Once you figure out what you can afford and obtain a pre-qualified mortgage, you are ready to start your search. There are a variety of sources you can use to find the home that is right for you

• Word of Mouth: telling everyone you know that you are looking for a house
• Newspapers and real estate magazines – those found on new stands, in convenience stores and other outlets, remember they have lead times so sometimes the properties are already sold by the time you view them
• The internet, check out real estate websites such as www.mls.ca for information and pictures of wide range of properties, this allows you to narrow your search by location, price, number of bedrooms and other features
• For Sale signs, drive around a neighbourhood that interests you and look for “for sale” signs. This is a good way to find homes that are being sold by the owner
• Visit new development sites: if you are looking for a newly built home, this will allow you to see the different models available and to get information from builders
• Work with a real estate agent. For most buyers, a real estate agent is key to finding the right home

Useful tips for your search:

• Keep records.
• Use Home Hunting Worksheet
• Check out existing financing on the property – it may be possible to take over a favourable existing mortgage from the vendor or even obtain a vendor take back mortgage in order to help close the deal
• Think Twice – visit on different days and times and chat with prospective neighbours and look beyond cosmetics

• Economy: take a drive through the neighbourhood and pay special attention to businesses, shopping malls and plaza's. What kind of businesses do you see and how do they present themselves? With visible signs like that, you might wonder what the area will look like in a few years and what will happen with the value of the homes in the neighbourhood in the future
• Proximity to amenities: the proximity of amenities like public transportation, schools, shopping malls and community services is something that attracts a broad range of potential purchasers, which results in a higher selling price
• Safety: with every point the crime rate in a neighbourhood rises, the value of real estate in that area drops two points
• Actual location: buying a house that fronts onto a busy street comes with traffic noise and difficulties in leaving/entering the driveway. Corner lots are larger, but also attract more traffic and are not as private.
• Future resale value: as a general rule, it is wiser to buy a modest home in the best neighbourhood you can afford than the most expensive home in a modest neighbourhood

• Condominium: you own “from the plaster in”, just as you would a single house. You own a share of the common elements, such as hallways, recreational area, staircases, sidewalks, roofs and the like. Monthly charges pay your share of taxes and insurance on those elements as well as repairs and maintenance.
• Single family detached: a free standing home which sits on its own and is occupied by only one family
• Semi-detached: a single family home that is joined to another one by a common wall
• Duplex: two self contained residential units, most commonly one about the other. The owner may live in one unit and rent the other
• Townhouse: one of several single family homes joined by common walls. These can be condominium or freehold units
• Link or carriage: houses, freehold or condominium, joined by garages or carports which provide access between the front and rear yards. Builders sometimes join basement walls so that link houses appear to be single family homes on small lots.