Niagara is an awesome place to call home.
With 12 unique municipalities from which to choose, finding your dream home in the perfect Niagara neighbourhood may take some work, but it’s definitely possible.
The professionals at Newbigging-Pearson Real Estate have countless hours of experience matching homebuyers up with the perfect home in the ideal community.
If searching for a new home is part of your future, our team of trusted professionals has put together a few tips on how to find an area in the Niagara real estate market that's right for you and your family.
Our first tip deals with the question of where everything is located: Map it out!
Download and print out a map of the communities in which you are searching. Note travel routes: to work, to schools, to services. Will you be able to walk to services? Commute to work easily? Take children to sports practices? Where is the nearest highway access? Note the routes on your map.
If your children are switching schools, will you be eligible for busing, or will you be required to drive your children each day? Is walking a possibility? To figure out school locations and board busing requirements, visit the websites for the District School Board of Niagara, or the Niagara Catholic District School Board. Mark school locations on your map.
Make a list of other services that are required for each family member. Include sports requirements, part-time job locations, churches, libraries, grocery stores, shopping needs, parks, places to ride bicycles, and medical, dental or veterinary offices. Add these to your map, also.
Will you need to access local and/or regional transit? Figure out the bus routes and train access while you have the map out – knowing how far you’ll have to commute each day might help you decide on one community over another.
Once you have narrowed your search down to one community, that’s when you need to start making a home wish list – that’s our next tip. You need to give us some details about your dream home, so your Newbigging-Pearson real estate professionals will know what to look for.
Do you need a double, attached garage? A large back yard? A specific number of bedrooms and bathrooms? Air conditioning? Forced air heating? Finished basement? Municipal water/sewer services? A pool? Neighbours close by? A newer home or something established?
Play around with the settings at Realtor.ca, looking for homes for sale in your chosen community. Get an idea of the prices that are being listed for homes on the market right now.
Now that you have an idea of what you are looking for, where you might find it and what it might cost, it’s time to set a budget. Now is the time to visit your financial institution, to discuss various types of financing available. If you are selling a home, too, you’ll need to factor the details from your sale into your financial equation.
If you plan to sell and move into, a home the same day, your world just got a little more complicated with choosing movers, packing, the pressure of selling and buying at the same time. Yes, it’s complicated, but it’s still possible! People just like you do it every day. And we can help!
That being said, however, our Newbigging-Pearson team knows from experience that closing your purchase before you close your sale often makes for an easier move.
If it’s financially possible, we suggest you give yourself a few days to move out of your existing home and into the new one. If you plan to paint or renovate before moving in, you’ll need to address that schedule, too. It’s not unheard of for homebuyers to need a rental home, before taking possession of their dream home purchase.
Working out these scheduling and financial details will make it easier for your Newbigging-Pearson team to help you find the perfect family home, and put together an offer the seller won’t be able to refuse.
Our last tip involves taking your chosen community for a test drive. Spend some time in your prospective new neighbourhood, testing out traffic patterns and available services. Shop in the community’s stores, visit parks, walk the family dog, and even try a morning commute, if possible. Call schools and ask for tours; some schools may allow you to pop in and meet a teacher or tour the facility.
Moving to a new community is a really big deal; your trusted Newbigging-Pearson team wants to help you make the right choice. It means you have a little homework to do first – but with the help of the Internet and your marked-up map, you’ll be able to see at a glance which communities in the Niagara real estate market have the potential to be your new home.
Are you ready for something new? The Newbigging-Pearson real estate team is here to help!
Reach our Newbigging-Pearson team at 289-686-1552, or send us a message via our website HERE, on our contact page.
Let’s start searching together!