The First-Time Home Buyer Incentive Cheat Sheet

Tanya LaRose 0 comments 02.09.2019

All outlined details are accurate as of September 2^nd, 2019:

• Available across Canada starting September 2^nd, 2019 until March 31^st, 2024 -OR- when the 1.25 billion dollars allocated for this program has been depleted.
• “The Incentive” is a Shared Equity Mortgage Loan.
• The Government of Canada will share in the upside and downside of the property value upon repayment.
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and non-permanent residents may apply.
• The property must be in Canada, available for full-time occupancy, with 1-4 units.
• Applicants must have a total household income less than $120,000 to qualify.
• Your total borrowing limit is up to four times the qualifying limit ($480,000)
• Your down payment + incentive is less than 20% of the property value.
• At least one applicant must be a first-time homebuyer, defined as the following:
• Never purchased a home before
• You recently experienced a breakdown of marriage or common-law
• You have not occupied your “family home” in the last four years
• “The incentive” is a second mortgage on title. There is no principal payment, no interest, and it has a maximum term of 25 years.
• It may be switched to a different financial institution without having to repay “the incentive”.
• No prepayment penalties. Repayment can be made on the sale of the property, at the end of the 25 year term, or at any time through voluntary repayment of the full incentive amount (no partial payments).

If you have additional questions, please contact your trust mortgage expert. For assistance in procuring your home, please contact Tanya LaRose at 306-380-7325 to begin the home buying process.

5 Ways To Win Big In A Buyer’s Market

Tanya LaRose 0 comments 01.08.2017

1. Be Prepared – Attractive buyer’s hold the most power in any real estate transaction. These ideal buyer’s are pre-approved for a mortgage and have no other home to sell or have an accepted offer on their current home. By preparing accordingly, it increases your chances of getting the property you want on the terms you want.
2. Be Watchful – Even in a down market, nice homes that are priced well do not last long. Your real estate agent can connect you to the MLS® system so that you will automatically receive new listings within a desired criteria. Receiving this information in real time will give you an upper hand over other competing buyer’s not utilizing an agent or this service. Combine this with a readily available real estate agent and you will secure your new home in no time!
3. Be Informed – Before deciding on an amount to offer, you will want to know what other similar properties in the area have sold for so you are not overpaying. Real estate agents have such statistics at their fingertips, so be sure you discuss fair market value with your agent before submitting an offer.
4. Be Strategic – Once you have found the property you would like to further pursue, find out how long it has been on the market and how many times it has been listed without selling in the last couple of years. This information is easily accessible to your real estate agent and is vital in negotiations.
5. Be Creative – There is more than one way to increase monetary value in your real estate purchase than through price alone. If you are buying a house and the seller will not budge on price, your real estate agent can negotiate other inclusions such as a replacing old windows, re-shingling a roof, or improving another feature unique to the house. The implications of this negotiating technique can be tricky, so you will need to work closely with your real estate agent on this one.

For more information on how to successfully maneuver in a buyer’s market, contact Tanya LaRose with RE/MAX Saskatoon at 306-380-7325.