Buying and Selling a Home For Canadians For Dummies, 5th Edition

Buying and Selling a Home For Canadians For Dummies, 5th Edition

by Douglas Gray, Peter Mitham
Released December 2020
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119715917

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Book description

  • Purchase a home within your budget
  • Find the right mortgage that works for you
  • Price and sell on your terms

Selling? Buying? Here's what you need to know

Looking for your dream house? Want to make your house someone else's dream? The new edition of this friendly guide shares secrets to help you reach your next stage in life. If you're buying, discover how to decide whether you need an agent, know what to consider as you shop, what you need to know about mortgages, how you can compare homes, and more. If you're selling, find out how to price your home, what selling will cost you, how to market your house, what's important about listings, and how to handle appraisals. Enjoy success whether you're buying or selling!

Inside...

  • Planning for your first home
  • Discovering who the players are
  • Analysing your finances
  • Understanding inspections and surveys
  • Deciding if you want to sell
  • Sprucing up your home
  • Negotiating and bargaining

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part 1: Getting Started Buying and Selling a Home
    1. Chapter 1: Buying and Selling a Home: Just the Basics
      1. Knowing the Cast of Characters When Buying or Selling
      2. Preparing to Buy a Home
      3. Considering Some Important Questions to Ask When You’re Ready to Buy
      4. Knowing What Happens When You Sell
      5. Answering Some Questions You May Have When Selling
    2. Chapter 2: Introducing the Key Players
      1. Understanding the Real Estate Agent’s Role
      2. Choosing to Go It Alone
      3. Valuing the Appraisal Process
      4. Comprehending How a Lawyer Fits into the Picture
  6. Part 2: Preparing to Buy a Home
    1. Chapter 3: Sizing Up Home Ownership
      1. Recapping the Joys of Ownership
      2. Knowing What’s Right for You
      3. Knowing What You Want
      4. Knowing When the Time Is Right
    2. Chapter 4: Understanding Your Finances
      1. Increasing Your Down Payment
      2. Getting Up Close and Personal with Your Finances
      3. Determining What Size Mortgage You Can Carry
      4. Getting a Head Start with a Preapproved Mortgage
      5. Anticipating the Closing Costs
      6. Remembering Little Extras You May Not Have Considered
    3. Chapter 5: Knowing Your Mortgage Options
      1. Defining Your Financing Goals
      2. Mastering the Lingo: Mortgage Jargon 101
      3. Understanding the Types of Mortgages
      4. Mortgage-a-rama: All the Nifty Options
      5. Playing It Safe: High-Ratio Mortgage Insurance
      6. Covering Your Bases: Life and Illness
      7. Going Mortgage Hunting: What You Need to Do to Get a Mortgage
      8. Questioning Your Lender
      9. Helping Your Lender Help You: Prepare Your Information
  7. Part 3: Discovering Your Perfect Home
    1. Chapter 6: Finding a Home That’s Right for You
      1. Looking Closer at Your Housing Options: Determining the Best Fit
      2. Buying into a Fresh Start
      3. Following a Lead: Resale Houses
      4. Rising Ambitions: Investigating Condos
      5. Living Co-operatively
      6. Home Owning as an Investment
    2. Chapter 7: Shopping for a Home: The Nitty-Gritty
      1. Finding the Right Home for You
      2. Checking Out the ’Hood
      3. Drilling into Opportunities
      4. Getting Up Close with Foreclosures
      5. Taking a Closer Look at Properties
      6. Coming to Grips with Coming up Empty
      7. Getting Fired Up: Recognizing What Powers the House
      8. Stacking Them Up — How the Homes Compare
    3. Chapter 8: This Home Is Great! (Except for … )
      1. Putting Your Emotions Aside
      2. Reality Check: Can You Fix the Home’s Problems?
      3. Catching a Flipped Home
      4. Check It Out: Investigating Your Prospective New Home
  8. Part 4: Getting the House You Want
    1. Chapter 9: Making a Deal on Your New Home
      1. Preparing to Make an Offer
      2. Ready to Purchase: Making an Offer
    2. Chapter 10: Signing On to a New Life
      1. Taking Care of the Paperwork
      2. The Ins and Outs of Inspections
      3. Inspecting a Newly Built Home
      4. Sizing Up an Inspection Report
      5. Checking Out Condo Inspections
      6. You Are the Owner of All You Survey
    3. Chapter 11: Protecting Your Interests: Insurance and Warranties
      1. Insuring Your Home
      2. Finding Out Whether the Property Comes with a Warranty
      3. Preparing for the Preclosing Walk-Through
    4. Chapter 12: Closing Time: Closing Events and Moving Day
      1. Identifying What You Sign
      2. Recognizing What You Pay
      3. Taking Possession on the Possession Date
      4. Making Your Moving Experience One to Remember
      5. Being Organized: The Moving Timeline
  9. Part 5: Preparing to Sell Your Home
    1. Chapter 13: Deciding To Sell (or Stay)
      1. Making the Big Decision
      2. Looking At Your Budget: Your Finances
      3. Considering Your Mortgage When Moving
      4. Knowing the Ups And Downs Of Financing
      5. Timing Your Move
      6. Changing Your Mind about Selling
      7. Considering Estate Sales to Sell Your House
    2. Chapter 14: Setting a Price and Knowing the Cost
      1. Pricing Your House to Sell
      2. Comprehending the Basics of Appraisals for Sellers
      3. Sum Fun: The Math of Selling Your Home
      4. Some Good News about Taxes
    3. Chapter 15: Making Your House Shine
      1. Taking a Closer Look at Inspections for Sellers
      2. Undertaking Home Improvements
      3. Going to Market
      4. Showing (Off) Your Home
  10. Part 6: Sealing the Deal
    1. Chapter 16: Examining Listings and Disclosures
      1. Getting the Lowdown on Listing Contracts
      2. Grasping the Importance of Disclosure Statements
    2. Chapter 17: Understanding the Legal Stuff
      1. Cooking Up a Recipe for a Successful Contract
      2. Reading the Recipe: Basic Contract Know-How
      3. Keeping Condo Owners Covered
      4. Examining Deeds and Titles
    3. Chapter 18: Being Cognisant of Negotiating Tricks and Bargaining Chips
      1. Keeping Your Eye on the Prize: What’s Really Important
      2. Getting an Overview of the Negotiating Process
      3. Contending with Multiple Offers
      4. Dealing with Backup Offers
  11. Part 7: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 19: Ten Regional Concerns When Buying a Home
      1. Check Transportation Routes in Cities
      2. Be Cautious about Industrial Sites
      3. Stay Away from Major Roads If You’re Noise-Sensitive (Or Nose-Sensitive)
      4. Be Certain Your Street’s on the Level
      5. Make Sure You’re in a Good School District
      6. Be Sensitive to How Local Climates Can Affect Your Lifestyle
      7. Watch Out for Waterways
      8. Only You Can Avoid Wildfires
      9. Research Services in Rural Areas
      10. Think Twice about Leased Land
    2. Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Condo Buyers
      1. Insist on Seeing and Reading Documentation
      2. Have the Condo Inspected
      3. Use Your Measuring Tape If You Buy New
      4. Get to Know the Board of Directors
      5. Stay Away from High-Rental Developments
      6. Watch Out for Maintenance Fees That Are Too Good to Be True
      7. Ask about the Building’s Commercial Property
      8. Share as Few Walls as Possible, Especially If You Crave Quiet
      9. Own Your Locker and Parking Space
      10. Check for Signs of Aging
    3. Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Home Sellers
      1. Sell When Your Home Is at Its Peak
      2. Prepare Your Home for Sale
      3. Fix the Little Things
      4. Light It Up
      5. Let Your Neighbours Know
      6. Know Where to Advertise
      7. Get Your Documents in Order
      8. Prequalify Buyers
      9. Tighten Security
      10. Send Notifications: My Dear Tenants …
    4. Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Protect Your Investment
      1. Inspect the Exterior
      2. Know Your Surroundings: Landscaping, Yard, and Deck
      3. Maintain Heating and Cooling Systems
      4. Stay Warm: Insulation
      5. Breathe Easy: Ventilation
      6. Sleep Soundly: Home Safety
      7. Keep an Eye on Your Doors and Windows
      8. Cook Up a Storm in a Safe Kitchen
      9. Get Away in a Leak-Free Bathroom
      10. Into the Dark: The Basement and Attic
  12. Glossary
  13. Index
  14. About the Authors
  15. Advertisement Page
  16. Connect with Dummies
  17. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Buying and Selling a Home For Canadians For Dummies, 5th Edition
  • Author(s): Douglas Gray, Peter Mitham
  • Release date: December 2020
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119715917