Choosing to buy a home is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make in your life. It’s a complex ordeal that requires a lot of planning and instating the help of a knowledgeable Real Estate Agent to make the process run smoothly. To ready you for this, here is a general overview of what to expect and prepare.
Get Your Finances In Order
The first thing you’ll need to do is put money aside for a down payment. This amount is (at minimum) 5% of the purchase price of the home you’re planning to buy. Second, you’ll need to meet with a mortgage broker to determine what you can afford and shopping around for the best rate is highly recommended. Our in house broker, Martine Perron, can help simplify this process for you as she will provide all information and shop around for the best rate on your behalf.
Visualize Your Dream Home
Once you’ve established a price range, it’s time to decide what type of home will best suit your lifestyle. Think about things like access to schools, recreational facilities, what the neighbourhood is like, and so on. Why you’re choosing to buy should help answer these questions for you — so think about it carefully. You may want to put this down in writing and create a needs vs wants list.
Meet With a Real Estate Agent
It’s important to partner with a Real Estate Agent you feel completely comfortable with. A REALTOR® can help you find your dream home, that meets both your needs and your budget. They will set you up with viewing appointments, and also help bring clarity to the complicated process of buying a home. You’ll want to go with an experienced and knowledgeable REALTOR® who you can be sure will represent your best interests; we know we are qualified and would be thrilled to go through this process with you.
The Search
Using the property search on this site you will be able to find homes in your desired area, or send us your criteria and let us do the work for you. We will filter through and send you ones that you want to look at, update you frequently regarding new listings and schedule appointments to view any that are of interest. We start our day looking at everything new that has hit the market with your criteria in mind, so you never have to worry about that “dream home” getting missed.
Closing
After you’ve negotiated an offer and removed subjects (if any) you will finalize your mortgage with your lender and you’re ready to sign off on ownership with your selected lawyer/notary (which we are happy to recommend for you as well).
At this point, congratulations are in order! Becoming a new homeowner is one of the most liberating things you’ll ever experience. There are many benefits to home ownership — pride of ownership, the ability to make home improvements, building equity, appreciation — the list goes on.