Buying your first home is a memorable event filled with excitement and many questions. So we've prepared these simple steps to walk you through the buying process and help you turn your dream of homeownership into reality.

Buying a new home is one of the most significant investments a person makes during their lifetime. At Pemberton, we understand this completely and we promise to make your home buying experience the best you've ever imagined. Our relationship with you is one of integrity and trust. We take you through every step of your home buying process, offering the best in customer care. We also understand your dreams to lead an elegant lifestyle, which is reflected by our exemplary quality, service and craftsmanship, and accentuated by the inclusion of a wealth of lifestyle amenities. For the ultimate in home buying satisfaction, trust Pemberton, because we care about you.

Before you begin your search, ask yourself the following questions to determine exactly what you want.

What is your preferred location?
Will you be close to work? Is there public transportation or nearby highways available? Where are the nearest shopping facilities? Answer these questions to determine your first choice for location. As always, Pemberton chooses to build communities in established neighbourhoods that offer the perfect balance of transportation, shopping, recreation, entertainment and more.

What do you want in a home?
After location, determining what style of home you want is your second most important priority. How many bedrooms do you need? What size of living space is comfortable for you? Do prefer an open concept design or traditional? What level of amenities are you looking for – simple or extensive?
At Pemberton, we've designed condominiums for the widest possible combination of tastes.
Whether you're buying for the first time, upsizing or downsizing, Pemberton has a condominium that's ideally suited for your lifestyle and values.

Everyone has a specific cost in mind when shopping for a new condominium. To determine what is available in your price range, consider how much of a down payment you can afford as well as your monthly mortgage carrying cost. Also find out what is your home's share of the common building expenses and its annual tax. Once you have all of this financial information, then you can best determine what kind of home you can afford. Based upon your net income, many financial institutions and lenders will give you a pre-authorized mortgage to help you in your purchase decision.

To determine your purchasing power, you need to calculate your income, savings, expenses and debts to determine the mortgage amount a financial institution is willing to lend you.
As a rule of thumb, your total mortgage expenses should not exceed 27% - 32% of your monthly income before taxes.

For further information regarding mortgages, please contact the financial institution of
your choice.

Ontario offers several programs for first-time buyers to help them in the process of buying a home. These include the following:

1) Land Transfer Tax Rebate.
First-time home buyers who purchase a newly constructed home will receive a rebate of the Land Transfer Tax (LTT). The maximum LTT rebate is $2,000.

2) CMHC – Mortgage Insurance.
CMHC can save you money of your high-ratio mortgage insurance premium, up to 10%. For complete details visit, http://www.cmhc.gc.ca/.

3) RRSP Home Buyers' Plan.
The Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) is a program under which you can, generally, withdraw up to $20,000 from your RRSP to buy a home. Couples, including common-law, will be able to withdraw up to $40,000. You must be a first-time buyer to qualify for this plan.

We urge you to investigate the above information to find out whether they offer you any financial incentives that will affect your purchase.

Do Your Research. How do you determine if a builder is reliable? You can begin by checking out their corporate web site. But perhaps the best way to determine whether their reputation is to visit the Tarion web site, www.tarion.com and click on: Find a builder.

For the record, the Pemberton Group is rated excellent for service by Tarion.

In major urban centres like Toronto, many people are choosing condominium ownership over rent. Ownership means you receive the benefits of property appreciation, as well the use of lifestyle amenities you would otherwise pay extra for if they were located elsewhere. But the best reason of all to own is to remind yourself how much money you'll save investing in your own property, rather than having it go into a landlord's hands.

As a purchaser, you will be required to sign an Agreement of Purchase & Sale, and leave deposit cheques with the vendor. You then take your copy of the Agreement of Purchase & Sale and Disclosure Statements to your lawyer for review. If you decide not to buy within and up to 10 days after signing the "Agreement", all of your deposit cheques will be returned to you. The agreement of purchase and sale includes detailed information regarding the purchase price, terms and conditions that apply to the transaction, conditions on how the purchase will be financed, the closing date and date of possession. In addition, there will be information regarding the pre-delivery inspection and other contingencies. You will also receive disclosure statements (by-laws, rules and budgets of the condominium corporation), which contain important information about the condominium you are purchasing.

construction stage. The advantages of buying a new condominium include:

• Pre-construction purchasers can reap the reward of property appreciation. From the time you buy to the day you move in, your suite will have increased in value due to market conditions.
• Choosing the floor plan that suits your needs best.
• Personalize your interior decor to reflect your individual taste. We offer you the widest choice in pre-finished hardwood flooring, granite counter tops, cabinetry, tiles and more.*
• High-quality construction material and workmanship.
• Less maintenance costs due to high-quality construction and energy efficient design.
• Selecting the location where you want to live.