Are you planning on buying a home in Ottawa? Well, let us be one of the first to say Congratulations! In the past 10 years we have bought three homes in Ottawa (not at the same time, obviously) and we can understand what an exciting time this is for you.
You may want to try finding a home on your own or you may want to have an Ottawa Real Estate Agent help you in your search. If so, there are many knowledgeable real estate agents in Ottawa that can guide you.
There are a lot of online resources you can use to either search for homes or rental properties. A lot of sellers are now advertising online instead of the newspaper or other printed material as they can reach out to a bigger market.
Houses are usually the biggest purchase we will all make in our lives so it is important that you feel prepared and that you are comfortable with your decision. And we all know that there are so many decisions that you have to make. Try not to feel overwhelmed though.
We hope that the information that we provide to you will help to make your decision a bit easier.
Here are some of the questions you are going to want to answer before choosing a home in Ottawa. They are definitely questions we thought about while doing our search:
What Ottawa neighbourhood do we want to live in?
- Do you know in what area you want to live in?
- Do you know the different neighbourhoods in Ottawa that you can choose from?
- What amenities, schools etc do you want close by?
Do we want a brand new home or a previously owned home?
There are hundreds of Ottawa real estate agents to help you purchase a previously owned home. There are also many Ottawa new home builders who can build you a brand new home. The decision is yours to make. You will hear a lot of personal opinions from everyone around you about which is best. Check out our list of pros & cons of buying a new or previously owned home in Ottawa.
Do we know how much we can afford?
This should probably be one of your first priorities. Knowing how much you can afford in advance can help with your other decisions. For example, you may or may not be able to afford a certain style of house in the neighbourhood of your choice. You may be disappointed when you find out how much you are approved for through your financial institution or you may be pleasantly surprised. Do be careful, we have had friends tell us that they were approved for WAY more than they would feel comfortable spending each month. Remember that you don’t want to be “mortgage poor”.
Do we know what kind of house we want?
- How many bedrooms?
- How many bathrooms?
- Condo? Townhouse? Detached?
It is a very good to have an idea of what you want in advance. Make a list of the things that you can live with and those that you can live without. Prioritize! You may say that having a garage is something that you must have but having an ensuite bathroom isn’t a priority, it is just an added bonus if the house has one.
Do we know what kind of mortgage is best for us?
Looking for Ottawa Mortgages is a very important step in purchasing a home. You want to get the best mortgage rate possible and you want to make sure that it is affordable for you. Make sure to do your homework and check out the different mortgages that are available. You will also need to decide between going with one of the major financial institutions or with an Ottawa Mortgage Broker or Agent.
We would like to make it clear though that we are definitely not experts when it comes to purchasing a home. We can only speak from our personal experience when we bought our two homes as well as from those experiences of our friends and family. We strongly recommend that you do your homework and read articles, newspapers and other websites that cater to you, the home buyer.
And again – CONGRATULATIONS on buying a home in Ottawa! Try to have fun with the process and pat yourselves on the back for buying a home! What an amazing accomplishment!
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