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Navigating the Canadian Real Estate Market: Understanding Interest Rates
Did you know that the interest rates can greatly impact the real estate market? When the interest rates are low, it makes it more affordable for buyers to finance their home purchases. However, if the interest rates rise, it could make borrowing more expensive and possibly reduce demand for real estate. Let’s delve into how Canadian interest rates should affect your decisions when it comes to buying or selling real estate.
The Relationship Between Interest Rates and Real Estate
Interest rates play a pivotal role in shaping the behaviour of buyers and sellers in the real estate market. When interest rates are low, borrowing costs decrease, making it more affordable for individuals to finance their home purchases. Conversely, when interest rates rise, borrowing becomes more expensive, potentially dampening demand for real estate.
Impact on Buying Real Estate
Affordability: Low interest rates can make buying a house much easier by lowering monthly mortgage payments. This means that more people can afford to buy homes, leading to an increase in demand for properties. However, when there’s a high demand for homes, it can sometimes lead to bidding wars, which could drive up home prices.
Purchasing Power: Low interest rates can help you afford more expensive properties or larger homes. That’s because they enhance your purchasing power. And the best part is, this can actually stimulate activity in the real estate market. So, if you’re looking to buy a property, it might be a good time to take advantage of these favourable financing conditions.
Investment Opportunities: You know what they say, when interest rates go low, investors go high! It’s the perfect opportunity to expand their real estate portfolios and go on a property shopping spree. With cheaper financing options available, they have more flexibility to add a few more homes to their portfolio, or invest in some real estate ventures.
Impact on Selling Real Estate
Market Activity: One of the most important factors to consider when selling a home is the impact that interest rates can have on the real estate market. When interest rates are low, it tends to stimulate buyer demand, which can create a seller’s market. This can mean that there are fewer properties available for sale, and as a result, sellers may receive multiple offers and achieve higher sale prices.
Timing: If you’re looking to sell your property, it can be a good idea to time your listing to coincide with periods of low interest rates. This can help attract more potential buyers who are motivated to purchase, which can create favourable conditions for sellers to achieve their desired selling price.
Competition: In a competitive market driven by low interest rates, sellers may have the upper hand. Buyers may be competing for limited inventory, which can lead to quicker sales and potentially multiple offers on a property. This can provide sellers with leverage in negotiations, giving them more power to achieve their desired outcome.
Considerations for Buyers and Sellers
Financial Planning: Whether you are planning to buy or sell (or both!), make sure you think about your financial situation and what your long-term goals are. It’s important to consider how changes in interest rates might affect what you can afford and what financing options are available to you.
Market Conditions: It’s also always a good idea to stay up-to-date on current real estate market conditions. That means keeping an eye on things like interest rates, how many properties are available, and how prices are changing. This can help you make smart decisions and get the best possible outcome.
Consultation: Finally, don’t be afraid to reach out to experts in the field, like real estate agents or financial advisors. They can give you advice that’s tailored to your specific situation and help you navigate the market more effectively. That way, you can feel confident that you’re making a well-informed decision that’s right for you.
If you’re planning to buy or sell property in Canada, it’s essential to understand how interest rates can impact your decision-making. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or an experienced seller, staying up-to-date and seeking expert advice can help you navigate the ever-changing real estate market with confidence. Let’s work together to ensure you make the most informed and strategic decisions possible!
While Your Home is Listed
Things to Know While Your House is For Sale
Now that your home is for sale, what do you do in the meantime? Here’s a list of a few points to remember and take note of so you’re not feeling helpless throughout the process.
Be Flexible
Be as flexible as possible with showing times. Make it easy for buyers to come and view your home so you don’t miss out on a potential sale. I realize that there are circumstances when this doesn’t allow but being as flexible as you can without too much of an inconvenience to your schedule will have it’s benefits.
Open Houses
I leave the decision of whether or not to do an open house up to my sellers. I’ve found that in some instances, an open house was useful and resulted in a success. However, more times than not, an open house hasn’t resulted in anything other than the neighbours coming over to visit. I leave that decision entirely up to you.
Be Reachable
I will need to contact you for showings and any offers we get and I will need to be able to get ahold of you on short notice. If you are going away, I’ll also need to know that.
Keep Clean
Try to keep your house as clean as possible during times of showings and open houses. We want to eliminate the objections a potential buyer might have and if your house shows great, then it’ll be that more attractive to buyers.
Updates
Throughout the time when your house is for sale, I will send you weekly updates in regards to the number of viewings your home has had on certain websites as well as any new comparable houses for sale and ones that have just sold. This will help keep you informed about the market in your area and help you make an informed decision about price reductions. I will also follow up with agents when a showing has occurred and what the feedback has been so you know what, if any, improvements can be made on your part.
These few things will help you reach your goal of selling your home for the most money and in the least amount of time.
Preparing Your Home for Sale
Things You Should Consider
So you’re ready to put your house up for sale. What should you do to make it more sale-able, attract more buyers, and more importantly get more money in your pocket? Here’s a list of things to consider before putting your house on the market.
Renovations
I don’t recommend doing any major renovations just to sell your home but if you are willing to do the work (or can get it done inexpensively) then consider smaller renovations like adding a backsplash, fresh paint on the walls, and landscaping to add more curb appeal. These will go a long way for potential buyers.
Clean
The power of a clean house is strong, I highly recommend giving the inside a thorough cleaning before allowing potential buyers through your door. Steam clean the carpets, wash floors, and dust. Don’t forget about the exterior. Sweep, rake, or shovel as needed, clean up yard debris, and make the exterior an attractive place that buyers want to be.
Pack
You’re moving anyways so you might as well start packing. De-clutter your home, room by room, and pack away things you don’t think you’ll need before you move. You can take down personal items like pictures if you wish but as long as it’s a reasonable amount then buyers won’t have a difficult time envisioning themselves in your home. Remove as much as you can from the kitchen counters and on the fridge doors. I recommend packing until your house feels empty but isn’t literally. That’s when you know when to stop.
Gathering Items
Before I list your home I will require a few items to make the transaction as seamless as possible. I’ll need contact information of your financial institution to send documents to once the sale is complete, a spare set of keys for the lockbox, your surveyor’s certificate for the property, and any other pertinent information required for your home.
These tips will ensure your house will be as presentable as possible and increase it’s sale-ability when it counts the most.
What Are the Costs of Selling?
You already understand the importance of hiring a REALTOR®, but what are the fees that you will incur? As a seller you don’t pay for any inspections requested by the buyer or a land titles transfer fee but there are a few costs that you will encounter.
Commissions
This is the big one. As a seller you pay both the buying and selling agent’s commissions. When you purchase a home, you won’t have this cost. This will come out of your proceeds at the end from the lawyer. Commissions are typically a percentage of the sale price of the home and most often you will see a percentage that looks like 6/4/2. This means that the commission is 6% of the 1st $100,000, 4% of the 2nd $100,000, and 2% of any remaining balance. I also can offer a flat fee commission. I find that helps with those who are sticking to a strict budget and need to know the amount they will be paying upfront. Remember, I only get paid if your house sells.
Legal
There are also legal fees associated with the sale of your home. Although it’s less than if you were purchasing, they will cost you usually between $700-$800 + GST + PST
Penalties
There may be a payout penalty on your mortgage if you are planning on selling and paying out the mortgage before your term is up. The penalty is usually 3 months of interest or the interest differential with your rate and what the current rate- whichever is higher. If your mortgage has a portability clause and you are planning on buying something after you sell, that is a great way to avoid the penalty altogether.
Miscellaneous
If you are planning on hiring cleaners to do a deep clean pre-sale, hiring a carpet cleaner, or hiring someone to do repairs, these will all have to be accounted for in the budget.
These costs and fees may seem like a lot of money but they are designed to ensure that you will achieve the most money once your house does sell and some are unavoidable. It’s better to know up front what these costs will be and will make budgeting for the new house that much easier.
