How to Stay Warm and Keep Your Costs Down This Winter

At this point during the winter season do you find yourself sitting in your home, cringing every time the furnace kicks in? Heating your home during the winter months can be expensive, and according to the Ontario Ministry of Energy, "[h]eating and cooling accounts for about 60 percent of an average home's energy costs."

The good news is that, in addition to the fact that winter will eventually turn into spring, there are a number of creative ways to save money on your heating bill. Best of all, none of the solutions (at least not the ones listed below!) will require you to wear a parka indoors or a toque to bed at night.

Here are a few inexpensive ways to keep your home warm and your bills down during the winter months:

Get Pre-Approved Before You House Hunt

So you've found the home of your dreams and now you strut happily to your mortgage professional to get financing so you can move ahead with putting in an offer. Except, once you sit down with your mortgage broker and crunch the numbers, you are hit with the news that you don’t qualify for approval on that particular home. This level of disappointment is completely avoidable. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage should be one of the first steps in the home buying process, and will help you and your Realtor have a more focused strategy when it comes to finding the home of your dreams. 

To learn about other considerations, check out this list of 8 important factors to keep in mind during the home buying process.

If the idea of getting pre-approved is enough to deter you from even starting the home buying process, then you may want to check out this video. You’ll see that getting pre-approved for a mortgage is not as scary as you think when you work with the right professionals.

Buying a home is a lot of fun, but seeing homes you can’t afford is not-so-fun. This is why it’s a good idea to get pre-approved for a mortgage before you head out to look at homes. Getting a pre-approval helps you determine a price range, and avoid the possibility of seeing all the homes that you can’t afford. Besides, the price you think you can afford is often different that the number you can actually afford.

There are a number of benefits to getting pre-approved before you check out homes, but here are the top three:

Saves Time

You’ll only look at the houses that are in your price range, which will let you focus your efforts and find a homes that is best for you.

Gives You Confidence

Negotiations can be tough, but knowing what you can afford will give you the confidence you need when you get down to the details of the deal. You won’t be second-guessing if you can actually be approved for that amount.

Stress-Free Closing Process

If you’re already pre-approved for the amount, the closing process will be quicker and easier. There’s also less of a chance that the deal won’t go through if you've already been pre-approved.

If you are looking to buy a home in London, Ontario or the surrounding areas, I can help steer you in the right direction of getting pre-approved for a mortgage. From there, we’ll narrow down the scope and compile a list of homes that fit within your range. The last thing you want to feel during the exciting home-hunting experience is the disappointment of falling in love with a home that you cannot realistically afford. There are plenty of affordable homes for sale in London, Ontario to fit within any budget. It’s one of the most affordable cities in Ontario (and possibly Canada, too!), and boasts everything from arts and entertainment to education and market-leading sectors. Click here to learn more about London, Ontario and all it has to offer or get in touch with me today. I know the top mortgage professionals in London, Ontario and have been helping individuals and families buy and sell real estate for over 10 years.