Buying a property—new or already lived in—is an important event in a person’s life. It’s also a major investment, one you want to be properly advised and informed about. We recently consulted a mortgage broker who was happy to share his advice and views on the real estate market. 1.  Set your budget It’s a good idea to ask your real estate broker to help you draw up a budget for your purchase. The goal isn’t to give you access to the maximum loan, but to meet your needs and help you define your flexibility. 2. The advantages of pre-approval Pre-approval (also known as pre-qualification or rate guarantee) obtained through a mortgage broker is a good strategy to adopt when starting your property search because it gives you a guaranteed interest rate throughout the process. It’s intended to protect you against rate increases, and you can still benefit from rate reductions…