If you’d like to buy and move into a beautiful new home this spring, then your countdown has already started!

While the spring might seem far away now, the rush of real estate’s biggest season will be here before you know it. There are many things you’ll need to do to get prepped and ready to buy a home.

Here are a few things you should get started on now in January so you’re ready for the spring market!

Get your finances in order: Now is the time to pull up your budget, your paystubs, your debt, and your credit score. First, make sure that your credit score is strong and that your debt is in a manageable spot. Your lender will look closely at both of these things and it will play a part in your interest rate and your qualification for a mortgage. Then make sure that your expenses, income, and budget are all lined up. Lastly, check on your savings account for your down payment and closing costs and make sure that it’s in good shape.

Get organized: You’ll need all of your financial paperwork around your taxes, income, debts, and assets handy for your lender. Gather all that paperwork now and organize it in folders or a binder so you’ll be prepared to get pre-approved when you’re ready to start looking at homes.

Start doing your real estate homework: Your agent will guide you through every step of the buying process, but it’s so helpful for buyers to have some background knowledge of the real estate process. You’ll feel much more confident and informed if you read up on the steps of buying a home and what you should be looking for as a buyer.

Find the right agent: It’s recommended that you interview at least 3 real estate agents so you can get an idea of what communication and working style best meets your needs. You’re looking for a knowledgeable, experienced agent you can trust and feel comfortable working closely with!

If you want to get started on your journey to buying a new home this spring, click here to get your FREE copy of the Buyer Guide!

Planning a festive gathering but want to skip the stress? Here’s how to throw a fabulous holiday party with ease, inspired by tips from Martha Stewart:

Get those invites out early! The holiday season is hectic, so ensure your guests can pencil you in by sending invitations ahead of time.

Utilize what you already have at home. Scour your cupboards for party essentials like plates and decorations. This not only saves money but also adds a personal touch to your party setup!

When it comes to food and drinks, it’s better to have more than less. You’ll avoid the worry of running low, and guests will appreciate the abundance.

Don’t shy away from asking for help. Friends and family are often happy to contribute, making the party more fun for you and memorable for everyone. With these tips, you’re all set to host a stress-free, joyous holiday celebration!

Make sure to bookmark this link so you have ideas for your holiday party!

Source: https://www.marthastewart.com/856462/how-host-easy-holiday-party

Building a home is becoming more and more common and with good reason! You can design your home exactly the way you want it, complete with your favourite flooring, appliances, and finishes.

But the process of building a home from start to finish can add up quickly, especially when you add in all the extras like those luxury finishes or specialized rooms. While there are many ways to splurge while building a new home, there are also several opportunities to actually save money on building so you can put that money to use elsewhere! Let’s go through the 4 best tricks to save money on the building process.

1. Build up not out: If you want more square footage, you might think that the only way is to build out the floor plan on the same level and expand horizontally. But building out requires more foundation, more roof, and extra lot space. These three things can make up the bulk of your home cost. Instead of building out, consider building up by adding a floor. This will help you add square footage without the added cost of expanding the foundation or roof.

2. Group your wet rooms together: Wet rooms are all of your rooms that require plumbing–think your bathrooms, laundry room, and utility room. By grouping these rooms together, you’ll have your plumbing lines in the same spot. This will decrease the amount of plumbing you need to run throughout the house, which can get expensive!

3. Consider your flooring: Tile and real hardwood floors are nice, but they can get extremely expensive, especially when used throughout the home. Instead of these pricer options, use luxury vinyl plank (also known as LVP). LVP has the look of real wood or tile, but it’s much cheaper. It’s also great with pets and kids and is growing in popularity, so you have lots of options!

4. Look at different building materials: Some builders default to the most expensive building materials like stone and brick. But you can get similar looks at a fraction of the cost with a stone or brick veneer. If you’re not a fan of brick or stone, you can look at other lower-cost building materials like stucco, vinyl or hardy board, or siding.

Building a new home and construction delays often go hand in hand. Delays and changes to the construction timelines are commonplace due to things like material supply chain delays, labor-related delays, or the home simply needing more work than originally anticipated. 

If you’re not prepared, these kinds of delays can throw off your plans and cause chaos, ultimately resulting in more stress and challenges. But with these 4 tips, you’ll be prepared to navigate home construction delays and will have the knowledge you need to handle and plan for unforeseen delays.

1. Set realistic expectations and flexible timelines. Work closely with your builder to understand their timeline and what goes into each part of the construction. If you have questions about a certain portion of the timeline, ask! If there are certain milestones that need to be hit by certain dates, make that clear to your builder so you’re working from the same expectations. From there, you can set your expectations–but remember to be flexible. Delays happen and can’t always be foreseen.

2. Focus on communication: Sometimes delays happen because communication breaks down between the builder and the buyer. To avoid this, make sure you have a designated contact person at your builder who will be your go-to liaison to answer questions. Then, set a regular check-in schedule with this contact. Standard check-ins will ensure that you’re always apprised of what’s going on with your build, and when delays do happen, you can alter course quickly.

3. Understand the why: Though flexible timelines, clear expectations, and communication will help avoid delays, they are still bound to happen. When something does come up, work with your builder to find out why it happened. Once the builder has determined the cause, you can work together to see if other delays will happen as a result and how to avoid them.

4. Have a contingency plan! This is probably the most important tip. Having a contingency plan will help you avoid the headache of scrambling to find housing if your home isn’t built in time. Plan for delays and for the build timeline to be longer than expected, and have a solid Plan B to fall back on in case a big delay does happen.

Your real estate agent will be by your side throughout the entire build process and will help you navigate those delays.

As a homeowner, it’s nearly guaranteed that you’ll need the help of a contractor at some point. Contractors bring the expertise and experience you need to have a successful home project completed. But not all contractors are the same!

While there are amazing contractors out there who are pros at what they do and at running the business side of things, some other contractors can either be a nightmare to work with or may leave you with poorly done work. That’s why it’s imperative that you ask any contractor these 6 questions to make sure the contractor is a good fit.

1. How long have you been in business? A contractor who has run their business for a while is more likely to be doing good work and will have more experience. Be cautious around new businesses that don’t have many reviews or references.

2. How long have you worked with the subcontractors? Most contractors will subcontract out some of the work, especially for large projects. You should check on the subcontractors and make sure that the working relationships between the contractor and the subcontractors is good by asking this question.

3. How many other projects are you working on? It’s common for projects to exceed the originally quoted timeline. This often happens because of delays in materials, but it can also happen if a contractor has overbooked their team. Asking this question will help you get an idea of how long the work will take.

4. What is the expected payment system? Every contractor is different when it comes to money. Some want 50% upfront and 50% at the end of the project, others will put you on a payment plan throughout the length of the project.

5. What kind of insurance do you carry? Working with an insured contractor is critical if you want any peace of mind. Make sure your contractor carries all of the required insurances for their work as this will protect you in case of an error or accident.

6. Who is my point of contact? Many contractors will work with you directly while others will have you work with an account manager. Make sure you know who the best person to contact is so you can get your questions answered quickly.

A great contractor is like a great real estate agent–basically your best friend! If you want recommendations for contractors in our area, reach out to our team!

When you’re going through the real estate process, you’ll have the expert help of a real estate agent to guide you. But, like most things in life, the journey is a whole lot easier when you’re informed and have a foundation of knowledge to draw on.

This is one of the reasons why buyers should check out the Buyer Guide, which has a ton of great info and provides an overview of the real estate process. But chances are that you haven’t heard much about 4 things that can really impact your home buying experience because no one really seems to be talking about them. Let’s change that!

The Power of Pre-Approval: A pre-approval is basically a stamp of approval from a lender that says that you’re likely to qualify for a certain amount of a mortgage loan based on your financial situation and history. This is a big deal for sellers because it means that if they select your offer with a pre-approval, your financing is much more likely to go through and the deal has a much higher chance of successfully closing.

Hidden Gems in an up-and-coming neighbourhood: Buying a low-priced hidden gem–a property with great potential that doesn’t require a total remodel–in a neighbourhood that’s not yet popular is a smart real estate strategy. Why? As the neighbourhood gets more popular and more amenities pop up, the house will appreciate in value due to the location. This means that you can build equity quickly and make a great return on your investment when you sell.

Future Resale Factor: When you’re looking at homes, don’t forget to focus on the future resale factor of the property. You’re making an investment when you buy a home, so it’s important to make sure that it will net a positive return on investment when you go to sell. Ask your agent to help you find properties with features that will add to its future resale factor.

The Art of Compromise: Buying a house is a way of making a business deal with the sellers. As with most deals, negotiation and compromise is the way to create a deal that works for both sides of the table. Before putting an offer down, ask yourself what you’re willing to compromise on and then expect to negotiate over those compromises. This is another reason why it’s important that your agent is a skilled negotiator!