1. If your deposit was not enough to cover your entire down payment you will be expected to provide the rest of the down payment at move-in time.
2. Real Estate commissions are paid by the seller, so you have no cost for this.
3. New properties have a sales tax called GST; this should have been added to the price before the mortgage was obtained so that no funds are needed for this tax at the time of possession if you have a mortgage. When you arrange your mortgage loan, discuss having the GST included in the mortgage amount with your lender.
   For properties under $350,000 the net GST rate is 3.2% for homeowners. Investors who rent out their suite pay 5% GST when they purchase and in most cases get a 1.8% GST rebate when they find a tenant who makes the suite their primary residence.
4. If you have less than 20% down you will have mortgage insurance (about 2-3% of your mortgage). This premium will be added on top of your mortgage once at the beginning, so you do not have to pay this premium in cash at possession time.
5. In BC there is a sales tax called the Property Transfer Tax (PTT). This tax does not apply to NEW residences under $750,000 when the property is used as a primary residence by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. The tax does apply to properties over $750,000, all used properties, bare land and commercial/industrial properties. The rate of this tax is 1% on the first $200,000 and 2% on the balance. On a $400,000 used condo this tax would be $6,000, but because the Yorkson offering is new condos, the tax will not apply.
6. Your bank may have an appraisal fee to be paid when you buy, but most lenders will waive this fee. If they don’t it is often about $300.
7. Your lawyer will charge you legal fees to handle your share of legal work for the purchase, these fees are often about $900 and must be paid when you take possession. There may be property tax adjustment of a few hundred dollars when you move in, depending on the time of year that you take possession. [Sometimes your bank will pay part of these closing fees as a gift to you for using them for your mortgage].
8. Sometimes utilities will charge you a fee of $50 to $70 to hook up power for the first time.
9. The fire/water/flood/earthquake insurance your mortgage company requires is already provided by your strata corporation.  You do not need to purchase more insurance if you don’t want to.  The included insurance does not include your contents or personal liability. Some buyers purchase additional contents and personal liability insurance.
10. Finally, there is often the added cost of a moving van to move your possessions in.

A foreclosure property may present a great deal, but there are also a number of inherent risks. Richard Bell of law firm Bell Alliance offers advice and a five-step process

Purchasing a foreclosure property can sometimes be a great bargain. However, many potential buyers and real estate agents are unaware of the process and risks of buying such a property. This article outlines the five steps of purchasing a foreclosure property and describes the two biggest risks of purchasing these properties.

Are you a saver or a spender? How you answer that question could have a large bearing on whether or not you should apply for BC’s new interest-free, first-time home buyer loan. The Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership program begins accepting applications today.

It is meant to help homebuyers with their first down payment, with the provincial government matching funds up to $37,500 — or up to 5 per cent of the purchase price — with a 25-year loan that is interest-free and payment-free for the first five years.

“Even if it’s just for five years, I think people who are smart about spending and saving could actually use this loan to their benefit,” says Romana King, senior editor and real estate specialist for MoneySense. “Instead of using the money to buy a more expensive home, how about buying the same home as before but using that money to get a bit of a boost. You won’t pay as much in Canada Mortgage and Housing fees, you can budget so you can throw a lot more money at your mortgage for the first five years and then you can allow yourself to pay off that debt — which is locked in a prime-plus — when you have to start making payments.”

If possible, King advises first-time buyers to place the money in an account that will allow them to make more money than it costs to borrow. “For the first five years it costs you nothing. Take that money out after five years and immediately pay back the loan and you might end up ahead.”