Toronto is a city with lots of unique neighbourhoods. Many times neighbourhood choices are made by affordability, proximity to schools or work. Click here to go through neighbourhood information and see what is of interest. Once you have narrowed down a few, we can meet to go over the average costs for each of the areas.
The main thing to think about is how it will affect you daily. Where will you be living your ideal lifestyle from workday to weekend? A property is a long term investment so think about your current situation as well as if there are any aspects in the future that will factor in. Go visit the neighbourhood during the day and at night. Eat at some of the restaurants, walk around to see how it feels and to see if you can or could see yourself living there. If you have kids, it might be helpful to bring them and have them play at a nearby park. What kind of amenities does the neighbourhood have? Consider doing a test commute to your work to get an idea of timing. Once you have found a house you like, Google the address to see if there have been any issues with it or speak with the local police station.
HERE ARE A FEW OTHER QUESTIONS HOME BUYERS MIGHT ASK:
Do I need a home office?
Do I plan to have children?
Do I have teenagers who will be moving away soon?
Am I close to retirement?
Will I need a home that can accommodate different stages of life?
Do I have an older relative who might come to live with me?
How easy will it be to get to where you work? How much will the commuting cost?
Where will your children go to school? How will they get there?
Do you need a safe walking area or recreational facility, such as a park, nearby?
How close would you like to be to family and friends?
Are stores, schools, recreation facilities, restaurants, and health services within walking or cycling distance?
Will your children need to take a bus to school? Can they walk to the park?
Can you do most of your shopping without a car?
Are there nearby bus stops and cycling lanes?
How long is the bus ride to work, or school? Can you safely bike?
If you would like to know about recent sales in a neighborhood or if you would like to receive our monthly sold statistics, contact me here.
HOW DO I BEGIN THE SEARCH? THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT PLACES YOU CAN START LOOKING FOR A HOME:
Realtor.ca
Other Realtor’s websites
Toronto MLS system (listings sent by a Realtor)
Collaborate – newest version of the Toronto MLS system
The Toronto MLS system is by far the most up to date and accurate source of information for homes. This is the system that feeds all the other sources. Only Realtors have access to MLS. We can, with your permission set you up to receive listings daily.
Realm is a new MLS system. Its greatest feature is the ability to be notified of listings the minute they are for sale on MLS. Which, in today’s market, is almost critical. It is not uncommon for properties to sell within the first day of them being put on MLS, and in some instances within a few hours so being able to have access to those new listings right away definitely provides a leg up. Similar to MLS, you need to be invited by a Realtor who is familiar with AND using Collaborate (not all Realtors are using this new system).
Realtor.ca – contrary to popular belief, realtor.ca is not the most comprehensive home searching website. In fact, many properties do not even get displayed on Realtor.ca due to seller marketing preferences or properties selling before the system has had time to be updated (there is often a 24-48 hour delay from when properties are posted to MLS and the feed is delivered to Realtor.ca).
Whether you are just in the ‘gathering information’ stage or ready to start looking seriously it is always to your advantage to be looking at the most up to date and accurate information. If you would like to receive some searches with no obligation email me. It’s a great way to understand what’s really happening in the market.