Basement Renovation: Part 1 – Hiring Professionals
After investigating a kitchen renovation, we decided to renovate our basement first. The most compelling case for the switch in scope was made by our real estate agent who reassured us…
Closing time
Closing is an interesting time. It's supposed to be full of hope and excitement. Our was full of stress. But (spoiler alert), it all worked out. What to do before…
It’s all over!
Today was crazy. CRAZY. Home Inspection This morning we headed over to the house for the home inspection. Our home inspector, Scott, took us through the entire house and patiently…
Appraisals and Financing
One of the common conditions in an offer is financing. I always thought that the financing condition was only based on getting a mortgage. Since we had been pre-approved, I…
So much drama…
The roller coaster ride continues... This morning we got a call from the bank. CMHC wants to do an appraisal. The problem is that our offer expires tomorrow at 9pm and getting an…
Waiting… again…
At this point, it's a waiting game. A game that is killing me... The weekend has now passed and there are still no other offers. The seller is now willing…
Relisted
Today the selling agent re-listed the house for more than the original price... Jerk. And she's having another open house. Except she didn't post it on the public site, much like she…
:@
For anyone who knows icq or msn emoticons, the title of this post is a huge spoiler alert. Last night was bid night. We left work early and met our…
How does buying a house work?
The Toronto real estate market is insane. If you've read the news lately, there are many examples of insane bidding wars that lead to inflated prices and more speculation. So…
Hopeful finds!
Alex and I were supposed to go to Ottawa this weekend to visit friends, but had to cancel last minute due to some baby sleep training. Don't know what sleep…
Real Estate Agents
Looking at MLS was fun. Deciding whether or not it made sense to buy was less fun, but involved a lot of math and spreadsheets (which is fun). Once we…
What $800k gets you in Toronto
Alex and I have seen between 10 and 15 houses now. Some great, some not so great. But all consistently overpriced and out of our reach. In Toronto, this is…
Searching for a House
I've been looking at MLS listings well before we decided to buy a house. Once we decided to buy, though, my search frequency increased exponentially. I starting looking at the site religiously. Like, religiously.…