Buying a house is never a sudden decision. It often involves years of planning and consideration. You evaluate all the factors many times over, be it the neighbourhood, budget, type of houses, financing. Along the way, you keep an eye on the market trends and do some mental calculations over the estimated budget of the house.

And when you have finally saved enough for a healthy down payment, you then seriously start the house hunting. However, most buyers are aware that property investments are a big-ticket decision full of intricate procedures, so they decide to see professional help.

Thanks to a real estate broker, the entire process of buying a house – which is otherwise quite complex – can turn out as smooth as you wish. And when the dream house you eye are in Montreal, you confidently know not much would go wrong since the city has stringent real estate laws in place.

There is plenty to know when you decide to buy one of houses for sale Montreal. Some of the key things are –

Check how much you can afford

When you’re planning to buy a home, you should have some sort of idea on how much you can afford. This involves two factors – first, how much can you save for down payment and second, how much can you get as mortgage financing. While saving for the down payment is entirely in your hand, getting a good mortgage is something you need to work for. So, basically, while you plan to buy a property, you should all along give focus on increasing the income and taking steps to availing a lower mortgage rate.

Know where you want to buy

Montreal is a world-class city, so buying a house here won’t not come cheap. Buyers from all over the world line up to invest in real estate in this fantastic city rich in architecture and landscape, and this often makes the house prices go north. But yes, a good planning can help you find the most ideal property in your budget. All you have to do is decide in advance which locality you want to buy. While some parts of the city are definitely on the higher side of price, you can always divert you search towards the localities that meet your budget range.

Understand the closing costs

Most home buyers make the mistake of only calculating the estimated budget without considering the final costs they would need to pay up at the time of completion of the transaction. These are closing costs and your mortgage won’t cover that. Since these costs are not small, you must consider them while planning to buy a house. And if you did not calculate the closing costs, it might put your finances out of order when you’re ready to get the keys to the house. In general, closing costs include land transfer fee, home inspection fee, charges for survey, legal fees, notary fees etc.

Start saving for the down payment

Down payment is something you just can’t wish away if you want to buy a house. A majority of buyers often find it hard to arrange the required percentage of down payment for the property despite doing everything else right. A good strategy is to start putting aside money in advance so that you can have saved enough by the side the purchase day comes. And when you have saved enough for the down payment, its benefits could also be felt on the kind of mortgage interest you can solicit from banks. In fact, you can also save additional costs when you maintain a good ratio between down payment and mortgage financing.

Get a mortgage pre-approval before moving ahead

Planning to buy a house and setting up a meeting with a real estate broker shows your true intention about the purchase. You know your objective well, so you make the moves accordingly. However, when you approach an agent, they are not aware of your seriousness unless you have a mortgage pre-approval in hand. And when you’re pre-approved, the agent will show interest in you and can start searching for the right property within your budget.

Consider seeking professional help

As a buyer, you should know how a real estate deal is full of complexities at each step of the way. In has so many procedures and variables that you alone might feel confused and overwhelmed at times. And if you went ahead all alone, chances are you might end up either overpaying for the property or getting a house that is fraught with some risks. To avoid these big hassles, you can hire a broker and make the entire exercise flow as effortlessly as you wish it.

Final Thoughts

Buyers are often impatient and they want to get their hands on the dream home as soon as they can. Some are even in so much rush that they don’t seek professional help at all while buying new and pre-owned houses for sale. You however can avoid all the risks involved in buying a house if you hire an experienced broker and take their help along the way.

FRENCH TAGS: Maisons à vendre Montréal, Acheter des maisons neuves et condo à vendre