Nothing is more emotional and more highly charged than purchasing the place where you are going to raise your family, put down roots in the community, become involved in schools and other civic organizations. And to make that decision without having an advocate is nothing short of foolhardy. It is in your best interests to be adequately represented in this, the most important of all financial investments for your family’s well being. Although the home buying process varies with each person according to their specific needs, most transactions follow a general path.

To avoid the stress of purchasing a new home, secure all the information you can about a property, make informed intelligent decisions and avoid these 10 Buyer’s Mistakes:

6. More concerned with others’ opinions instead of trusting their gut.

Because buying a house can certainly be emotional, many buyers rely on the opinion of others instead of their own.  Therefore, it is important that you be armed with a practical checklist. Being prepared before you preview homes with your Realtor will help keep your search for the perfect house on track. Begin your home buyer checklist by writing down the minimum requirements you expect in a new home. You can also add some of the wish list items you would like to have but are not absolute necessities. Once you review potential homes against your list, trust your gut. Remember, this is going to be your home.

7. Choose the wrong agent to represent them.

It’s just as important to shop around for the right real estate agent as it is to shop for the right home. A wrong person leading you through this extensive process can lead to hassles and headaches. To find the right real estate agent, get referrals from family and friends. Do research online. Ask your potential real estate agents lots of questions! They should seem willing and able to answer any and all questions you may have. The more you ask, the more educated you can be to make the right decisions.

8. Think that by dealing with the listing agent they will get a better deal.

Buying a home without a real estate agent doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll save a bundle.

Many home buyers believe they can negotiate a discount off the price of the home they want to purchase if they forgo the services of a real estate agent and instead contact the seller’s realty agent or the seller directly on their own. This strategy may be successful on some occasions; however, it could also flop and potentially alienate both the seller’s agent and the seller. In some cases, the seller’s agent will not talk to you without the representation of a buyer’s agent.

9. They try to time the market or interest rates.

Now is a good time to buy – prices are down,  interest rates are low, there are lots of homes to choose from and you can bargain with sellers. If you try to wait and time the market, you are likely to lose out. Just as no one can accurately predict the peaks and valleys of the stock market, the same holds true for housing. Most likely, your guess on market timing would be wrong. But if you choose to buy now, you will not only be in the driver’s seat during the buying process, you will also reap the gains of price appreciation once you become a home owner.

10. More focused on finding a good deal than finding a good house.

A low price is not always a good value. In fact, it may be no bargain at all if the maintenance costs are prohibitive. Find out when the house was last painted and re-roofed. Ask the seller to provide copies of utility bills so you can accurately budget the ongoing cost of your home purchase. Home inspections may reveal more extensive repair work requiring greater expenditure than you anticipate. Also, if the house has a large yard, trees, a swimming pool or a spa, and you don’t have the time or expertise to do pool cleaning or yard work, find out what the current owner pays to maintain those amenities.

Nothing is more emotional and more highly charged than purchasing the place where you are going to raise your family, put down roots in the community, become involved in schools and other civic organizations. And to make that decision without having an advocate is nothing short of foolhardy. It is in your best interests to be adequately represented in this, the most important of all financial investments for your family’s well being. Although the home buying process varies with each person according to their specific needs, most transactions follow a general path.

To avoid the stress of purchasing a new home, secure all the information you can about a property, make informed intelligent decisions and avoid these 10 Buyer’s Mistakes:

1. They get penny wise and pound foolish when it comes time to make an offer.

If you are certain that you have found your dream home, don’t place an unreasonably low offer, especially if there is buyer competition. If the home truly is as dream worthy as you consider it to be, it is highly unlikely that you are the only interested buyer. So if the home is well within your budget, consider placing an offer that is towards the top of your budget in order to knock your real estate competition out of the ball park or risk losing the house.

2. They believe something better is around the corner.

Some buyers give into fears that prevent them from making a decision to purchase. These fears can manifest in different ways, one of which is “waiting for something better” to come along. These buyers will ultimately waste too much time and lose out on the opportunity to purchase quality homes. If you sit on the fence and wait, you could end up literally waiting for years. When you find the perfect home (which is only ever 85% perfect), make an offer to buy it.

3. They lack imagination when seeing home.

People shopping for a new house usually lack imagination. Generally, buyers only know what they see not the way it is going be. Some people might initially want a turn-key house, a house that is ready to be lived in, not a home where they will immediately have to begin painting and remodeling. Try to use your imagination and picture yourself and your belongings in homes you visit because you may be overlooking your dream home.

4. Focus on who is right or wrong vs. getting their home.

Imagine you found a house and decided on an offer.

The seller will often counter the best offers to see who’s willing to pay more. It’s easy to get embroiled in a “right and wrong” debate and keep countering offers. Don’t expect several rounds of these counters, however. This isn’t an auction, and you wont have unlimited opportunities to raise your bid. The seller will typically snatch the most attractive counter to their counter. If you haven’t made your best showing, you’ll lose out to someone who did. Right or wrong won’t matter here. You will not get your home.

5. Listen to water cooler talk instead of their trusted advisor.

Everybody is getting exposed to news from varied sources these days. The internet can be a powerful albeit unreliable source. Sadly, many bloggers, think that because they constantly preach about how prices are crumbling and everyone will lose all their money that somehow that makes them trustworthy, like, “See I’m telling you bad news so you can trust me.” Unfortunately, your friends and colleagues pass this information on as credible and it could cost you dearly. Trust your Realtor to give you accurate information and advice during the buying process.

Stay tuned for part 1 . . .

When you want a new home, do you really want to wait for it, for up to 18 months? If you are presently renting, think of the extra rent you’ll be paying – maybe $27,000 or more in money you’ll have thrown down the drain, paying somebody else’s mortgage. And who knows where your life will be in 18 months from now?

Or, you can buy this great NEW home, never lived in and only closed from the builder in September 2009! Here are just a few of the major pluses of this:

1. Save that $27,000 or more in rent that you would flush down the drain by waiting for the builder to build your new home, and
2. Gain approximately $15,000 in equity in your new home, just from paying down the mortgage, and
3. Gain approximately $22,000 in equity via historical price appreciation of real estate, and
4. Enjoy the freedom of doing what you want to your home, because you own it, and
5. Enjoy all the psychological benefits of home ownership that much sooner.

AND, if you already own a home, there can be big potential savings too, because of the current historically-low interest rates that are not expected to exist in 18 months from now, plus the high-demand for homes right now means that you can get a really good price for your present home. Call me directly to discuss this further, at 905-208-7002.

So, let’s talk about the house . . .

This great Arista-built semi offers 2090 square feet of living on 2 levels, and highlights many in-demand features, including 9′ ceilings on the main level, rich, over-size cabinetry, neutral carpet, 2 full bathrooms and a powder room, 3 HUGE bedrooms, CAT 5, CAT 3 & RG6 wiring, second-floor laundry, inside entry to garage, big closets

, rough-in 3pce in basement which also has oversize windows, central air, under-cabinet lighting in open kitchen, and lots more. In fact, you can view a list of luxury upgrades below.

As you enter this bright, welcoming home, one of the first things you’ll notice is the incredible feeling of space you get from the 13’8″ x 20′ Living Room , set a step up from the entry foyer, and the ceiling height. The kitchen is nice and open to the Family Room, with a very large Dinette and a generous bank of cabinets all around. Just a step down is the powder room, the entry to the garage, and the basement entry.

Unlike many new homes, the basement is well laid out, so finishing it allows a large Rec. Room, plus bathroom, plus storage, and the cold cellar too. Don’t forget to notice the over-size windows while you’re down there.

Head on up to the bedroom level, and you are greeted with 3 really generous rooms, the laundry room, 2 full bathrooms, and linen closet. The master bedroom is very large, offering hers and hers closets and an ensuite with separate glass shower, and the other bedrooms are also larger than you have come to expect in semi-detached homes.

This home is situated in the Scott neighbourhood, very close to the new school that is being built (there is a list of the public schools for this property at the bottom of this page – click on it to go to the school board web site.), and across from one of the many large ponds that are spread throughout the neighbourhood.

For people working outside of Milton, this property is very convenient to the 401, Derry Road, and all of the rural roads that lead down to the lake, so East-West or North-South commuting is easy. For the outdoors lover in you, this section of Milton is very close to the Escarpment, walking trails, Kelso Beach, Glen Eden ski area, and lots more recreational facilities.

Luxury Upgrades List: (click top-right icon to view full-screen)

Public Schools:

The following is excerpted from a Toronto Star column by noted real estate Lawyer, Bob Aaron.

Back in the spring of 2004, Timothy and Cherese Scherbak signed a listing agreement to sell their property on Boland Ave. in Sudbury, using the services of Wendy Weddell and Re/Max Sudbury Inc. The Sellers Property Information Statement (SPIS), which they signed at the same time, resulted in years of litigation, hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and damages amounting to twice the value of the house.

Following an open house, Zoriana Krawchuk signed an agreement to purchase the house from the Scherbaks.

The offer was not conditional on financing or home inspection, and came in at $10,100 over the $100,000 asking price.

Shortly after closing, Krawchuk discovered that the entire north foundation wall and the northern portions of the east and west foundation walls had settled and were continuing to sink into the ground below. The settling resulted in the failure of proper support for the floor joists and building above.

The city of Sudbury issued a work order requiring the problems to be rectified.

Correcting the foundation problem required lifting the home from its foundations, followed by excavation, removal and replacement of the cement basement floor, foundations and subsoil, and placing the house back on the new foundations.

Moving the home caused significant cracking of the interior finish in many areas, which required further repairs.

Fortunately, Krawchuk had purchased title insurance on the closing of her property, and the title insurer reimbursed her more than $105,000.

Krawchuk was still in the red on the deal. She estimated her total damages to be $191,414.94 and sued the sellers, the agent and Re/Max.

In the lawsuit, she claimed that the sellers were liable to her for breach of contract and misrepresentation. She argued that the problems with the foundation were hidden defects, which made the house uninhabitable, and that the Scherbaks had deliberately camouflaged them by attempting to level out the living and dining room floors back in 1995.

A significant component of the Krawchuk claim was based on the SPIS completed by the sellers. The SPIS is a controversial two-page form in widespread use throughout Ontario for residential transactions.

Its stated purpose is to protect sellers by disclosing correct information about the property to buyers.

On the SPIS form signed by the Scherbaks, the question “Are you aware of any structural problems?” was answered: “NW corner settled – to the best of our knowledge the house has settled. No further problems in 17 years.”

Read the full article here . . .

When you buy YOUR next home in milton ontario, you have some things that you are really looking for; we’re thinking that this fabulous home has those things, and maybe even more!

Rare to find is a 4-bedroom home at this price-point; even rarer is all 4 bedrooms are a great size for youngsters or teens alike. I’m thinking that you want 2 full, 5-piece bathrooms, the ensuite having a separate soaker tub, instead of those tiny regular tubs and 2 sinks – well, you’ll find that here too. In fact, the Master bedroom also has a pair of Her’s & Her’s closets! Guys, if you’re lucky, she’ll share with you. Want room for a computer nook? There’s room on the upper hallway. Oh yes, let’s not forget that there are California shutters throughout the house!

How about the main floor having a Family Room AND a Living Room AND a Dining Room AND a Breakfast Area AND a Breakfast Bar? Yep, yep, yep, yep, and yep – we got ‘em all!

Walkout to the yard, that is finished with beautiful perennials, situated for evening sun, and not so big that you’ll have to spend all your free time taking care of it. That’s my kind of living – is it yours?

Take a look at all the pictures, picture how much you’ll enjoy sitting on your front porch, watching the world go by; think how great it will be to come inside directly from the garage, and start placing your furniture, coz this baby’s got it all!

Oh, and as a special bonus (hey, that’s what they say on those HGTV shows!), the basement is huge, will make a fantastic rec. room, and is unspolied so you can develop it however you want!

Seriously, what more could you want in a house that is priced to attract immediate attention, offers, and ACTION! A GREAT first action would be to go check out the full listing at our real estate web site, AllMiltonHomes.com

So, take action now, call me today, and make this one YOUR new home.