Get clear on the money
Start with the pre-approval, cash needed to close and a monthly payment that still leaves room for your real life.
BUY WITH SCOTTIE · WATERLOO REGION + BEYONDLove the house.
Love the house.
Know what you're buying.
It's easy to fall for a kitchen. I'll help you look at the budget, the street, the recent sales and the expensive stuff behind the pretty photos. We can have fun looking at houses and still ask every important question.
Tell me what fits.
Share your budget, timing, must-haves and hard no's. I'll build the search with you and follow up personally.
Build my search with Scottie →02 · THE NUMBERSWhat can we actually do?
Compare down-payment paths and the cash you should have ready.
Use the calculator →03 · THE HUMANBuild my search with me.
Tell me what has to work, what you will not compromise on and what is making you nervous.
Talk to Scottie →THE BUYER ROADMAP
Five steps. No mystery between them.
You always know what we're doing and why.
Teach your eye
A few calibration showings so you can feel the difference between a good house, a shiny house and the right house.
Read the street
Recent SOLD data, school and trail context, resale realities and the tiny details that change value block by block.
Build the offer
Price, conditions, timing and negotiation built around this house and this seller - not somebody else's bidding-war story.
Stay all the way
Inspection, financing, lawyer, insurance, closing and the thousand little questions between accepted and keys.
BUYER STUFF · WITH ACTUAL JOY
Buying a house can be fun.
There are serious numbers and serious decisions. That does not mean the whole experience needs to feel like beige paperwork under fluorescent lighting. Watch this one, captions and all.
Keep learning in Scottie TV →BUYER REALITY · SCOTTIE STYLE
Buying a house can be fun
A quick reminder that good guidance should make the process clearer, calmer and a whole lot more human.
Player hidden? Open this Reel on Instagram ↗THE DEEP-DIVE BUYER LIBRARY
Twelve things I want you to know before we buy.
Open the parts you need today. Come back when the next question becomes real. This is education, not a substitute for legal, lending, inspection, insurance or tax advice.
Explore every buyer article →01Choose a monthly life - not a maximum approval
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Start with the payment that still lets you travel, fix the car and order the good pizza. A lender's maximum is a ceiling, not a lifestyle recommendation.
02Get a real pre-approval
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Ask what rate is held, for how long, what assumptions were used and what could still change. Confirm the current stress-test rules with your lender.
03Map every dollar needed for closing
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Down payment is only the headline. Plan for the deposit, inspection, appraisal if required, legal work, title insurance, land transfer tax, adjustments, moving and an actual emergency cushion.
04Use first-home programs deliberately
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An FHSA can provide up to $8,000 of participation room in the first year you open it and a $40,000 lifetime limit. The Home Buyers' Plan currently permits eligible RRSP withdrawals up to $60,000. Confirm eligibility with your financial and tax professionals.
05Build a search that can teach us something
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Separate needs, strong wants and fun bonuses. Then include a few honest edge cases. Sometimes the home you love lives one neighbourhood or one cosmetic renovation outside the original brief.
06Read value through SOLD homes
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List price is a marketing decision. Recent comparable sales, lot, condition, micro-location and market velocity are the useful evidence. I show you the evidence and the messy parts - not just a magic number.
07Inspect the expensive, boring things
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Roof, structure, grading, moisture, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, windows, permits and insurance questions deserve attention. A beautiful backsplash has never replaced a foundation.
08Understand the representation agreement
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Before signing, we talk through services, geographic scope, term, fees, termination and what happens if another representative or seller is involved. You should understand the relationship before it becomes binding.
09Design the offer for this seller
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Price is one lever. Deposit, closing date, inclusions, financing, inspection, sale-of-property conditions and the time allowed for a response all affect strength and risk.
10Handle competing offers without losing the plot
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Decide your walk-away point before adrenaline arrives. We use available evidence, protect the conditions you truly need and accept that the best decision is occasionally to let somebody else overpay.
11Do the work after acceptance
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Deliver the deposit exactly as required, satisfy conditions on time, book the inspection, finalize financing, secure insurance and send the agreement to your lawyer. Accepted is exciting; closed is the goal.
12Prepare for keys before key day
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Review the statement of adjustments, arrange utilities, plan funds with your lawyer and complete the final visit. Then we deal with the little surprises like adults with a phone, a checklist and snacks.
VERIFY THE IMPORTANT STUFF
Primary-source buyer links.
Rules and programs change. These links go to the people who set or enforce them.
Down-payment rulesFinancial Consumer Agency of Canada↗Mortgage qualification + stress testFinancial Consumer Agency of Canada↗First Home Savings AccountCanada Revenue Agency↗Home Buyers' PlanCanada Revenue Agency↗Ontario land-transfer-tax refundGovernment of Ontario↗Ontario buyer checklistReal Estate Council of Ontario↗
BUYER + MARKET SCHOOL
Learn before you sign.
Offers, inspections, pricing, market shifts and the questions people usually Google at midnight.
Open all four Scottie TV channels →Stay right here.Press play, then use the playlist button or next arrow inside the player to keep watching on ScottieH.com.
Prefer the YouTube app? Open it there ↗