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Advice for first-time buyers

Dear David, My wife and I are first time homebuyers. After saving for years, we’ve paid off our existing student loans, car loans and credit card debt. We used an online mortgage calculator to get pre-approved for about $600 thousand. What steps can we take to get started? – ON THE HUNT DEAR HUNT: The

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What to consider when flipping a house

Dear David, My partner and I live in the GTA. We think flipping a house in Kitchener would be a great investment. We’ve been pre-approved for a $600,000 mortgage and hope to invest an additional $50,000 in renovations. I expect we’ll be able to re-sell the house in the high $700,000 to $800,000 range. Where

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Do I need a status certificate?

Dear David, When selling a townhome, must a status report be presented in order to complete the sale? If so, who pays for this report, is there a standard cost, and does it have an expiration date? – FACT CHECKING DEAR CHECKING: When selling a condo townhome, obtaining a copy of the status certificate is

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What should I look for in a Realtor?

Dear David: This entire city seems to be filled with real estate advertising. I need an agent to sell my house, but I’m not sure how to narrow my choices. What should I be looking for? –  UNCERTAIN DEAR UNCERTAIN: With over 2,500 local Realtors and close to 100,000 agents registered across Ontario, the options

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Video surveillance during showings

DEAR DAVID: Are video doorbells a good way to monitor showings at my house? – RING MY BELL DEAR RING: Many of today’s homes are equipped with smart devices, from thermostats, to doorbells, to the ever-popular Alexa. As familiar as these devices might be, using them to surveil showings in your home can be a

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Do I need a guaranteed sale program?

Dear David: I’ve been watching the real estate market for the last several months and thinking about moving. A few local agents are advertising a guaranteed sale, saying they’ll buy my house if it doesn’t sell. Properties around here seem to move quickly. Under what circumstances would an agent need to buy my house?  —

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