Welcome to our Building a Home Series! As the Region’s largest homebuilder, we are proud to be local experts on the home building experience. In this ActivaLearn series, you’ll learn about the in‑depth process of purchasing a new build from start to finish. Learn what makes our process unique and follow our tips along the way! We are dedicated to making every step understandable, and make the whole process exciting and enjoyable, rather than stressful.
Our first installment of this blog series is The Shopping Process – read on to learn the ins and outs of choosing your perfect new-build home.
What’s Your Budget?
Even though window shopping is a lot of fun, we suggest you start with a budget first. You don’t want to fall in love with a home and find out it is out of your price range! Meet with your current lender or financial institution to see what you can afford. Take the stress out of shopping by getting pre-approved for a mortgage – all you have to do is provide your bank with some personal information to help determine how much you can borrow and at what rate. Pre-approval is usually locked in for approximately 130 days. This will give you a good idea of your price range while shopping. Once you’ve confirmed this and have a mortgage commitment letter, you will then need to decide where you would like to plant your roots.
PRO TIP: Remember to consider extra costs such as lawyer fees, closing, land transfer tax, design studio upgrades and the cost of moving.
Location is Key!
We develop and build in communities throughout Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge to suit a wide variety of lifestyles and needs. Consider your lifestyle and where you would like to be in five years. Do you need to be close to schools? Do you commute to work? Or maybe living near nature is important as you want to have quick access to walking trails. Whatever it may be, Activa has something that is right for you. Check out our Complete Communities blog to learn more about how we put our homeowners first throughout the building process.
PRO TIP: Write a list of must-haves for your home and neighbourhood so we can provide you with our top recommendations.
Consider Home Style and Layout
You will also need to consider the style of home that is best for you, so it is important to ask yourself “What do I need in a home?”. It could be extra bedrooms, a family room, or a finished basement, or maybe you want to integrate smart technology into your new home! These are all things to consider when building with Activa. We build a diverse range of homes, from condo living to single detached homes, to suit your needs, price range and lifestyle, and our sales team are experts in helping you find the right fit! Start browsing our homes and communities to get a better idea of what we can offer you.
Finding a Sales Representative
When buying or selling a home, a real estate agent is your best friend! At Activa, we have experienced Sales Representatives to help you throughout the shopping and buying process. Our expert team is extremely knowledgeable in the housing market and are here to provide you with personalized service and guidance throughout this process.
Stay Tuned
We hope these tips help get you started, we are always here to answer your questions! Stay tuned next week for our next post in this series: The Purchasing Process.