If you are a member of the Canadian Forces, then you know that for most personnel you only have a 7 day house hunting trip to find your next home when you’ve been reassigned. This process can be quite unnerving and even frustrating when trying to find the right home for you and your family.
Your week long House Hunting Trip doesn’t need to be stressful and daunting. In fact, these tips will let you enjoy your all expense paid trip.
Tip #1: Know What you Want
It certainly helps to know what you need before you start looking. The first thing you should do when facing a move to a new city is knowing the desires of you and your family. Even if it is just you, there are still needs that have to be addressed in a new home. Here are a series of questions that you should answer prior to taking your HHT:
How many bedrooms?
How many bathrooms?
Location
Any special needs?
All four are very important to know in advance so you can quickly narrow the choice and make the best selections.
Bedrooms and bathrooms may seem obvious, but sometimes it is a good idea to try and get a place with one more bedroom than needed so you can have extra storage space.
The location should be a comfortable distance from where you are stationed so you can reach the base in plenty of time. This means selecting a radius around the base that makes you comfortable, such as 20 minutes away by car or less.
Finally, address any special desires which can range from an extra large backyard to doorways and hallways created for those who are disabled.
Tip #2: Get Everything in Order
Now that you know what you want, the next step is to make sure that everything is in order for you to make the purchase of your home.
Obviously, the Canadian Forces play a role here so you should clear everything with them first so that you can hit the ground running when you arrive in your new location.
Be sure to review any loan, fees or discounts that you qualify for so the info can be at the ready.
Tip #3: Use the Internet
Before you leave on your House Hunting Trip in your new city, look up the homes available on the internet that fit all of your needs.
The real estate market has undergone a revolution thanks to the power of the internet and now you can find homes for sale by size and location. This way, you can effectively pre-plan which homes you can visit right away.
Tip #4: Plan Search Route
Now that you have the homes that fit the bill, you should have a map prepared so you can visit each of these homes quickly.
Even if you are just looking over the location from your car, this can be an excellent way of scouting the neighborhood and ruling out homes that don’t meet your needs.
Remember, the more prepared you are before you leave, the faster you will find the right home for you and your family.
