All Blog Entries by Justin Havre

A real estate purchase offer is a binding contract that outlines the specifics of a home purchase. Before the seller accepts or denies the contract, it's important for the seller to understand the contract and its terms. If you're currently selling a home, or if you're thinking about listing your home for sale, here's what you need to know about the home purchase contract.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Firm Versus Conditional Offers

A firm offer is an offer to purchase a home as-is. Once the offer is signed, it's binding. If the buyer cancels the contract without purchasing the home, the buyer may lose the deposit.

The other

Often, a competitive market analysis is commonly produced by real estate agents for their seller clients to review, as it aids in pricing the home by providing an overview of competing homes and recent sales. However, this tool can also be highly effective when home buyers use it as well.

If you are planning to buy a home, you need as much information as possible about the property and this type of report, completed by your real estate agent, can shed a great deal of light on it. When it comes to home buying, this should be one of the first steps you take when you've found a potential property.

What Is a Competitive Market Analysis?

A competitive market analysis is a report created by your real estate agent. Commonly referred to as a CMA, the

Closing costs can cause stress for home buyers. In addition to being costly, closing costs can be difficult to estimate. Knowing what closing costs are, how much you can expect to pay and when closing costs are due can help you plan for this part of the home buying process.

What Are Closing Costs?

Closing costs are the costs associated with legal and administrative actions that occur when a person buys a home. Closing costs can run anywhere from 1.5 to 4 percent of the purchase price of the home, depending on the location of the home and the various administrative actions that occur during the sale process. Each home purchase is different, so closing costs are different every time.

Who Pays Closing Costs?

Closing costs are primarily

There's no doubt that buying in a competitive market is intimidating, and it's not unusual for sky-high prices to make a buyer think twice about their plans. But there are still a lot of advantages to buying instead of renting, even in high-demand areas in major cities. In fact, it may end up being the smartest investment you ever make. Follow these tip to get the best possible deal (and to crush the competition.)

Timing Is Everything

Those without a lot of patience will love buying in a popular neighborhood because there's virtually no wait time. Buyers have to be ready to see a property as soon as it's up for sale, preferably within 24 hours of the first announcement. That little extra edge can sometimes make an offer seem more attractive

Design options for a beautiful new kitchen are at your fingertips these days. There are so many good renovation ideas online, in magazines and at every open house in Calgary that you visit.

Unfortunately, you love them all. Where should you start? Who should you talk to? What would look best in your Calgary home and at the end of the day, be the best investment when it comes to resale value?

What is Your Kitchen Makeover Goal?

Gutting your kitchen is never a good idea unless you know why you’re holding that sledgehammer in your hand. Think of all the reasons why you’re getting out your cheque book for this renovation. Do you want to increase the value of your home because you want to sell it – and, when do you want to sell it? Do you

For as cold as winters get in the Great White North, insulation isn't a very popular topic of conversation. After all, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae of life instead of thinking about how much heat homeowners are losing to the outdoors. But for those who care about their energy bills and their resale price, they may want to reconsider.

Signs of Poor Insulation

If utility bills are starting to climb sky-high or the ice dams of the home are getting bigger and bigger every year, these are usually clear signs the home needs better insulation. However, homeowners may want to consider getting an energy audit regardless. Insulation standards change on regular basis, meaning even newer homes may not be nearly as efficient as

As soon as you start thinking of placing your home on the market, everyone you know seems to have some essential "advice" to give. While your friends and family may mean well, quite often the advice they are handing out may be incorrect.

The last thing you want is to take bad advice when trying to sell one of the biggest investments you may have. In order to sift through all the noise, knowing what advice may help or hurt your home's selling is quite important. Here are some home selling myths that should be avoided;

Hiring Just Any Agent Will Be Fine

Hiring the right real estate agent is probably one of the most important things you will do when selling your home. So using an agent just because your best friend's doctor's son is an agent

When it comes to home roofing, homeowners have a lot of options, and with those options comes a series of features and drawbacks that homeowners must consider before selecting the material for a new roof. If a homeowner is planning to replace the roof on their home, they must first plan for the type of roof they are going to choose. To do that, homeowners first need to make a list of the most important roofing features and determine a budget.

With the wide range of products and price points amid roofing materials, owners should have a bit of leeway to evaluate the pros and cons of each roofing material type to find the one best suited to their needs. Here are five home roofing options for consideration when renovating or upgrading your roof.

The down payment that a home buyer puts on a home can have a significant impact on that home's affordability over the long term. The right down payment can save the homeowner money on monthly mortgage payments while also reducing the loan amount need to make the purchase.

Canada's Minimum Down Payment Rule

Potential homeowners in Canada must be able to make a minimum down payment that is a percentage of the total purchase price. That percentage is tied to the purchase price of the home with it rising as the price rises.

• A home priced below $500,000 requires a minimum down payment of five percent.
• Homes that have a purchase price of between $500,000 and $999,999 require a down payment of 10 percent at the minimum.
• A home that is

With the occurrence of approximately 600 home burglaries annually per 100,000 citizens, investing in a modern smart home security system can help homeowners avoid becoming a part of that statistic. While safety and peace of mind are the top benefits of home security, today's smart systems can be integrated to perform an array of tasks such as operating appliances and controlling windows, lights and doors remotely. Read on to learn more about these innovative systems that will forever change the way you think about home security.

What Makes Smart Home Security ‘Smart'?

When compared to off-the shelf DIY connectivity devices and traditional home monitored systems, integrated or wireless smart systems offer superior security, convenience and