For most of us, buying a home is the largest, most complex purchase we’ll ever make.

Whole industries and sub-industries have formed to help ease the understandable anxiety we endure before we sign on the dotted line to close a deal: real estate brokerages, real estate lawyers, mortgage brokers, property inspectors. That’s a lot of people doing a lot of things for us, and it’s not always clear what we should expect from each.

Home inspectors might be the most interesting of the lot. Home show king Mike Holmes has been dining out on a line for years: “The home inspection industry is like the Wild West — a lot of cowboys but not a lot of sheriffs.”

In order to protect consumers, British Columbia introduced mandatory licensing of home inspectors in

Mortgage Terminology

To Understanding common Mortgage Terminology  we have to start with the basics:

What is a mortgage?

A mortgage is a word that has been in the English language since the late 1300s and comes from the French “mort,” which means “dead,” and “gage,” meaning “pledge.” Therefore, a mortgage, in the real sense of the meaning of the word, means that the security pledged to the mortgagee for the debt will be taken from him if he fails to pay the debt, and will, therefore, be “dead to him upon condition.” on the other hand, the mortgagee fulfills the obligation to pay the debt, the pledge is dead. Either way, something dies.

A dictionary definition is much simpler and tells us that a mortgage is a “temporary, conditional pledge of

The current commodities crisis has opened a new avenue of home sales, the purchasing and selling of foreclosure property.

There can be profit in dealing with undervalued foreclosure property but there are pitfalls that must be taken into consideration. If your an investor and have the ability to make repairs/updates if needed on a foreclosure then maybe this is something that you should look at.Often houses that end up in foreclosure have a lot of "baggage" with them. Sometimes it can be a house that's not finished and will need more work, permits etc. to finish and some houses are left in a condition that make them unlivable.

With low interest rates at the moment there are opportunities for people to buy a foreclosed property but an experienced

Buying or selling a home is probably one of the largest investments you will ever make. That is why it is important to choose the correct REALTOR® that will work to your benefit, to guard your equity and your future.

Which REALTOR® should you choose? Some people sign with the first REALTOR® that comes along, later, they realize they should have interviewed several people prior to signing. Not all REALTORS® are the same.

This will provide you with some selection criteria and some questions to ask. When you are choosing a lawyer, doctor or health care practitioner you would interview several people before you select an individual you are most comfortable with. The same rule applies to a real estate agent.

When it comes to your next home it makes

With the Feb. 29 deadline for registered retirement savings plan contributions looming, many Canadians are wondering whether it is better to pay off debt or add to their RRSP.

Financial advisers say that while making any contribution to an RRSP or a tax-free savings account (TSFA) is always a good thing, clearing up consumer debt should be the first priority.

“If they’re in credit card debt then forget it, all they should be focused on is paying off that debt,” said David Trahair, a chartered professional accountant in Toronto. “Forget buying a house, forget RRSPs and focus on making money and spending less so you can pay off first the credit card debt and then the student loan debt.”

Canadians with taxable earnings can contribute up to 18 per

Thinking of buying your own place? It’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed. After all, it’s the biggest purchase you can make. In an effort to remove some stress from the equation, here are a few tips from the experts.

Don't forget to read our buyers advice pages..

What to do when you’re a first-time home-buyer:

1. Get pre-approved.

Some real estate agents won’t even work with you until you’ve been pre-approved for a mortgage. This is an important first step in the home-buying process. You don’t want to start house-hunting and fall for a home you can’t afford.

Plus, there may be problems with your credit that you don’t know about.

“Sometimes people are just unaware that they may have like a Sears card that they forgot to cancel and it’s

Annual outlook foresees weak demand, increase in supply, and no change in economic situation

Fewer homes will sell this year than last and they will sell for less money, the Calgary Real Estate Board predicts in its latest annual outlook, released Wednesday.

"This is a bona fide buyer's market and I don't see that changing in this calendar year," CREB president Cliff Stevenson told reporters.

The real-estate board foresees no change on the horizon for the local economy and expects demand for housing in 2016 to be weak.

Total sales activity is projected to fall to 18,416 units, down 2.2 per cent from the already low mark set in 2015.

Home sales in Calgary last year plunged 26.3 per cent from 2014.

CREB also predicts price declines in 2016

Housing sales and prices are up over 2015 and the trend seems to be continuing into 2016

Listen to the CBC report here

© http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/kamloops/housing-market-in-kamloops-appears-to-be-busy-1.3433589

If you’re listing your strata property and haven’t sold one before, there are some things you should know

The process of selling a strata property is not the same as selling a house, and it tends to be much more involved when it comes to drawing up the paperwork.

What Are You Actually Selling?

One of the major differences between selling a house and a strata property boils down to what exactly you are selling. When you sell a house, you are selling the home and the land it is on. With a strata property, you could be selling a unit with or without land depending on the development type. Typically, a strata property sale will also include areas that are under shared ownership by all unit owners in that complex.

It is important to understand

Projects that can increase -- or decrease -- the value of your home

Canadians are investing in home improvement like never before.  While most plan to spend reasonable sums, others say they'll go all out: luxurious materials, home theatres, a Jacuzzi on the patio...even $60,000 kitchens are not that unusual! But how much of their investment will be recovered when their house sells?

Homeowners tend to embark on renovation projects to meet their needs, improve their quality of life or simply pamper themselves with a little luxury. But even if you're renovating primarily for your own sake, you should try to assess the post-project increase in the value of your house, just in case you ever want to sell. There is also the fact that a renovated house will