brought with
them. Even if you are not able to invest a sufficiently large amount of money
to buy such a business, then in this case such a purchase may be interesting
for you.
Suppose you
buy a house consisting of 3 or 4 apartments, in which you occupy one of the
apartments yourself. Living in your own home will allow you to live, in fact,
for free, and it is also possible to make a profit from the remaining 2, 3
rented apartments. Such monthly profits can cover, for example, part of your
family expenses. Not bad at all, especially if you are already employed
yourself.
Who else
would be interested in buying such a property? Buying such a property can be an
attractive idea, not only as a momentary income generation, but also as a
long-term prospect. Having been engaged in such a business for 10-15 or even 25
years, you have enough time to pay all the bank loans taken from the bank to
purchase this property. If you are able to ensure your standard of living at
the expense of your own salary, without withdrawing the money brought by your
business, then you can make all the profits to pay off a bank loan. This, in
turn, will allow you to pay it several times faster, and in the future to
extract net income from this business.
Imagine
that when you retire, you own a couple of the houses you paid in which 6-8
apartments bring you a steady monthly income. It is likely that in this case
you do not have to worry about the size of your pension and think about how to
live on this pension.
To complete
the picture, it is worth saying that such a business, as well as any other, has
its own difficulties.
1. You will
have to deal with the serious selection of those people to whom you plan to
rent housing.
The subject
of your main interest will be the ability of these people to regularly pay a
monthly accommodation fee. Obviously, the financial insolvency of tenants to
make a rent can lead to loss of your income, and sometimes even to the fact
that you have to bear these costs instead.
2. It is
quite difficult to find people who will be careful about their housing during
their stay,
as for them
this housing is temporary.
3. If the
tenant has moved out and the new tenant has not yet moved in, the vacated
apartment does not bring you income for this period.
4. After
the congress of the previous tenant, you will have to redecorate the apartment
in order to hand it over in its pure form to the new tenant, and accordingly
you will have to bear the costs.
In
connection with the above, your personal residence in such a house is more
justified, which gives you the opportunity to have more control over the daily
situation.
There are
certain recommendations that help the selection of tenants who are able to
constantly and timely make monthly rental payments. In Canada, there has long
been a practice of the so-called “credit check” and “job letter”. “Credit
check“ – checking the credit history for solvency and habits for timely payment
of credit expenses. “Job letter“ – a letter from work indicating that the
future tenant is constantly employed, indicating the amount of annual income
and the length of stay at this place of work. Sometimes, when a person who has
arrived in the country is not able to provide a full set of such documents, the
owner of the building agrees to rent the property, provided that the future
guest agrees to pay for the accommodation immediately for six months or even a
year in advance. There is also the practice of attracting a third party to sign
a lease as a guarantor, and so on.
As you now
see, with the right approach to running such a business, the risk of losses may
not be so great.
In my
opinion, buying such a property may turn out to be some alternative for the
state RRSP program, which you probably all know about. The state program RRSP,
a fairly good pension plan for citizens, which has become quite popular, mainly
due to the fact that it allows you to reduce your annual taxable income base.
Nevertheless, this program, in my opinion, has its drawbacks.
Your money
is frozen, or rather, it is at the disposal of the state for many long years.
The second one. When you retire and set aside, for example, $ 500,000 dollars
in previous years at the RRSP, you are entitled to withdraw a limited portion
of your accumulated money each year. If you plan to withdraw the entire amount
of the money accumulated by you, then you will accordingly have to pay taxes on
the entire amount of the savings.
Investing
in real estate, which is described in this article, differs significantly from
investing in the RRSP program. You, as in the RRSP program, create your future
capital, which, nevertheless, is constantly at your disposal, and also, if you
wish, can bring you constant income in the current time. If in the case of the
RRSP program, when retiring, you can annually take out some limited part of the
money from your own savings, while reducing the amount of your capital, then in
the case of buying this kind of real estate, you will receive income from your
real estate, while the amount of your capital is not only not decreasing, but
is likely to grow over time.
You will
probably also agree that the interest of people in renting housing will always
remain, and especially in Canada, where the government is consistently pursuing
a policy of attracting new immigrants from other countries. I can only
add that by investing money in commercial real estate and extracting income
from it, you can also defer part of these income annually to the RRSP pension
program.
A fairly
large part of people believe that rental housing has its significant
advantages. They are certainly right and this is actually so. If we talk about
the benefits of renting, the first thing that usually comes to mind is, of
course, lower living expenses. On average, renting an apartment costs about $
1,500-2,200 per month, including all utility bills. Obviously, for those who
just came to live in Canada and do not have solid money brought with them, the
idea of renting a home is perhaps the only right way. It is necessary to get
financially on your feet in a new life and the less you have to pay for living
the first time, the easier it is to rise. It’s quite difficult to find a job
right away, and if you managed to do it, then the income in the beginning is
usually not large. More often than not, only one of the spouses is able to find
a job, and living with the whole family is not easy at all. It is clear that in
this situation, talking about buying real estate is simply meaningless, and this
is where renting is really for the good. At the same time, the idea of living
in a large apartment building also has its advantages. Usually people try to
settle in apartment buildings where people of the same nationality live or
closer to people who are native speakers of the same language. It is much more
convenient to communicate with compatriots, especially if the success in
English is not yet great.
A good
building often has a pool, sauna or gym, which is not bad at all. There is no
need to go far and especially pay for such services separately. Shops are also
usually located side by side. There is no doubt that living in a rented
apartment gives you the opportunity to get your benefits.
Now let’s
talk about the pros of their own housing. At the beginning of the article, we
touched on the fact that the advantage of rented housing is that it is cheaper
and costs about 1500-2200 dollars per month. To be absolutely precise, it would
be more accurate to say it was worth it. It is known that the cost of rent is
growing steadily. Most of my real estate transactions last year were related to
people who were tired of paying an ever-increasing rent. They shared what they
were lucky and they did not pay the biggest money for housing. As soon as they
move out of the rented apartment, the next incoming tenant will already pay
1800 – 2500 dollars, and not 1500 dollars at all, as it was before.
Some
consumers are preoccupied with higher rents for their own housing and do not
believe advertising, which claims that the costs in either case may be the
same. When buying a property with a minimum installment, the monthly payment
will be higher and this is true. Otherwise it can not be. Nobody would rent a
house if they could live in their own house for the same money. It will be
possible to equalize monthly payments only if you make more than your own money
when buying a home (down payment), you buy very cheap housing, or you buy real
estate, some of which you will lease. So, the truth is that for your own corner
you will almost always have to pay more. Why, then, at the first opportunity,
people try to buy their own housing? I will name alternately the reasons that
you probably know yourself.
No matter
how cheap the rental is, the fact remains that every month you pay hard-earned
money that leaves you irrevocably. Gradually, the tenant has a certain sense of
the futility of such costs. Many people who rent an apartment constantly
pronounce the same phrase: “We do not want to throw money away.”
Frankly, I do not always agree that you throw them away. You simply pay for
your stay on those conditions that are still available to you. In the end, you
need to start somewhere. Another thing is that it is really impossible to
return at least part of the money spent. That is why, sooner or later, a person
comes to the idea that it is better to pay more, but for his own.
Having
bought a house, from the first day you begin to pay a loan for real estate,
which sooner or later will become your private property. In a sense, repaying a
loan can be thought of as buying out a house from a bank in parts. Having
bought housing with a small contribution, we live in a house where only a small
part of it belongs directly to us, say, five percent. Just for fun, let’s
imagine these 5% as the value of the porch of the house, since the rest of the
house actually belongs to the bank. However, making payment by payment, you can
mentally paint yourself a picture of how one brick of the wall of a house is
recaptured after another, and they gradually become yours. That’s what the
money is now going to. Figuratively speaking, from time to time, you can
estimate the number of your own and enemy bricks in the wall and rejoice that
your share is gradually growing. Even if you decide to sell the house before
you finish paying the loan, you can take the purchased bricks with you. No, we
don’t have to break anything. Just anyone who wants your walls to serve him
from now on will have to pay the owner, that is, you. This is the big
difference compared to renting. Try the same thing there. Leaving the rented
housing after three or four years of living in it, even a couple of bricks to
take with you will not succeed. Since I was drawn to comparisons, here’s
another one of them.
Many
parents take notes on the walls and bindings of doors as their children grow.
Every year, serifs are higher and higher. Likewise, with each successive
mortgage payment, your home is growing slowly but surely.
Real estate
loan
Some people
say that, having received a loan, at first not much is paid to repay it.
Indeed, the reality is that, taking a loan, the first years you pay only in the
interest of the bank. Nevertheless, this is the way any mortgage loan works,
and whether you take it now or in three years will not change anything for you.
One way or another, everyone will still have to go the same way. Sometimes
people say that rented housing less connects them, that is, living is based on
the principle: “We want – we live, we want – we will eat.” One can
object to this statement. You can only move out of the apartment if you have
previously notified the condominium of the corporation 30 days in advance – 1
Month notice. Check your contract and make sure that a standard contract almost
always provides for such a condition. At the same time, a good house is
sometimes sold in a few days. Moreover, you, as its owner, no one can indicate
in what time frame to leave it. You can move out even in a week.
It is also
good to mention the feeling of ownership. I often have to show the real estate
for sale in which the tenants live, and not the owners themselves. It must be
admitted that the condition and appearance of such housing is always somewhat
worse. The point, of course, is not that such tenants are completely sloppy
people, not at all. It’s just that nothing morally connects them with the place
in which they live. As they say, the soul does not lie to him. Housing is
temporary and you do not really want to take care of it. Tomorrow a person will
move to his own home and the picture will change immediately. Recognize that
there is not the slightest soul movement to do anything in a rented apartment.
Many people are neat in nature and tidy up any housing they live in. I am sure
that this is done anyway without much zeal and only for my own self-esteem. Investing
in additional facilities is also of little use. All that is invested will
remain and nothing can be taken with you. Yes, and what special can be done in
an apartment where there is nowhere even to unfold imagination. So it turns out
that there is no desire to do anything, since you spend your own money and
time, and in the end all this will get to someone else. There is nothing new in
what was said, we are only talking about the elementary feeling of the
owner-owner. “Mine is mine.” Even if you decide to change something
slightly in the form of housing, do not forget that you will have to ask the
owner for permission to carry out such work. Otherwise, at the time of the
congress, the company has the right to oblige you to bring the apartment in proper
shape, that is, in the very state one that it had before your check-in. That’s
when the housing will be my own, then it is then that I would like to attach my
hands to it properly.
I can
imagine with what a feeling of warm gratitude these lines are read by the male
half of readers. Especially those who were washed down by their wives with
constant demands to make some kind of repair in the apartment. Now you can
already tell your wife that you don’t just don’t want to do anything, not at
all, just, you see, wife, there are very serious reasons against such a repair.
At least, maybe someone will be able to hold out to their own home, and there,
you see, you are lucky and you will find real estate in which you don’t have to
do anything. When renting all the time there is a feeling that your money is
not just going away, but also going to someone’s good. It is not bad that there
is at least some sense from them, although I would still like to benefit from
them myself. If you rent a home from a corporation, then this is a business in
which money is made from residents. If you rent a house from a private person,
then you are allowed to live in it for the fact that you pay a mortgage instead
of the owner. By the way, in the first case with the condominium corporation,
the situation is about the same. Most businesses take credit. If you look, then
in the skyscraper, everyone living in it, together pay a loan for the company.
Foreign profit is not a thing of being angry about this, if there is no way to
buy real estate yet. The above information is just a reminder to those who can
already buy a house, but for some reason does not. In this case, the
willingness to pay someone else’s credit instead of their own becomes a thing
obscure.
There is
another extreme. Many people want to as soon as possible refuse to rent a house
and quickly buy their own home, even if there is no material readiness for such
an act. I personally do not belong to supporters of the purchase of real estate
at all costs. Buying a house is a good idea, but you need to do it so that, as
one of my clients put it, not to be in debt. If you gave your best when buying
to the end and were left without a penny of money, then this is not the biggest
trouble. Many of us have to push ourselves to make a home purchase. The most
important and important thing is to cope with future monthly payments. Those
who have not calculated their capabilities often end up sleepless nights in
search of a solution than to pay for the house next month. I want you to sleep
soundly at night. So, buying a house is an absolutely true idea, provided that
you acquire what you are able to contain.
Many say
that taking credit on your shoulders is the same as falling into financial
dependence. You are absolutely right and this is one hundred percent, heavy and
lengthy bondage. Why, then, are so many people meaningfully taking it upon
themselves? Because such a heavy burden ultimately benefits you. You are ready
to pay more, respectively, forcing yourself to work harder to eventually live in
better conditions. The second reason. Having paid a loan, there is an
opportunity to look back, see what has been done for many years and see
firsthand the results. “Yes, I worked a lot and here is a solid embodiment
of my work – my house, which I can touch with my own hands at any moment.”
Unfortunately, having lived all his life in a rented apartment, there is
especially nothing to touch at the end of the road. All that they managed to
earn was living in a nursing home. I have never been to them, but they say that
in Canada they are very good. I don’t even know why, but I still don’t want to
live in old age in one of them. Probably affected by domestic mentality. We
still associate this place with the landfill of life.
By the way,
about the greater payment for their own housing. More often than not, we are a
little lazy and work just enough to get enough. Simply put, if you need to
cover the payment of renting an apartment and other everyday expenses, then we
earn so much. If you need to bear big expenses, then we will pull ourselves up
and will earn more. Paying for your own home forces you to raise your inner bar
and either look for a more paid job or work even harder.
A beautiful
house is not only great joy, but also pride, a kind of good feeling of owning a
chic item. It’s nice when relatives, friends come for a housewarming party or
just visit and say something like: “Wow!”. The main thing is that it
just does not sound like “Ooooops”. But seriously speaking, it’s
really great when loved ones sincerely rejoice for you, approve the purchase
and from their praises it becomes even warmer in your heart. When they arrive,
even if they are visiting, their parents and straight away immediately to a new
house. They admire the beautiful houses their children and grandchildren live
in. Sometimes, however, they ask: “Why do you have three bathrooms in the
house?” Unfortunately, sometimes, the joy of relatives is replaced by mild
sadness. “Here we have lived a life and have not seen anything like that.”
Whatever it was, the final emotions are still usually positive. “Once they
live well here, everything turned out to be right, and therefore the decision
with immigration, in general, was correct.” So they, the elderly, are
calmer. “It would be good for the children and grandchildren.” If
your parents live with you here in Canada, then with the purchase of a house
there is an opportunity to finally provide them with a decent, comfortable old
age without living in poverty.
And more
about emotions. Starting from the first day, owning a home is associated in a
person’s mind with such words as a hearth, shelter, and, if you like, even a
fortress. No wonder the saying goes: “In your house, the walls are
warm.” With every next family event in the house new memories settle in, and
the longer you live in it, the more feelings you connect with your home.
Memories of life in a skyscraper are also good, but they are more connected
with people with whom I managed to make friends during my stay in it.
Age, age,
age. Unfortunately, every day we certainly do not become younger. I already
wrote about the age factor of real estate purchase and I will repeat about this
again. If you are thirty or more, then the idea of buying a property can be
taken for yourself as a wish. If you are forty years old or more, then it’s
almost as a requirement. If you want to pay for your own house before old age
and you are already over fifty, then buying a property should be regarded as an
order for yourself.
There is
another option that gives your own housing – more rights to privacy. When the
work is finally found, then gradually the joy of receiving it is replaced by
hard everyday work, after which I want to relax more. To do this, surrounded by
a large number of neighbors, is sometimes quite difficult. It is much easier to
isolate yourself from the noisy outside world in your own corner, especially
when it comes to living in a detached house.
It would seem that
there should not be anything particularly complicated in the process of
choosing real estate. Just go and buy what you like. What is easier? Yes, I did
not forget at the same time, as you are sure that you must also have time to
keep an eye on the boundaries of the family budget.
We are, of course,
very different and for some people the selection of housing does not constitute
any difficulty whatsoever. For example, only in my practice I recall at least
3-4 cases when the first meeting with a client, by the evening, developed into
the process of buying real estate for them. By the way, if you think that these
people are absolutely or partially not normal, then, believe me, you are very
mistaken. Such a group of buyers simply regards the acquisition of a house as a
solution to their housing problem, and nothing more. As a result, certain
additional details regarding the real estate itself are no longer so important
for them.
For other buyers,
choosing a home on the contrary is quite a difficult matter, where the final
decision is given to them very, very difficult. All this in a worldly way,
however, is quite natural. For someone, always, something is incredibly
difficult to do.
For starters,
universal for everyone, and at the same time extremely simple advice. Try to
still relate to the choice of real estate without undue complexity. Of course,
buying a house was, is and will remain a rather serious task, which no one was
going to deny. Nevertheless, this is certainly not the end of the world, and it
is unlikely that the decision to purchase one housing will turn your whole
future life upside down. Do not be surprised that having lived in your “unique”
house for several years, you may find that you could live with no less pleasure
and in a pretty house opposite.
All real estate in
Canada, with rare exceptions, is quite tightly balanced in price. In other
words, if you look at home in the same price range, within the same area, then
you will come across approximately the same property every time, especially
when it comes to areas with typical buildings. No, a noticeable difference,
even for the consumer’s eyes, in the prices of such houses, of course, exists.
However, we will not take such housing into account at all, because it is
usually not competitive in any case. The aforementioned about the balance of
the market, related to real estate, competently calculated by realtors, and as
a result, offered for sale at the right price.
By the way, how long
do you think people who want to buy a house choose for themselves? From my
professional experience, on average, from two weeks to a month, in slightly
more unusual cases, at the level of one and a half to two months. According to
this, if after 90-100 days it was still not possible to pick up a house that
was in the least, I can only offer my client two options to choose from.
It is necessary to
revise the budget framework for the purchase of real estate, that is, start
looking at homes in a slightly different price range. If money is still in the
first place, then the only thing left to do is to bring its ambitions in line
with financial capabilities.
In general, the idea
so far said is extremely simple. Of course, no one is pushing you to buy
something in haste, just to grab it anyhow. However, if you stubbornly wait for
the eighth wonder of the world to appear on the market, at a price of 40% Off,
then this may not be enough for me or your life.
The final decision to buy this or that house is
especially difficult for people buying for the first time, that is, those who
are called that way – “First time buyers”. Here is a standard, with
enviable regularity, repeating mistake of a typical novice buyer. Having met a
more or less suitable house, many begin to think hard whether it is worth
buying it, or still looking for one more. I clearly like the house, and at the
same time there are a number of doubts, or the usual human indecision simply
interferes. As a result, the final decision is sometimes delayed by a day or
two, or even a whole week. It is not uncommon by the end of this period, having
added up all the pros and cons, people are even more convinced that the house
is worth buying. Lost in thought, many at this moment, completely forget about
the presence of competition. After all, the house is in a state of sale, which
means that it was examined yesterday, today, and will be evaluated tomorrow by
other, no less serious buyers. Unfortunately, too long reflections on the topic
of “take – do not take”, often lead to a sad situation when there is
nothing more to discuss, because the house has just been bought by someone
else.
As other
agents are likely, I get a lot of calls from potential buyers of real estate,
and often people ask the same, very typical questions. One of the
characteristic ones, at what exact moment is it worth buying a house?
The idea
for many is to wait for a good moment and buy real estate when the prices for
it go down significantly, or the interest on the loan turns out to be extremely
small. It would be all the more wonderful if both of them happened at the same
time at the same time (although, in my opinion, this is hardly possible in
reality).
Adhering to
this position, some people are ready to wait a year or more, if the expectation
is able to help them, in terms of successful acquisition of housing. The first
thing I would like to do is express my opinion on the issue itself, as such.
The fact is that he immediately suggests that the person asking him is not yet
a motivated buyer at all. Simply put, there is no particular need to buy a home,
which means that such a person is unlikely to be seriously engaged in such a
business. Judge for yourself if, for example, I need a car (otherwise I’m not
able to get to work, I won’t have such an opportunity), then I’m unlikely to
have the time and desire to study the state of the car market, waiting for
prices to cars will become extremely low. I’m sure that everything will be
completely different, and on the contrary I’ll grab the first more or less
decent car that meets the limits of my budget.
There is
also another, quite different from the first, reason why people are ready to
try to buy time. Very often, serious clients are ready to buy a house on the
move, but after viewing the first 5-6 houses they change their position
dramatically. The buyer simply becomes clear that the budget does not allow you
to purchase what you want. A trivial standard situation: “I don’t want to
buy a house that I can get, but I still can’t afford what I want.” At this
very moment, as a rule, the thought that seems quite reasonable comes to
postpone the purchase until better times.
It is also
interesting that the mentality of a compatriot is such that in most cases a
community representative wants to buy a detached house, or at worst, a
half-house (semidetached). Perhaps this is due to psychology, which is also
arranged in such a way that it is advisable to buy once and for all, or at
least twenty years in advance. Well, perhaps you will be interested to know
that according to Canadian statistics, on average, people in the country change
their place of residence about every five years. Understanding, however, is not
difficult. Typically, real estate in developed capitalism is a fairly accurate
indicator of the social and financial situation of the consumer. With a significant
shift of this indicator in one direction or another, Canadians simply move to
housing, more appropriate to their current financial condition.
As a
result, for many, the main argument to postpone the purchase is the desire to
save more money, and then apply for real estate of a different level.
Everything is clear, the more valuable the fur, the more expensive it is and,
accordingly, vice versa. The idea of saving more funds is great at first
glance, especially if you take it as a fact that during this period no other
events take place. In fact, everything is much more complicated and below I
will offer several ideas of what exactly you will encounter, who want to wait a
bit.
So, in
order to buy a more expensive house, we will have to postpone at least an
additional 40,000 – 50,000 dollars, and this, in turn, is a very difficult task
for most people. The most interesting thing is not even that. Do not be
surprised if, after incredible efforts, you save up and after some time you
have to buy something that has already been rejected once. The only difference
is that for a similar house this time you have to pay more, for those same
40,000-50,000 dollars. Why? I think you yourself guess why. If not, then it
does not matter, and a little lower we will return to this idea.
Another
problem that I do not want to remind once again is the age factor. Alas, we are
not getting younger and this, unfortunately, is the very iron fact that no one
will challenge. The standard loan repayment period is 20 – 25 years, and if the
buyer’s age approaches, say, 40 years, then the payer will be able to get rid
of the “put” loan at the age of 60-65. Agree, it is worth hurrying to approach
the retirement period of life with a loan paid. If your age exceeds 45-50
years, then the decision to buy a property, in my opinion, should be taken even
faster, and you should also think about how to pay your mortgage more actively.
By the way, do not calm down and those who today are no more than 30 years old.
You can say that there is still a lot of time ahead. Perhaps this is so. In
your case, this means that, having freed yourself in advance from financial
dependence on paying home, you can spend money on something much more pleasant
for yourself.
When is the best time to buy a house?
So, buy
real estate today or put off such a task for a year? Let us return to the
debts, which we stopped at the end of the previous part and which cannot be
avoided. In fact, regardless of whether we like borrowed money or not, without
a loan, as a rule, a house cannot be bought. In connection with the foregoing,
I do not see what in this sense can change in a year, two or more. In general,
as you see yourself, it makes no great sense to delay buying a property, in
fact, no.
It is worth
saying that the majority of people, for the most part, agree with this
statement, and only approach the calculations somewhat from the other side.
Here is a standard example for you: “If I buy a house and have to bear
noticeably increased housing costs, isn’t it easier for me to pay rent and at
the same time save money for a larger payment (down payment), in order to claim
the best quality housing and borrow less money”.
Indeed, it
is often a simple situation to understand such a position. Of course, I want to
collect as much of my own money as possible, invest them in buying a house and,
accordingly, pay less for the bank for interest. Many people also often say
that the first years we all do, that we mainly pay for the bank’s interest, and
that, by the way, is true.
Well, let’s
compare two situations. You buy housing and, accordingly, you live in your own
home. On the contrary, I continue to rent housing and save money for a future
purchase.
From now
on, you have your own house, where you and your family are the owners, but I
continue to live in someone else’s housing.
You have
already begun to repay the loan, and even if the first years you basically have
to repay the interest of the bank, the process of getting rid of the loan has
already begun. I still pay rent, and my money, like a year and two ago, goes
away. Only after years will I finally make a decision to buy real estate and
only enter the same path that you have successfully walked for several years.
Agree that
your living conditions, for sure, are much better than mine. Your glorious
family lives either in a separate house or in a half-house (semidetached),
possibly in a town house, where there is probably a small piece of land, 3 – 4
bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, your own garage and something else to boot. I, as you
remember, rent an apartment where there is almost certainly none of the above.
Over the
years, you started to do something at home, perhaps remodeling something to
change it to your taste. It is unlikely that it would occur to me to change
anything in the apartment due to the fact that housing is not mine, which means
that there is no point in wasting time, money and own efforts. It is no secret
that most often furniture for rented housing is bought for reasons not of what
is more like and suitable, but only for reasons of cheapness, so that later it
would not be a pity to throw it away.
Most
people, too, dream of the greatest possible right to privacy, because that is
how we are all arranged. Indeed, I sometimes want to retire from other people
to be in silence, spend time with my family, do something for fun in the
backyard, or just lie back after work. Agree that, for example, relaxing after
hard work is much easier in your own home than in a building in which, in
addition to you, another 2-3 hundred families live. Talking about flowers in
your own garden here is not at all necessary.
Usually,
those who decide to take the path of saving money insist on the following:
“We are ready to put up with all the disadvantages of living in a rented
apartment, because we believe that saving more money in the end is still more
profitable for us with the subsequent purchase of real estate.” Well,
let’s look together profitably or not profitably in reality to save a large
amount of money to buy a house.