{"id":24940,"date":"2021-06-11T12:18:40","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T12:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/?p=24940"},"modified":"2021-06-11T12:40:10","modified_gmt":"2021-06-11T12:40:10","slug":"4-ways-to-house-hunt-in-canada-if-youve-never-been","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/4-ways-to-house-hunt-in-canada-if-youve-never-been\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways To House-Hunt In Canada If You&#8217;ve Never Been"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- SEO Ultimate Plus (https:\/\/seoultimateplus.com) - Code Inserter module -->\n<script async>(function(s,u,m,o,j,v){j=u.createElement(m);v=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0];j.async=1;j.src=o;j.dataset.sumoSiteId='b68b392479b5981b8acf46565e9fe32a0734fc21a1f7c1e60121eaa6ca1a1c64';v.parentNode.insertBefore(j,v)})(window,document,'script','\/\/load.sumo.com\/');<\/script>\n<!-- \/SEO Ultimate Plus -->\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada boasts a strong <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/things-you-should-know-before-buying-a-place-internationally\/21235\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ex-pat community<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with people from all walks of life and countries of origin moving to the country to enjoy its many brilliant provinces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what about the process of buying a house there as a prospective Canadian?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you house-hunt for the right property without already living in the land of the maple leaf? In this guide, we\u2019ll hope to offer some answers to these questions, offering vital tips for investing in Canadian real estate without ever having stepped foot in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can non-residents buy in Canada?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we get started, it\u2019s important to answer the most pressing question: can non-residents actually buy in Canada?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Property rules in Canada vary from region to region, so it\u2019s worth double-checking the exact regulations before you get too invested in one home. However, the general rule is there are no restrictions on foreigners purchasing homes across Canada. In some cases, international buyers will be exempt from purchasing agricultural or recreational land though.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some provinces do have an additional fee for foreign buyers. The Greater Horseshoe Region (including Toronto), for example, imposes an additional 15% tax on the value of the property for some international buyers. This <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fin.gov.on.ca\/en\/bulletins\/nrst\/#:~:text=The%20Non%E2%80%91Resident%20Speculation%20Tax%20(NRST)%20is%20a%2015,foreign%20entities)%20and%20taxable%20trustees.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">non-resident speculation tax<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can later be applied as a rebate for permanent residents working and studying in the region.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Put your trust in experts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When buying a home, the knowledge of local experts is invaluable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your parents might be able to give you some insight into the intricacies of buying a house, but real estate experts (be they an agency or a surveyor) can direct you to the right areas of town and point out major issues with a property.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When buying internationally, especially without a scouting mission, the knowledge and professionalism of a local expert can make or break your buying experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts don\u2019t just know areas, they know the legal intricacies and challenges of buying within one. Say you were looking to move to Ontario, it would make sense to contact a mortgage broker in London, Ontario rather than a national outfit for insight into the financial and legal particularities of that area. When shopping for a house in London, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/breezeful.com\/mortgage-broker\/ontario\/london\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">benefits of using a London mortgage broker<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cannot be understated, as they will give you the clearest picture of the situation on the ground at that moment and a price based on the reality of the market.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Worried about finding somewhere with the right school for your child, the potential for significant return on investment and less paperwork to mull over? Go local with your experts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shop around online<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good shoppers never go with their first choice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re viewing real estate, it\u2019s easy to get carried away and fall in love with a home. You picture your life there, your children enjoying the backyard and little spaces you can carve out all for yourself. However, it\u2019s important to detach yourself from the process and shop around, especially when viewing exclusively online.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this day and age, it\u2019s easier than ever to buy online. Picking up a house might not be as straightforward as ordering groceries on Amazon, but there are a plethora of brilliant online portals for you to browse potential opportunities on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The majority of agencies and sellers will not offer not just professional photographs and detailed descriptions, but videos and even virtual reality capabilities. You can explore a home, view recent drone footage of the surrounding area and start to build your life there from the comfort of your own home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These options make shopping around online essential. Have backup options and work with a selection of agencies to get a flavour of what\u2019s available.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buy sight-unseen (but research the area)<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, the concept of buying sight-unseen (putting in an offer before having seen the property in person) has grown in popularity. With the pandemic bringing travel to a halt, many buyers looking to move across the country or international borders were forced to go down the sight-unseen route, investing in properties they\u2019d never laid a foot in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While this might seem like a gamble to your average buyer, when coupled with an experienced surveyor, it can be an effective way to jump the queue and beat the competition to a property.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cons of buying sight-unseen are obvious, but what about the benefits? It might not be the best way to buy a house, but it does allow you to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shop from a much wider pool of properties<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Save on travel costs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compete with offers due to a lack of contingencies\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if you are exploring this route, ensure you do your research. This can be as simple as browsing Google Maps for surrounding red flags or reading local school reviews. Buying sight-unseen is one thing, but having no concept of the surrounding area is another.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plan a visit\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if you want to get the most out of your online buying experience, it makes sense to at least plan one visit to scope out the area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buying in an area you\u2019ve never visited before is an incredible risk. You can\u2019t get a genuine flavour for the area and how you gel with it, let alone the quality of local amenities and essentials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While guides such as the Expat Info Desk can give you an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.expatinfodesk.com\/guide-content\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">impression of an area and the requirements to get there<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, only living amongst it can help you understand whether or not you personally fit. We recommend doing extensive research on areas that are particularly attractive to you and once travel restrictions have been lifted planning short breaks around close areas. While there, take some time to look at properties, use commuter routes, and sample the lifestyle of locals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essential info for non-residents buying in Canada<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we go, some essential information for non-Canadian residents looking to buy from overseas:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Investing in property in Canada does not offer you any special immigration privileges\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Condos, detached homes, luxury homes and commercial properties are all available to non-residents, as well as more specialist properties such as equestrian farms and vineyards<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buyers outside of Canada can apply for financing options<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Closing costs are typically between 2-4% of the purchase price<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Moving to Canada is a thrilling and rewarding experience that many across the world have had the pleasure of completing. The country has something for everyone, with many different property types whether you\u2019re buying for the investment or raising your family somewhere special.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>These tips will help you become a more thorough and educated international buyer to ensure your real estate investment is worth the money and gives you the best opportunity to enjoy your new lifestyle.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6>Ref number:\u00a0THSI-2337<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canada boasts a strong ex-pat community, with people from all walks of life and countries of origin moving to the country to enjoy its many brilliant provinces. But what about the process of buying a house there as a prospective<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/4-ways-to-house-hunt-in-canada-if-youve-never-been\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":24942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[1,16],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[602],"modified_by":"THS","_wl_alt_label":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/hermes-rivera-ahHn48-zKWo-unsplash-1.jpg","wl:entity_url":"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/post\/4_ways_to_house-hunt_in_canada_if_youve_never_been","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24940"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24940"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24945,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24940\/revisions\/24945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24940"},{"taxonomy":"wl_entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wl_entity_type?post=24940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}