Your Guide to Buying a Home: Steps to Success

Buying property in Kamloops & Area

For the Buyers
Once the offer has been accepted, it’s time to work towards removing the conditions, here’s some information to guide you:
• Send the contract to your mortgage broker or financial institution
• Review Title and Property Disclosure Statement (PDS) with your realtor
• Arrange for home inspection
• Arrange to have fire and property insurance in place on completion day
• Read and understand strata documents if applicable.

REQUEST AN EVALUTAION

For Buyer and Sellers
Once all the conditions of the offer are removed, it is time to start thinking ahead and making arrangements:
• Send the contract to your mortgage broker or financial institution
• Give notice to your landlord if you are renting
• Make the necessary address changes (utilities, phone, cable, banking, post office) see the attached Moving

Checklist
• Arrange to meet with your lawyers to sign the final documentation
• Remembering the closing costs (lawyers fee, transfer tax, etc)
• Start looking at moving options – hiring a professional or doing it yourself.
• Bringing in a tradesperson for repairs, renovation and remodelling estimates for example, you may want to paint or to have the carpets cleaned prior to moving in.

Continuing Costs of Operating a Home

Home operating costs:
Besides your mortgage, property taxes and insurance, there are many other ongoing costs related to operating your home. They include maintenance and repair, costs for services such as security alarm services, snow removal services and gardening or lawn services (if you wish to pay for these). If you have a condominium or strata, some of these expenses may be included as part of your monthly maintenance fee.

Make Sure Your Home is Fully Secured
• Change all locks when you buy a new home
• Add deadbolt locks and window locks where necessary
• Consider getting a security system. Your property insurance rate may be lower if you have one.
• Use outdoor lighting. You can get light switches that turn lights on automatically every evening or motion-sensor lights that come on when someone walks by. However, use outdoor lighting judiciously to be more energy-efficient.
• When you are away from home, use lights and radios on automatic timers and arrange to have your mail and newspapers picked up or discontinued. This way, people won’t be able to tell that you are not home.
• Lock your garage door if you have a locking feature on your automatic opener, or make sure the door from the garage into the home is locked.
• Get to know your neighbours and keep an eye out for each other.

Getting Ready to Move

If you decide to do your own packing, prepare yourself. Moving can be a hectic and stressful process, it takes time and patience. You will need boxes, packing tape, felt pens, a dolly to move large or heavy boxes, moving blankets, bungee cords, bubble wrap, newspaper to wrap breakables and tarps.

If you decide to hire a mover, friends or relatives may be able to recommend a professional moving company. Always ask the mover for references. You will also want an estimate and outline of fees (flat rate or hourly charge, etc.). Once you’ve selected a mover, it’s a good idea to have the representative come to your home to see what will be moved and revise the estimate if necessary. See the below moving information.

Tips for moving to the Kamloops area
Going through your belongings to determine what you’re going to move, sell or give away

1. Have an inventory session. Decide what you want to move, what you want to sell in a garage sale or what you want to donate to a local charitable organization. (Get a receipt for tax reasons if applicable).

2. Schedule garage sale for items you won’t move, schedule pickup for items you want to donate.
Cancelling, redirecting, setting up accounts or notification of your move to the appropriate parties with your address change any delivery services that you may use

Notify:
• BC Hydro
• Fortis Gas
• Rogers
• Bell Mobility
• Bell Express Vu
• Star Choice
• Shaw
• Kamloops This Week
• Canada Post
• Credit cards, bank accounts or any financial institutions, cheques, drivers license, social insurance #, medial, dental and life insurance, house insurance, magazines, newspapers, fitness centres or health clubs, safety deposit boxes, friends and relatives, passports, churches, community groups, daycare centres, change of address cards with the post office, employer, schools, care card, points cards and any businesses that you deal with such as auto dealers, tire stores, hair salons, pizza places etc.

Be Prepared and Stay Safe

Fire extinguishers must be easily accessible at all times. If you have a two-storey home, there should be one on each floor. Remember to check your fire extinguishers at least once a year. To help you remember, make a habit of doing it when you set your clocks to daylight savings time.

In some areas, it’s a legal requirement to have smoke detectors in your home. Even if they are not, you will still want them in your home. Check the batteries at least once a year. Carbon monoxide detectors are also important to have. They will let you know if there are high levels of carbon monoxide in your home, and can save you from illness or death. To make sure that they are working properly, check them at least once a year.

It’s a good idea to make a habit of checking your fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at the same time.

Paper, paint, chemicals and other clutter can be a fire hazard. Make sure they are stored in a safe, cool place.
If you no longer need them, hazardous materials must be disposed of at a community toxic waste centre. Never put them in the garbage.

Collect your important papers and store them in a safe place – for example, a fireproof box or a safety deposit box.

Keep a list of emergency phone numbers (including 911, poison prevention line, doctors, relative, neighbours and friends) close to the phone and make sure your children are aware of it.

BUYING STEPS

Buying property in Kamloops & Area

Continuing Costs of Operating a Home

Getting Ready to Move

Be Prepared and Stay Safe