There’s no “right” way to go about buying a house, but there are ways to make the process easier and eliminate some of the anxiety involved in making the single largest purchase in your life.

• You first need to decide what type of home you need or want, and how much you can afford. Include the size, location, number of bedrooms, and special features such as fireplace, dishwasher, fence, hot tub, garage, etc.

• You’ll also want to factor in things such as proximity to community centres, schools, public transportation, sports facilities, shopping areas, libraries and your workplace.

• There are different ways to find a home. There are many local brochures and magazines dedicated to advertising properties for sale. Also, most newspapers have a real estate section.

• When buying a house in Canada, most people get in touch with a builder or real estate agent. They are trained specifically to help you house-hunt, and they will also assist you through the buying process.

• When buying a house in Canada, the internet can be an indispensable tool. The main website is Realtor.ca. Literally hundreds of thousands of properties can be found here, and you can narrow your search down to type of house, features, price and location.

Ian Hawkins and Cindy Ryerse have been helping people sell and buy real estate in the beautiful Georgian Triangle for many years. If you’d like our expert assistance, please get in touch with us.