With Covid-19, Real Estate has had to adapt to help buyers be able to find their next home by simply searching online & being able to view the home virtually.
As a home buyer, you have many options in the various style of homes you can find. Whether you are looking for a condo, townhome, single family, luxury, lakefront, acreage – and if you prefer a bungalow, side-split, back split, 2 storey, century home, new build or even a pre-construction. But what is the most important consideration is that you choose a home that compliments your taste and your income.
To narrow down your choices, take in to consideration a few things:
- Be realistic in your budget & stick to it (getting properly approved by a mortgage advisor)
- Determine your desired location (proximity to work, commuting (?), schools, parks, trails, etc)
- Consider the amount of bedrooms & bathrooms you need (plan 5 year ahead – will it fit your future plans)
- Do you require a large property (maintenance to think about), out door space, deck, balcony or yar
Things to consider when searching online for your next home
When it comes to house hunting online, there are a lot of things that a buyer can do to narrow down what style and type of homes would best suit their needs. When you have a realtor working with you on your behalf and sending you listings, those listings will have much more information that you can find on Realtor.ca.
A few tricks when looking online:
Since Covid has come to life and has affected our world, many realtors have adjusted to the times and have create many new marketing material to enable better virtual showings. At Hearth & Home Team, we now offer 3D Iguide tours which offers you the property’s custom floor plan, as well as a 3D walk thru tour of the home. The 3D guide does not hide any blemishes in the home and so you are able to get a better feel for the floor plan, layout, finishings, and sizes of rooms.
When you are looking at photos online, if you are having a hard time trying to figure out the kitchen size, a little trick we like to tell our clients is to count the floor tiles. Most tiles are 1 feet wide and so you can count how wide or narrow the kitchen size truly is. As we all know, pictures can be deceiving. Also when looking at photos, analyze how your furniture could fit in those spaces. This will allow you to see if the property may be too small for furniture or perhaps a great fit.
Take notes on any renovations you would require
Not everyone home you find online will be the exact perfect home you want (unless you go with a pre construction & pick your finishings). Take in to consideration when looking at a property on things that you would want to do upgrade in the house and take that into consideration in your budget. Paint colors deter a lot of home buyers but remember, paint is a quick fix, changing a floor plan is a lot more expensive & difficult.
Consider the outdoor space
Now that we all have been locked down at home, working from and even teaching from home, taking in to consideration your outdoor space has never been more important. Are you looking for something with a large backyard, a small deck, balcony, gardens? You need to remember having a huge backyard is great but you need to consider how you will use your backyard, what you will require in your 5 year plan & the amount of maintenance that it may require. Do you need space so that you can put in a pool (above or unground), perhaps you will require a playset, or perhaps you don’t want a yard at all but just a small patio area.
Narrow your home search
Once you have narrowed down your home search, call your local Realtor (or your favorite RE/MAX Real Estate Team – Hearth & Home featuring Mariale Schrobback & Heather Beauchesne) !
