Blog - Rob Hamel

How much does closing really cost? – The blog of a first time home buyer

This part was probably the biggest shocker to me, the actual cost of buying a home. Spoiler alert, it’s not just the 5% you need for a down-payment! Here how much my house actually ended up costing. Down payment – $10,000 The down-payment is of course the largest single fee associated with the […]
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The road to ownership – The blog of a first time home buyer

Your offer is accepted and you nearly have the keys to your new house, congrats! There’s just a few steps, called conditions, that you have to take that will take your accepted offer to a sold home. Typically, you’ll have around two weeks to take care of these, which may seem like a lot, but […]
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Offers and counter offers – The blog of a first time home buyer

You’ve found a house you love (or like, it doesn’t have to be a love-at-first-sight kind of deal) and you’re ready to make an offer, what happens next? Firstly, this process is going to be an exercise in teamwork and trust between you and your REALTORⓇ, which is why it is so important that […]
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What do you do when you find “the one” – The blog of a first time home buyer

You’ve been to open houses, you’ve checked out some houses with your REALTOR®️, and you’ve found something you could call home!! Yay! But… what now? Well, first, before I get to that, I do understand that I kind of skipped the “Look at houses with your REALTOR®️” bit for a few reasons. Firstly, I only […]

How much does closing really cost? – The blog of a first time home buyer This part was probably the biggest shocker to me, the actual cost of buying a home. Spoiler alert, it’s not just the 5% you need for a down-payment! Here how much my house actually ended up costing. Down payment – $10,000 The down-payment is of course the largest single fee associated with the […]

blog The road to ownership – The blog of a first time home buyer Your offer is accepted and you nearly have the keys to your new house, congrats! There’s just a few steps, called conditions, that you have to take that will take your accepted offer to a sold home. Typically, you’ll have around two weeks to take care of these, which may seem like a lot, but […]

blog Offers and counter offers – The blog of a first time home buyer You’ve found a house you love (or like, it doesn’t have to be a love-at-first-sight kind of deal) and you’re ready to make an offer, what happens next? Firstly, this process is going to be an exercise in teamwork and trust between you and your REALTORⓇ, which is why it is so important that […]

blog What do you do when you find “the one” – The blog of a first time home buyer You’ve been to open houses, you’ve checked out some houses with your REALTOR®️, and you’ve found something you could call home!! Yay! But… what now? Well, first, before I get to that, I do understand that I kind of skipped the “Look at houses with your REALTOR®️” bit for a few reasons. Firstly, I only […]

blog Why I didn’t use the First Time Home Buyer’s Incentive – The blog of a first time home buyer A hot topic around election time (and my home purchasing time) was how to improve housing affordability for the average Canadian, and particularly, the first time home buyer. I’m not going to go into any politics, but I will go into what we got right before the election, the Liberal Government’s First Time Home Buyers’ […]

Understanding your First Mortgage – The blog of a first time home buyer The mortgage and pre-approval process is a scary one, at least for me it was. Just like you realise that public school didn’t prepare you to file your income tax, getting a loan for the biggest purchase of your life can easily seem daunting! I’d like to break down some of my knowledge on the […]

Why work with a REALTORⓇ? – The blog of a first time home buyer You’re ready to start looking at houses, you know a little about what you want, what’s next? In my opinion, it’s time for you to hire your REALTORⓇ! Your REALTORⓇ is going to be your investigator, your paperwork guru, your negotiator, your cool 3rd wheel (maybe), and your partner through this process. Well, they should […]

blog Open House like a Pro – The blog of a first time home buyer Last week, I discussed the thought process of what went into the decision to start the search for our first home. We were ready, or at least ready enough, to start looking at houses, so it was time for our first round of open houses, yay! Now, by the time we had actually gone […]

blog To buy or not to buy… – The blog of a first time home buyer Deciding to purchase my first home wasn’t as straightforward a decision as it can be for many people. I currently rent a very nicely built home that doesn’t leave me wanting for much. When something breaks, I don’t have to deal with it. My costs are essentially fixed, mostly everything works, I have enough space […]