These days, it can be quite exciting to go shopping for a new home, but it can be problematic as well. There are tons of homes on the market, and many of them might have sat dormant or abandoned for a long time before you have come to look at them. Because of the housing market trouble, you might be surprised at what you find, in both a good and a bad way. For that reason, it's vital that you keep your eyes open and check into certain things when you are considering purchasing a new home.

Outside Matters

The very first place that you should look when you are thinking about buying a home is the outside of the home. Not only can you find evidence of larger, internal problems by looking at the outside of the house carefully, but you can also get a good idea of how well the previous owners took care of the home you are interested in. Here are a few things that you should look at when you are outside the home.

• Are there cracks in the walls, siding,  bricks, or foundation?
• Is the exterior in disrepair or in need of painting or an overhaul?
• Is the lawn well maintained? This may tell the story of an owner who also took care of the inside of the home.
• Are the flowerbeds well maintained? Are the plants bug infested and chewed up? This can tell of any insect trouble that the house may have.
• Is there trash or eyesores located outside the home? If there are, chances are the owners did the same inside the home even if it has been cleaned up for your viewing.

Internal Affairs

The outside of the home is important, but the inside of the home is equally important. Remember, the inside is where you will be living, so while you might learn a lot from the outside of the home, you'll probably learn more from what you see inside. Taking a good look inside the house can tell you a lot about the home's past, including problems like leaks and rusting. Consider the following when you do your first walkthrough.

• Are there stains near the bathroom fixtures?
• If any leaks are disclosed, how were they repaired and who repaired them?
• Are there stains or strange discoloration on the walls, ceilings, or floors? Has the current owner tried to paint over them?
• Is there carpeting throughout the home? If so, what is the condition of the floors under the carpeting? When was the carpeting installed?
• What is the condition of the appliances? Are they staying with the home?
• Are there cracks in the walls or floors?

Real Estate Guidance

While knowing what to look for in your new home can get you off to a good start, it's important that you get guidance from a professional at the same time. There are plenty of real estate agents out there for you to choose from, but not all of them are created equally. Make sure that you do your research and find an agent that can work with you towards your specific goals when it comes to finding the home of your dreams. Remember, this is your home and your money, all of which you will have to live with long after the sale. Taking your time now and keeping these things in mind will only help ensure that your path to homeownership is one you can look back on fondly rather than viewing it as a bad nightmare.

About the Author: Missie Morrison has been a moving consultant for over ten years. She maintains a blog at movingestimates.com, on which she tries to help consumers across the country find the best methods of moving and the easiest ways to accomplish such moves.

A new survey by BMO suggests that commute times are becoming a factor when deciding on buying a new home for first-time buyers. There are certain factors when deciding on a house like whether the neighborhood is safe or how far the school is from the prospect home.

The highest concern is finding a home in a safe neighborhood with 62% of first-time buyers surveyed. However, the second highest priority for first-time buyers (which has helped boom downtown toronto condos over the last decade) is being near transit according to the BMO survey.  Another metric that came from the survey showed that 28% of first-time buyers say that being near a subway or bus lines contributed a great deal to their buying decision. This was actually more than the national average of 19% among other all other buyers. The shorter amount of time to travel to work was also a huge factor. Results showed 34% of first-time buyers were looking for shorter commutes vs. the national average of 28%.

Being near friends and family was less important with 20% vs. the national average of 25%. It was interesting to see (but not surprising) that young professionals with no children wanted to be close to the excitement by living near restaurants with 28% vs. the national average of 23%. It's interesting to see this survey come out and see the hard data behind the trends of first-time buyers. How do you feel you priorities stacked up against the surveys? Did you feel like living near a subway or bus line was a major buying decision?

In a bold effort to reduce the wires that tethers real-estate agents to their desktops, Royal LePage Real-estate Services (Royal LePage) announced today that it might create the real estate business's first entirely mobilized, bilingual Marketing Centre.

Canadian agents for the first time may now provide and create all of their English, French and multilingual online homebuyer and merchant marketing programs on both iPads and Android tablets. Royal LePage, Canada's leading real estate company, created the declaration recently in a meeting of The Realty Connections, a group of real-estate companies that control nearly every essential sector within the area.

The president of Royal LePage, Phil Soper, explained that this new technology will free Royal LePage agents from being stuck at their office desks all day long, thus opening up for more onsite real estate dealings and transactions. He also states, that Customers in the real estate marketplace anticipate information right away, not hours or days after their inquiry. The technology goes far beyond just speed; with the fresh system, a Royal LePage agent can now, with the help of his ipad or table, perform virtual showings of any house.

Agents now have the ability to develop all types of marketing materials before the seller. Beyond virtual showings, still photos and postings can be added to the realtors Facebook and Twitter accounts, thus attracting a larger client pool who may be interested in the specific houses that he is marketing; such technology allows Royal LePage agents a step above the competition. This especial toolset gives Royal LePage agents a obvious marketing advantage over their competitors.

English and French language promotion materials and a multilingual interface are featured on the brand new Royal LePage website. The new program centralizes all of an agent's social profiles, cellular, on-line and traditional print advertisements in one region. The Advertising Center additionally features innumerable technological choices for the customary buyer, seller and agent who are looking to buy and sell homes. Slideshows, web ads, characteristic sheets, eCards, eNewsletters and post cards are all advertising tools that can be accessed throughout the new system. Brokers may now disperse their advertising and marketing materials directly towards their social media accounts, such as Myspace and Twitter.

Created in 2005 by real-estate systems company Imprev (which has been around since 1995), the Marketing Centre was started because of an initial demand in Europe for new real estate technologies in Europe. In 1995 the company started Canada's first real-estate website, and in 
2000 it supplied the first in-house study, which centered on the deployment of information through active map technologies. Imprev created the first website in Europe to supply the opportunity to clients to locate properties near their favorite local sights, such as the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.The new mobilized variant might function on iPads and Android tablets and is planned for launching to Royal LePage agents this summer.

Renwick Congdon, CEO of Imprev, which created the significantly progressive technologies, notes that the hottest Royal LePage Marketing technology is always ready for the company's system of over 14,500 real-estate professionals in over 600 locations nationwide. Mr. Congdon stated that there is nothing to get, install or update in order to use the program on a daily basis. The technology is always accessible. Last year Imprev became the exclusive property marketing methods business to eclipse the enviable 99.9% stability -- reaching an astonishing 100%, with no surprising problems throughout 2012.

About the Company

Since 1913, Royal LePage is Canadian's leading supplier of technology to real estate brokers. 14,500 real estate professionals are affiliated with the company with six hundred offices across Canada. The company is the only Canadian real estate company to have started (and now operate) its very own charity, a homeless shelter baring the company's name. The charity is to help women and children's homeless shelters and domestic violence education classes throughout Canada. The Royal LePage company trades under TSX-BRE on the stock market.

Homeowners wishing to sell their homes need to recognize one fact: they are no longer the home team. They are the visitors, no longer in their home area. They have to abide by certain rules in order to sell their home. On the other hand, if homeowners are selling, they also have to buy. What they are looking for as a buyer needs to be what they concentrate on as sellers. If homeowners want to stay where they are, they need only do no research, reject curb appeal as a selling point and do no upgrades.

Research

In order to know how to proceed, homeowners need to know what they don't know. They don't know:

*current selling prices for homes of their type
*how long homes have been listed
*what buyers are prepared to pay
*the difference between list price and sales price
*how much stock moves in an agent's inventory
*who are the buyers and why are they looking

Price

It's about the money. In a buyer's market, no one will go out of their way to find a house attractively submitted if the price isn't attractive. Sellers need to be aware of other homes and if their prices dropped. Did the price drop after months of being listed? Did the price drop because the appraisal was too high? Did the price drop because the purchase of another house depended upon the sale of the present house?

The key to pricing a house attractively is to anticipate commissions, points and fees and to offer the house at less than these. Houses priced $9,000 to $10,000 below the competition raises interest and the seller might go to closing sooner than his competition. The money might not be recouped, but the quick sale allows the homeowner to get his next house.

Curb Appeal

Once the research is completed and the price settled, it's time to move on to aesthetics. Potential buyers want to pull into a drive and gasp at the wonderland that meats their eyes. To this end, homeowners would do well to prepare that wonderland:

*check other homes for sale to see what curb appeal looks like
*have the driveway refinished, the walkway repaired if cracked and clean out the gutters
*have the lawn professionally done to eliminate debris
*have the trees, hedges and bushes professionally done to eliminate dead or dying flora
*repair and repaint siding and shutters
*wash the windows (buyers seeing puffy clouds in the reflection will be pleased)
*clean the inside within an inch of its life
*have carpet and wood floors professionally cleaned
*put in storage all but the most necessary furniture and clothing. Clutter repels buyers
*vamp the closets and storage spaces to accentuate how much storage is available
*upgrade kitchen appliances and cabinets where necessary
*upgrade bathroom fixtures where necessary

Upgrades

Upgrades aren't about the most expensive walnut cabinetry or the Berber carpet. Upgrades are about making life easier on the homeowner, to-wit:

*a finished basement increases the square footage of a house and can be used as a bedroom, a home gym or an in-law apartment
*if more space is needed, turn the attic into a partial loft
*if a half-bath was sketched in, put it in
*create closets where there is unused space such as underneath the stairwell
*small kitchens can be upgraded by combining appliances and adding an island
*rip out the carpet and put in hardwood floors and textured tile because it's healthier
*upgrade the heating system to radiant heat because it's healthier and will save money on the power bill
*install window treatments that will block the harmful rays of the sun and save on the power bill

Selling in a buyer's market is about the money. Whatever homeowners can do to make the property more attractive will get a better selling price. What the homeowners look for in a property to buy for themselves can be made to work for them in selling their home. Comparisons in price, aesthetics and upgrades will show homeowners how to prepare their homes for sale. However, any real estate agent will tell a homeowner that if they don't absolutely have to sell, then don't. Wait for a buyer's market.

If you aren’t yet familiar with electronic signatures, you soon will be. E-signatures are appearing everywhere and for good reason. For any business that involves signing documents, electronic signatures will create a great client experience, save tons of paper and will help your transactions run much more smoothly.

Instead of having clients sign lengthy offer contracts in person or sending large documents through the mail, electronically signed documents are delivered and returned via computer. The signature is created in different ways depending on which program you use, but it usually involves creating a user account with a password. Once clients are signed in to the program, they can access their documents from a portal. Clients sign by simply typing in their names or even signing directly on the computer screen. 

Electronic signatures are ideal for clients in remote locations, but you can use them in person as well. Clients can sign documents electronically right from your office computer or even with an iPad or other tablet device. Given that the typical home offer contract can run many dozens of pages, it is clear that the convenience and environmental benefits are tremendous. 

Electronic signatures are already legal and binding in the United States, thanks to the 2000 Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (E-Sign) Act. In Canada, it is not yet entirely clear where electronic signatures stand legally. That hasn’t stopped realtors in hot housing markets from using e-signatures to save money, time, gas and thousands of trees. 

Recently, the Canadian Real Estate Association agreed to allow DocuSign, a leading electronic signature service, to make its program available to its members. This will allow all 105,000 of CREA’s realtor members to obtain signatures on documents, deliver them to all parties, track their progress and store them safely, all via electronic means. In some provinces, regulations still forbid the use of e-signatures, but the Association and other lobbying groups hope this situation will change soon. 

The CREA’s DocuSign agreement makes the program available at special reduced prices in both French and English. The program fully integrates with WEBForms, Canada’s leading provider of electronic real estate forms, to ensure the easiest and most convenient transactions possible.

The advantages of electronic signatures go beyond the environmental benefits and client convenience. They can be extremely beneficial to your business as well. E-signatures can help buyers and sellers succeed in a competitive market, where timing is often a crucial factor in making a real estate transaction work. Electronic signatures save enormous amounts of time otherwise spent printing documents and hand-signing them, scanning or delivering them by fax or in person. Every negotiated change to the contract can then be executed electronically. Any realtor who has been through a lengthy negotiation process knows how important saving time is at this stage. Electronic signatures can significantly lower the risk that the transaction will fall apart during protracted negotiations. 

Another great advantage to realtors, as well as to home buyers and sellers, is the tracking feature built into electronic signature programs. Realtors can see exactly who has signed a document and when. The program keeps documents stored in the cloud for access by all signatories. 

Electronic signatures are the way of the future. The convenience and ease of the transaction, and the environmental benefits, are inarguable. Using e-signatures will impress your clients, make your transactions go more smoothly, and could well lead to more referrals for your business.

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Now is an excellent time to purchase Toronto real estate, and for various reasons, many first-time home buyers are preparing to purchase real estate in Toronto. The Toronto real estate market has been steadily improving since the beginning of 2012, and as a result, many first-time home buyers are purchasing real estate while prices are still relatively low. 

Prices For Real Estate

During the last year, prices for real estate in the GTA, or the Greater Toronto Area, rose by six percent, and many real estate experts have predicted prices to continue to rise overall. Despite the rise in prices, many pieces of real estate in Toronto are still relatively inexpensive, and the housing market has not yet fully recovered from the economic recession in 2008. 

Semi-Detached Homes In The City Of Toronto

During the last year, prices for semi-detached homes in the City of Toronto itself have risen by more than 12% overall, and this rise in prices represents a significant increase in the demand for semi-detached homes as well as an increase in the amount of money that buyers are willing to pay for them. 

Detached Homes

In the City of Toronto, the prices for detached homes rose by 7.2% during the period of time between March 2012 and March 2013, and in March 2013, the average price for a detached home in Toronto was $909,910. 

Prices for detached homes rose much more significantly in the City of Toronto than in many other areas in the GTA, and in many of the other regions of the GTA, the prices for detached homes only rose by 2.9% during the same period of time. 

Condominiums

The prices for condos in the GTA have been dropping steadily over the last several months, and unlike the prices of semi-detached homes, many real estate experts predict that the prices for condos will continue to drop in the near future. 

Many first-time home buyers see this drop in prices as an opportunity to purchase a condo for a very low price, and now, the surplus of condos on the market is giving buyers a huge selection of condos with low prices to choose from.

A Shift In Focus

Many real estate experts now believe that there is a new focus in North America, and according to various studies, many first home buyers are focusing on purchasing a piece of real estate that allows them to be close to various shops, cafes and transportation services. 

Instead of the previously strong demand for suburban homes that provided a large garage and a yard, many people now want to find a small piece of real estate that is nestled among all of the attractions and all the amenities that the city has to offer. 

The Demand For Real Estate Continues To Rise As The Supply Continues To Fall

According to various real estate experts, the demand for real estate in and around Toronto is likely to continue to rise as it has risen for the last year. As a result of the rising demand, the rising prices and the fact that more people are now purchasing homes in the GTA, the supply of real estate in the Toronto real estate market is likely to fall significantly for the next year or two years. 

Selling Real Estate

Many real estate agents who have been selling homes in Toronto for years are reporting that selling homes has become quite difficult over the last year. Prices are continuing to rise for most types of real estate; however, many first-time home buyers want to purchase the same type of property as most other people who are searching for real estate in Toronto. 

There is a strong demand for detached and semi-detached homes in particular areas of the GTA; however, the demand for condos is continuing to drop. As a result, many real estate agents are working with a large number of prospective home buyers who all want the same type of home, but currently, there are only a certain number of those types of homes on the market.

With the housing market the way it is these days, it's no wonder that it can be difficult to sell a home. In order to sell a home these days, you have to make it look better than those that are similar to it. There are only a few buyers out there who can get approval from the bank to purchase a home, yet there are many, many choices for those buyers. For that reason, heed these three tips and ensure your home is the best possible choice for the buyers that come to look at it.

Prepare Outside

The first thing that prospective buyers see when they arrive at a potential home is the outside of the house. For that reason, it is important that you give a great first impression by preparing the outside of the home to the best of your ability. There are a number of things that you can do to ensure your yard and the outside of your home is the best it can be, including the following:

• Cut the Grass! Keep your yard well manicured and looking nice just in case someone drives by. Seeing the outside of the home looking nice will convey the message that you take care of the inside just as much.
• Trim those Bushes! Another method of presenting a well manicured yard involves not allowing your other plants to run rampant throughout the flowerbeds and around the home.
• Wash the Siding! Cleaning off the outside of your home can make it look newer and more well taken care of, giving off a better first impression.
• Touch Up and Repair! If there are small things that you can touch up or repair, consider doing so before you put your home on the market. This will increase the value simply because the home will look nicer and will require less to bring it up to perfect condition for the new buyers.

Repair Inside

In caring for the outside of the home, don't forget about the inside. Sure, the outside will give prospective buyers their first impression, but if you don't take care of the inside as well, you'll only find frustrated people coming to see the home, and nearly immediately leaving it as well. To avoid this problem, take time to clean out your home and pack up anything you don't need. Get the carpets cleaned and repair holes in the wall. Consider painting areas that really need it, or at least clean off dirty places and fingerprints on the walls.

Keep the kitchen clean and free of dishes, and go over the bathrooms with a fine tooth comb to ensure they are usable by the guests who come to view the home. The more promise they see inside the home, coupled with the outside of the home, the better your chances are at actually making the sale. Prospective buyers don't want to have to do a lot of cleaning or make a lot of repairs, so the fewer things they see wrong of this nature, the better off you will be in your quest to sell your home.

Consider Pricing

Pricing is one other important aspect of a home sale. With so many options out there, most sellers aren't able to push the limits of pricing like they once could. Instead, people are more apt to purchase a lower priced home, even if it lacks some of the amenities that they originally wanted in their home. For this reason, do research and speak with an experienced agent in the area to come up with a price that is competitive with other offerings in the area where your home is. Give yourself room to haggle as well; most people will give you an offer on your home, which will leave you open for a counter offer. If you price your home at the lowest you will take, there is no room for you to compromise, and potentially land a successful sale.

Author Bio: Missie Morrison is an expert in all things having to do with moving and relocation. She strives to help consumers just like you find the very best moving estimates, regardless of where a person is moving or how much they have to move. With over ten years of experience in the field, she makes it easy for anyone to relocate.

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Many realtors in Toronto have been very frustrated during recent years with their inability to utilize all available technology when it comes to the process of purchasing and selling real estate. They recently decided to approach a governmental representative with their concerns.

Two members of the real estate community visited MPP Todd Smith (Prince Edward-Hastings) at his local Belleville office and explained their concerns these real estate issues. They told MPP Smith how the manner in which real estate transactions are currently conducted in Ontario, does not completely utilize the capabilities of current technology. 

MPP Todd Smith responded by sponsoring Bill 28 designed to address these issues. It was introduced in May of 2012. If the bill is passes, the exemption of electronic agreements for purchase and sale of real estate will be removed. This can result in more legal protection for all the parties involved.

Supporters of the bill believe passing it will take away troublesome red tape that is hurting the real estate industry and will not cost tax payers anything when fully implemented. The electronic technology involved will make real estate transactions more available, effective and be more secure.

This legislation will enable all the parties associated with a real estate deal to reduce the time required to process paperwork. They will all be able to see agreements that are located at a central internet portal. This will end the need for people in the real estate community to scan, fax or even email documents between buyers and sellers. The process of selling or purchasing real estate will become much faster and more effective.

Many of the current laws regarding electronic communication in Canada are based on the United Nations Law on Electronics commerce of 1996. Utilization of these standards was incorporated into Canadian law through the Uniform Electronic Commerce Act which became law in 1999.

When the law was drafted the question of using electronic communications as writing for legal purposes had not been addressed. It was understood that writing referred to being on paper, and electronic documents were not considered a form of writing in a legal sense. At the time, the majority of Canadian provinces did not have electronic land registration. Ontario’s real estate system was controlled as to its access and technological abilities.

Since then electronic communication has been further developed and has become more sophisticated. Real estate agents in various countries around the world have fully embraced all the possibilities that electronic communications affords them.

Today most of documents involving in real estate deals are routinely faxed. The exchange of faxed documents usually takes place during a real estate closing. In reality, fax documents are simply electronically generated documents. The authenticity of a signature on a faxed real estate document is no more or less dependable than a signature that has been digitized and produced by using electronic handwriting technology.

Banks and other third party real estate lenders routinely provide financing based on documents they receive in Portable Document Format (PDF). This is done with the understanding that properly signed documents in paper form will be sent to the financing entity soon after the completion of the real estate deal. The reality is that money is exchanged between buyer and seller on the trust of electronic versions of these documents. 

Most real estate deals involving land are done with the help of a real estate professional. Depending on the complexity of the deal, there may be one and possibly two real estate agents involved with the transaction. The agents involved are licensed and experienced professionals. They are able to detect anything that doesn’t seem right or could create a security concern. 

The chance of fraud occurring by several contradictory transfer agreements being provided is no greater with electronic real estate documents, than documents in paper form. When the many issues are taken into consideration, the prohibition of real estate documents from the Uniform Electronic Commerce Act of 1999 may not be warranted. 

Another concern was people with little or no real estate experiencing preparing real estate documents. Technology has been shown to be able to detect and illustrate the flaws in such documents quickly.

Today many of the supporters of the Bill 28 feel it only makes sense to utilize all the benefits of modern technology. There are some who feel it should have been done long before now.

When you decide to move out, there are a few different choices to choose from. Some people like to rent, while some people like to buy their own house. Buying a home is a better option than deciding to rent one. There may be more responsibilities to owning your own home, but there are many benefits that outweigh the disadvantages. The top reasons why you should buy your home instead of renting one include that it will be yours, you can remodel it, it will reduce wasted cash, it will cost the same amount as renting, and you won’t have to worry about problems with the owner.

When you buy your own home, it is yours. You won’t have full ownership until you pay off the loan, but you can do whatever you want to it. Because the house will be yours, you will have a set payment every month that won’t go up. Also, if you decide to move, you can sell the house or rent it to other people. Renting your home to someone else will provide you with additional income that you can use to purchase a new house.

Being able to remodel your house is a great benefit to buying your own home. You cannot make changes to a home or an apartment that you may be renting unless you get permission from the landlord. Most of the time, a landlord will not allow you to make major changes. When you have your own home, you can make any changes you want. You can repaint your walls or even knock some down to make some rooms bigger. You could also add an additional wall if you want a separate space. When you own your own home, you can even make it larger if you want to. You will need a permit to add on to your house, but you can design it however you want to. Having your own home also allows you to install a pool. You can build an in-ground pool or a pool that has a deck around it.

Owning your own home will reduce wasted cash. If you rent a home, you will get nothing out of it, except a place to live. You won’t be able to get any of that money back when you decide to move out, and if you will continue to pay for the rest of your life if you stay there forever. If you buy your own home, you will still have it once you finished paying off the loan. If you decide that you no longer want a home that you buy, you can sell it to get money. You can then use that money to help you buy a new home.

Another reason why you should buy your home instead of renting one is because it costs the same amount of money. Sometimes, buying a house can even cost less than renting. When you rent a house, sometimes you end up paying more because the owner wants to make more money on it than what they are paying on the loan. Also, if you buy a house, you might find one that may need some work done, which would lower the price that you would pay for it. Even with the cost of fixing the house, you could still be paying less than renting.

When you buy a house, you will not have to worry about situations with the owner of a rental property. When you are renting a house, you constantly have to worry about whether the owner is going to keep it or try to sell it. Unlike a rental, nobody can kick you out of a house that you own unless you fail to make the payments. You will also not have to worry about the monthly rates going up like you would if you were to rent a property.

Even though people make their own choices of whether they want to buy a house or rent, owning a house has many benefits that renting does not. It may take a lot of commitment, but buying a house will be better for you for the future.

There have been talks about the land transfer tax and whether it will be sticking around or not. Mayor Ford has declared against it however this didn't go to well with the council. This tax has been in place before Rob Ford became mayor in 2010 and has yielded $1.26 billion since it came to life under David Miller in 2008.

Even councillor Frank Di Giorgio, who was appointed as the city's new budget chief, said right after being appointed that he wanted to phase it out. There are others who want to cap the land transfer tax like councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong at $340 million a year. If it ever went above that then it would be reduced the following year. To give an idea the city get's around $300 million a year from the land transfer tax.

Rob Ford's position in trying to get rid of it completey has upset a lot of people saying that Toronto would have continued to struggle with balancing its budget, finance staff claim. Nonetheless, it's making a healthy progress now that the issue is being talk more and more in the news. We have everyone coming out and stating their opinon or ideas on the subject matter. What are your thoughts on this? Comment bellow and check out the Toronto Star on their take with Rob Ford.

If you are thinking of purchasing a Toronto discount real estate home here is a quick guide on how to calculate land transfer tax:

Purchase Price                   Calculation

$0 - $55,000                    Amount x .005

$55,001 - $250,000       (Amount x .01) - 275

$250,001 - $400,000     (Amount x .015) -1,525

Greater than $400,000   (Amount x .02) - 3,525