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When planning to buy or rent a house in Canada there are a number of useful resources available that can make the process much easier. This is a good time to consider buying a home in Canada since the recent North American housing bubble has adjusted the price of property downwards by up to 30 per cent.

The usual path to home ownership begins with a rental. Few people can afford to buy a home or apartment straight away, so they rent from someone else until they have established enough employment history, credit and cash to secure a bank mortgage. Canada has an excellent market for rental properties, especially in the major cities like Toronto and Vancouver where most emigrants end up living.

When house hunting, there are several ways to ease the process. Whether buying or renting, there are professional property management firms that deal with rentals and real estate companies that help with buying a home. By enlisting the help of a firm such as this you can save time and energy searching for available properties.

Property companies maintain a current list of homes and apartments for rent or sale. They will develop a relationship with you to better understand your housing needs, and then compile a list of appropriate properties for you to look at. Property agents have access to the homes, so that you can take a long and thorough look inside and out.

Property agents are also extremely useful in dealing with the process itself of buying or renting. They will arrange all the necessary paperwork so that all you need to do is sign the contract and provide the financing. By using an agent you can be sure that no step in the process of buying a home is overlooked. Property agents cost the buyer nothing, so there's little reason not to use one.

You can also find properties for rent or sale yourself simply by driving around your town and looking for signs that indicate sale or rent. For rentals, this means you can deal directly with the landlord. For a home purchase, it is still suggested that you find a property agent to handle the paperwork. Any property for sale can be handled by any real estate agent, regardless of who posted the listing first.

To get an idea of home prices in your town, go online and search for a local real estate company. There should be a few companies in your area that will have a partial listing of available properties on their website. This is also a good way to find a local real estate company to work with. In this new internet age there are a lot of resources available online to give you a head start when house hunting in Canada.