RentSeeker.ca – Canada’s largest real estate search website and apartment finder, which provides real estate marketing services for most of Canada’s largest Landlords and REIT’s and also publishes real estate data which is used by economists, journalists, government, and media outlets, published a NEW INFOGRAPHIC today showing…

The Cost of Housing across Canada and the U.S. and the Income Needed to Purchase a House, Based on Current Housing Values and Interest Rates.

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For media inquiries, or to share this INFOGRAPHIC, please contact us.

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There are many factors which need to be considered for both renting and buying, including understanding all the financial responsibilities for both,  the risk vs. reward, and even emotional factors which are crucial to this decision process, since for most consumers, purchasing a home is the largest investment of their lifetime.

RentSeeker.ca, Canada’s leading apartment, condo and home finder, has built a new, one of a kind, Rent or Buy Calculator to help consumers compare the costs associated with renting vs. buying.

The new Rent or Buy Calculator by RentSeeker.ca provides valuable tools including pre-inputted average rent costs for many cities across Canada which users can find by choosing a province, city and bedroom type, or users can input their own rent costs in the custom field for “Monthly Rent”.

Should You Rent or Buy? This New Rent vs. Buy Calculator Will Help You Decide!

For media inquiries or to share our new Rent vs. Buy Calculator,  please email:  media@rentseeker.ca.

Whether you’re renting a home in a cozy suburban neighbourhood or you’ve relocated to a massive high-rise in an urban metropolis, getting to know the people closest to you doesn’t have to be as scary or challenging as it might seem. In fact, your new neighbours will often be understandably curious about you — as a newcomer, they’ll want to know what kind of tenant you are (clean? conscientious? friendly?), and the more you recognize and acknowledge your floor or street-mates, the safer and happier everyone will feel.

For those reasons, we’ve compiled some effective tips to help you break the ice, feel welcome, start up some new relationships, and hopefully start making some new friends!

Have the Right Attitude.

First off, you’ve got to embrace the idea of welcoming new friendships into your life. This means projecting a positive, friendly, and outgoing demeanor that others will naturally respond to. This is no time to close yourself off from making contact! If you’re living in a busy apartment building, remember to smile, make eye contact, and say hello to those you share the elevator, stairs, or lobby with. Obviously, you want to avoid seeming too friendly — creepy vibes will not win you new pals (or the right ones, anyway). But making small talk is a good way to break the ice, and gets you one step closer to learning about someone new.

When you meet a person for the first time, it’s okay to ask their name and maybe shake their hand — you can explain that you’re new to the area and interested in meeting your neighbours. A great way to initiate this conversation is to ask about the building: how long they’ve lived there, how they feel about the amenities or landlord, and other related questions. Part of the difficulty of making new friends as an adult is that we’re reluctant to admit that we do indeed want friends! So break this stigma by swallowing your fear and making the first move. Once you’re talking with someone, remember to be polite, maybe make a compliment (if it feels right), ask them questions, and really listen to their answers. People naturally enjoy talking about themselves, and the more you learn about your neighbours, the more you’ll be able to figure out who’s who and who’s receptive to new relationships.

One tried and true icebreaker is to bake some cookies or other sweet snacks, knock on your neighbours’ doors, and offer them — you can say you made up a whole batch for another function but ended up having extras. Some people might think this is weird, but that’s okay — others will absolutely love the gesture and either way, you’re meeting new people in the process.

Accept Invitations and Attend Events.

If you’re asked to attend something — a dinner party, a casual drink, a game night, a cocktail party, or something similar — you should make every effort to show up (it’s often easier and more enticing to just curl up on the couch, but you’ve got to be proactive)! Try to say yes to any invitation you receive; otherwise, by saying no you might not get another invite. Obviously, use common sense, and never accept an invitation from someone who makes you feel uncomfortable.

Apartment buildings will routinely have flyers or posters advertising some event (a movie night or a meet and greet, for example) in the lobbies or elevators. Rather than ignore these, use them as a way to put faces to names and even find some people who share your interests and hobbies.

Be Visible.

In an apartment building, being visible means actually spending time in communal areas — games rooms, patios, pools, gyms, entertainment rooms, and so forth. It also means spending time on your balcony. For those living in houses, this means spending more time on your front lawn (or on your porch) than in the back. Sit out with a cold drink in the summer or invest time in a garden project. The more you’re seen around the house, the more chances you’ll strike up a conversation with a passerby and make a new contact.

This also entails spending more time on walks or jogs nearby. Start being part of the scenery and people will naturally associate your presence with their home! Strolling and jogging are great ways to find like-minded people who might want to enjoy your hobby with you. Shopping in local establishments (and maybe even becoming a ‘regular’) will slowly but surely allow you to get to know other regulars, servers, bartenders, baristas, and shopkeepers. Adult friendships don’t happen over night, so take it slow and remember that becoming a real regular will take time!

Dogs and children make excellent ice-breakers, too. Parents of young children will immediately bond with others in the same boat, and the more moms and dads you know in your building or on your street will make finding a babysitter all the more convenient. Schedule a play-date or a trip to the park on a Saturday and start bonding with other young families. If you don’t have a human child, your four-legged companion will also do the trick! Rather than walk Fido alone, see who might be up for group dog walks or trips to the dog park (you can post a sign suggesting this if you aren’t comfortable asking strangers in person). As long as your dog likes other dogs, this boost of community will make your pet much happier, too!

Attract Friends to You!

A yard or garage sale is also a fine way to make introductions seem easy. If you advertise your sale properly, you’ll have a slew of shoppers from all over the ’hood coming to you. Whenever you see some friendly folks, you can introduce yourself and ask about the neighbourhood, where they live, and how long they’ve been in the area. This is an ideal way to make some fast friends.

If you’re feeling brave, you can also host a move-in party. Use your yard sale to hand out invites to this casual affair, or you can go door to door in any neighbourhood or apartment building with hand-made invitations. Serve up some BBQ, cold drinks, and light snacks and keep the atmosphere casual and friendly. Even if you only get a handful of people, those are four or five more than you’d know otherwise, and you don’t have to spend too much money to do it!

At the end of the day, we’re here to make every part of moving locations and renting a home easier. After helping you find rental apartments all across Canada, we also want you to be comfortable and as happy as possible in your new digs. Keep checking our blog for more advice on finding neighbourhoods, renovating and decorating your space, and simply living better. While this particular list of helpful tips is by no means conclusive, it should inspire you to make the first move and start reaching out to those around you. No one wants to be lonely and isolated, so the first step toward finding a new community is to realize that you don’t have to be!

Buying a house or condominium of your own might be out of reach in the early days, so like millions of other Canadians you’ll probably start looking to find a good rental apartment.

Renting an apartment is a great way to get on your feet in your new country, and adjust to work, climate, culture, and other factors in a more relaxed environment.

However, while the process of finding a good rental can be smooth and trouble-free, it’s not always the case. The best way to approach it is to educate yourself as much as possible.

You’ll probably have a number of questions about what’s out there, your rights, your landlord’s obligations, rent, lease agreements, and also simply where to begin your search, so read on to get a sense of what you need to know.

A good place to start reading up on rental information is the “Renting a Home in Canada” section of the Government of Canada website.

There you’ll find definitions for landlords, property managers, and superintendents, and outline your landlord’s key responsibilities (collecting rent, keeping your apartment in working condition, and providing everything stated in the lease agreement).

It also outlines your own responsibilities as a renter (like paying rent, keeping things clean and safe, contacting the landlord in case something needs fixed, and so forth).

The Government of Canada website will also touches on moving in and out, how to inspect a lease agreement, what you need to know about rent increases and how to pay your rent, and some other rights.

Important to note on this website are two links: one is an interlink to an Immigrant Service in your area (Immigrant Services can help you look for a place, get a job, get references, and inspect a lease), and the other is to CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Homeowners Corporation).

The CMHC is a great resource for first-time renters, and goes into much greater detail than what you’ll find on the Government of Canada website.

It breaks down the rental education process into five key sections:

1) Getting Started (covering your needs, what a landlord cannot ask you, how to make a good impression, the credit check, and the pros and cons of shared accommodations),

2) Renting a Place to Live (how to evaluate areas, particular rentals, rental agreements, deposits, and safety issues),

3) Once a Rental Agreement Has Been Made (helpful tips for moving in, inspecting the building, paying rent, and landlord responsibilities),

4) Issues During the Tenancy (which covers emergencies, repairs, complaints, rent increases, and renewals), and finally,

5) Moving Out (showing you how to handle inspections, ending an agreement, subletting, and deposits).

There’s certainly a lot to know and be aware of; in fact, we could take up an entire blog post on anyone one of these subsections.

But heading to these three important websites—and especially the CMHC — will make the whole process much easier.

One aspect that isn’t covered comprehensively — and isn’t even that helpful, to be honest — is the listed tips on finding a rental apartment.

These sites still recommend scanning classified ads in newspapers, scouring neighbourhoods for ‘For Rent’ signs, or looking at community bulletin boards. While these techniques can indeed lead to success, they aren’t convenient, or all that effective.

The best way to actually find a place to rent is to use our detailed, easy-to-navigate, and extensive directory of apartment listings. We let you find the apartment that’s right for you without having to wade through dozens of other places that aren’t a good fit.

All you have to do is select the city of your choice, establish some basic parameters (like maximum or minimum rent, how many bedrooms you need, and so forth), and hit search.

You can always continue to narrow the field by setting up more conditions with our great search engine. And best of all, our database not only lets you see clear pictures, maps, floorplans, and even videos of any prospective apartment, but it can put you into direct contact with landlords and property managers, shortening the process and getting you one step closer to settling in.

Moving to a new country is always a challenging and demanding experience.

We’re here to make it a bit easier.

Check back often to see new listings in whichever city you plan to live, and get in touch if you have any questions about our service.

One-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom…or more? What about dens, enclosed balconies and extra bathrooms? With so many apartment sizes to choose from these days, it can be difficult to determine which one is best for you. But with our handy guide, you will be able to choose the perfect apartment to suit your lifestyle.

Number of Residents

This seems like a no-brainer, but you first have to determine exactly how many people will be staying in the apartment on a regular basis. Yes, you may be living alone, but will you often have guests? Does family come to visit you? If yes, you will want to ensure you have a one-bedroom with a den or a two-bedroom. This gives you that extra bit of room to ensure comfort for everyone – and that you don’t end up breathing down each other’s necks.

Expanding Your Family

Perhaps you are a recently married couple and think that a one-bedroom is all you need. But do you have any plans to expand your family to include a little bundle of joy? If the answer is yes, and you don’t want to worry about moving while pregnant, invest in a two-bedroom suite now. This will save you the headache of having to find a new place to live when all you want to do is prepare your home for your little one.

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

Do you live by yourself but find that you are so busy you are hardly at home? Does spending a lot of money on an apartment you really only sleep in seem frivolous? Then a studio apartment would be a perfect fit for you. You’ll get all of the amenities you require to live comfortably, but at a reduced price (AND the upkeep is much easier to maintain).

Fido’s Comfort

If you have a dog, particularly a large dog, you’ll need to factor in their needs for your apartment search. If Fido needs room to stretch his legs, you’ll want to get an apartment with higher square footage than usual. This may mean a one or two-bedroom plus a den, or even a penthouse suite. Remember that the comfort of your pet will not only affect you, but it will affect your neighbours. If your dog is unhappy, he will let you know about it (and alert everyone else, too!).

Making a list of your needs will help you when deciding what apartment type to rent. Keep this list handy when you are looking at rental listings online and when you go to view any suites. You want to be happy in your new home so you won’t have to worry about moving again when you realize that the size just isn’t right for you.

The RentSeeker.ca Team

If you are like many people, you may not consider your personal apartment security to be very important. After all, you are only one apartment in a building full of units. So why would you need to worry about burglary? However, recent statistics reported by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation show that burglary accounts for 22% of all property crime. So how do you prevent yourself from becoming just another statistic and increase the security for your apartment?

Doors

Before moving in, ask if the door to your apartment will be re-keyed.
Sometimes a previous tenant will still have a copy of the apartment key, and you do not want them to be able to access your home. You may need to make copies of your keys, but most apartment owners don’t allow key copies for anyone who doesn’t live in the apartment, including friends, partners and family.

If the lock on your door is not a deadbolt, ask for one to be installed. You’ll also want to have a peephole in the door so you can see who is outside, especially if someone knocks and you are not expecting company! Remember: it is your right as a tenant to feel secure and safe in your own home.

Balconies and Sliding Doors

Ah, sliding doors that open out onto a beautiful balcony – who wouldn’t want to leave the door open to get let in the fresh air?
Well, criminals are counting on you to leave those doors open.
Especially if your rental unit on a floor close to the ground If you are not going to be home, or it is night, close and lock your sliding doors.

Even if you are on a higher floor, a determined criminal really doesn’t mind as long as they have easy access to your home. Further to that, do not leave any valuable items on your balcony and keep a broom handle or any long stick in the track of sliding doors as a further security precaution.

Entranceway

Many rental apartment buildings will have a sign posted in the entranceway to remind you of this very crucial fact: If you do not know who the person is, do not let them in the building.

It may be tempting to be a Good Samaritan and let someone in if they give you a sob story, but you just cannot do so under any circumstances. This is so important that we will repeat it again – if you do not know who the person is, do not let them into the apartment building.

Get to Know Your Neighbours

The more you know your neighbours, the more inclined you will be to look out for each other. Introduce yourself to people in your building and ask if there is a crime watch group (and if there isn’t, why not start one?).

Let your neighbours across the hall from you know if you will be away for an extended period of time, and perhaps they can pick up your mail so it won’t look like the apartment is empty. Better yet, add a “No Junk Mail” sign, which will prevent a build-up of flyers while you’re gone.

IndependentTraveler.com offers these tips for travelling tenants:
1. Ask a Friend to Help
2. Don’t Tip Off Criminals on the Web
3. Hide Valuables or Store Off-Site
4. Leave Your Curtains as you Usually Keep Them 5. Purchase Light Timers 6. Stop Your Mail 8. Unplug Appliances 9. Remove Your Spare Key

Also, when it comes to your name, never use your full name anywhere (mailbox, entry board, etc.); only use initials.

Finally, many advise having an unlisted phone number for safety reasons. This tactic will also cut down on solicitation calls.

See Something? Say Something!

The golden rule – if something doesn’t feel right, let your landlord know. If you witness a crime or suspicious taking place, call the police immediately and don’t try to stop it yourself.

Your safety and the safety of your fellow residents is the most important thing!

Related: Is Renting a Furnished Apartment Worth It?

The RentSeeker.ca Team

Easy, Breezy Moving:

Let’s face it – no one likes moving. Lugging couches up flights of stairs is a chore that we’d all like to avoid. With furnished apartments, there is no huffing and puffing and struggling to fit your coffee table into an elevator – the furniture is already set up and waiting for you to come in and relax. There’s no need to worry about renting a truck or hiring a moving company, either. All you need to think about is bringing in your personal possessions, like clothes and books, while everything else is already there for you. Many furnished apartments even come complete with a fully stocked kitchen, including plates, glasses and cutlery. Instead of it taking months for you to get settled in, you’ll be living large in only a day or two. It doesn’t get any better than that.

First Apartment? No Problem!:

Ah, the first apartment move. It can be stressful trying to find the perfect place to live, let alone figuring out how you’re going to afford all that brand new furniture. This conundrum is particularly acute for students, who generally have their attention focused elsewhere (like studying for that mid-term). Wouldn’t it be nice to just move in and have your bed, television and microwave already there? Furnished apartments will afford you that luxury and help to reduce the impact that buying furniture would have on your financial bottom line.

Bright Lights, Big City:

If you’re one of the many people who has to move to a new city for work, you already know what a headache it is to arrange shipping your furnishings for a long-haul move. With a furnished apartment, you can ensure that getting settled in your new city is simply a matter of figuring out the public transit system. Further, if you plan on bringing out your own furniture at a later date but need to start your new job right away, furnished apartments help you through the transition phase of the move. Whether you live there for only a few months or for a year, a furnished apartment gives you a comfortable place to hang your hat at night while you sort out the logistics of the big (eventual) move.

Decor for Dummies:

If decorating is not your forte, furnished apartments will be right up your alley. Having an apartment with art on the walls and little knick-knacks scattered throughout is what really makes it feel like a home. Bare walls give the feeling of temporariness, while tasteful decor gives your apartment that lived-in vibe. The vast majority of furnished apartments come finished with decorations already in place. While they may not necessarily be completely your taste, it is comforting to move into an apartment that has a ready-made homey feeling.

If you’ve made the decision to go for a furnished apartment, you’ll probably want to make it feel like your own once you move in. Apartment Therapy shows you the way in their piece “Making a Furnished Sublet Feel Like Home”:

Is this your first apartment?

If yes, it may be an easier transition to move into an already furnished apartment.

The type of furniture you’ll generally find included in these suites are beds, kitchen tables, couches and televisions – in other words, all of the big, heavy stuff that you won’t have to move yourself.

Imagine how much easier moving day will be when all you have to worry about is a few boxes!

Transitional Phase:

Life happens, and sometimes you need to leave a situation you are in but are unable to take any furnishings with you.

Renting a furnished apartment will provide you with all the comforts of home while giving you time to save up the money to buy your own brand new furniture.

This might actually be pretty good value and is due to a number of reasons. In order to properly and fairly assess the value of a furnished apartment, it is worthwhile to understand the landlord or building manager’s perspective. From the owners perspective, an individual looking to rent a furnished apartment is someone who probably wants to be catered to, and is likely only there for a short time. S/He would probably expect that the utility bills be set up under the landlords name instead of having to deal with the headaches themselves. While this might not be the case in your particular circumstance, this is sometimes an assumption. Let’s break down some of the the cost factors and value:

• New Furniture

The Landlord will buy furniture to place into the apartment. This can range anywhere from a simple couch, table and chairs to full towel service, free TV and the more. Whatever it is, understand that the landlord has to charge more for these additional expenses

• Repairs.

You might be the nicest most considerate guy, the type of person that never puts down a glass without first placing a coaster; however the landlord will operate under the assumption that some furniture is bound to get damaged and will increase his price to cover any real or imagined damage. This might be able to negotiated, as some landlords would prefer a security deposit and if there are no damages would refund it at the end of the lease period. Consider if it would be easier to pay a lump sum upfront and possibly have it returned, or to pay a little more every month.

• Short term.

As we said, most furnished apartment rentals in the GTA as well as nearly everywhere are for the short(er) term, this means that in between every tenant, the landlord must go in to the apartment, and in most cases, paint all the walls, and hire professional contractors to enhance the suite appeal. In a typical unfurnished apartment rental, the tenant is usually there for a much longer period of time making theses checks more infrequent and thus less of an expense from an owners perspective.

• Utilities.

Sometimes a short term tenant does not want to deal with the hassle of setting up his or hers own account with electric hydro gas etc. The landlord will often set up the features under their name and estimate the approximate usage and / or by passing the bill on to the tenant. Many unfurnished apartment rentals in Toronto and other cities include hydro in the rent.

While the price of a furnished apartment will probably run you more money per month, the added benefit for short term renters, namely furniture, and also often better service might end up being worth it.

Here are a few pros and cons to consider before deciding on renting a furnished apartment:

Easy Monthly Bills:

Many furnished apartments are also advertised as being “all-inclusive”. This means that your heat, electricity and water are all wrapped up into your monthly rent charge.

In some cases, “all-inclusive” also means that cable and internet charges are added to your rent each month. These options are very attractive because you will never have to worry about surprise bills – you know exactly how much you’ll need to pay each month and you’ll only be paying it to one person (your landlord).

Lack of Choice:

A possible downside to renting a furnished apartment is that you will have zero say in what your furnishings look like. You could get a beautiful leather couch, but you could also get a couch that hasn’t been reupholstered since the eighties ????.

It’s important to look at the furnished apartment before you sign the lease, so you will know if you can live with these items or not.

Also, It’s a good idea to check with the landlord if you can bring in your own furnishings down the road.

Liability:

As with any apartment, you are liable for damage caused that isn’t regular wear-and-tear. With a furnished apartment, it’s important to note that you may be on the hook for replacement of furnishings. If something happens to them (like a large rip or a burn that was inflicted due to negligence). This can be costly if you are not careful.

Now, you decided to rent a furnished apartment rental, and are wondering what are some of things I need to ask and know. Well, our team here at RentSeeker.ca, came up with some ideas for you:

1. The first question you should ask is for them to give you an itemized list of the furniture that is included in the apartment and the condition that it is in. For example;

• Couches
• End tables
• Bed(s)
• Kitchen table
• Lamps
• Televisions
• Toaster ovens
• Chairs
• Microwave
• Dishes
• Cutlery
• Crib

and…well, you get the idea.

2. Another important question to ask is if the rent price includes the furniture or if there is a separate fee for that. You don’t want to move in only to realize that there is another fee on top of the one you are paying already.  Know how much the total bill would be at the end of every month!

3. Ask  if utilities are included. This can vary by Landlord, so make sure to ASK. The same holds true regarding cable TV, phone lines, etc,.

4. Ask  if there is a security deposit for the furniture. Some landlords instead of charging for repair will often ask for a deposit to cover any potential damage that might accrue. This can work out to your benefit as it means that if you are careful you wouldn’t have to pay anything for repairs. However the downside is that you have to give a lump sum in advance. This is often negotiable so ask your landlord what arrangements you can work out with them.

5. Find out what type of amenities the building and area offer. Sometimes  newer built  furnished property rentals will offer a higher standard of amenities and services on site.

These are some questions we came up with that you might wish to ask your landlord before you commit to  your  rental agreement. Think of your own questions and post them and share them on RentSeeker.ca on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rentseeker — so that others can benefit from your ideas and experiences!

-The RentSeeker.ca Team

“Apartment Rentals Made Easy”