Buy Homes in Canada
Where to find real estate listings for properties in Canada
Trying to find real estate listings on line when you are looking to buy a home in Canada can be frustrating. I know, as I was looking for properties online when I wanted to buy a new home in Mississauga, Ontario. When you search online, it seems you get many results for independent realty sites or directories listing only their own properties. I find it easiest and more efficient to go directly to the MLS.ca site. MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service, and all properties listed with the mainstream realty companies appear on the site. It is operated by The Canadian Real Estate Association, based in Ottawa, Ontario. MLS.ca is now Realtor.ca, and I find their new site is not as easy to use as before, in my opinion, but it does give comprehensive lisitings of properties for sale in Canada.
These multiple listings will give you a good general idea of the types of properties for sale, and for rent, and the asking prices. I worked with a realtor to buy my home, but, by looking at properties online, I could give her more specific information abaout what I was looking for, or ask her to arrange viewings. I'll use my Ontario search as an example, but it works for every province.
Start with MLS -- Multiple listing service site to buy homes in Canada
The Realtor.ca home page has a map of Canada. Click the province you want. Then follow the onscreen instructions. The map image has been changed on the new site, but the principle is the same. If you are not sure which province is which, then click one that you think is right, and the province name shows in the top left corner. |
enter search criteria in formThe search box is now on the left side on the home page, which you can fill in with the search criteria -- price range, number of baths, bedrooms, etc. The search results now show in a frame along the right hand side of the page -- about 7 results per page. Even though I had searched for homes in Mississauga, Ontario, my results showed homes in Burlington and Toronto. While it's nice to see what is available around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), it's not what I asked for. But homes for sale are now plotted onto a map of the region, and you can click on those by neighbourhood. There's also an option to save your search results. MLS does not list every property for sale in Canada, but likely, it has the broadest reach. Listings NOT included are homes for sale by owner, or homes that are listed exclusively with one agent, or properties listed with some of the sell-your-own-home agencies. Look for these types of listings in local newpapers real estate pages and web searches.
See Why I Bought a condo in Mississauga >>> Go to Mississauga pages for pictures and information >>> <<< Go to Canada page for menu for Ontario and British Columbia pages
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