Buying Tips

Buying a home is an exciting step, but it can also be a frustrating one. Your HomeLife Power Realty Inc. real estate representative is a valuable resource that can provide you with experience and expertise to make the right decisions.

Here are a few simple steps to consider when in the market for a new home

1) Consult a mortgage specialist: Knowing your financial abilities before you start looking will help you to define your search criteria and give you more power during negotiations.   Most realtors have a mortgage associate who they know and trust and they can communicate with and deliver all the legal documents to them on your behalf.

2) Define your search parameters: Consider the type of neighbourhood you are interested in. You may also want to consider the type of home you are interested in as well as other requirements such as parking, number of bedrooms etc.

3) Find a HomeLife Realtor:  Read through the agent profiles, call our office and speak to the salesperson on duty for immediate service or ask the Broker of Record for a recommendation.  Our higher standards agents welcome the opportunity to guide you through this often overwhelming process. Your HomeLife realtor has access to listings as they come available.  They can set you up as a client and you will receive listings to your email as soon as they see them.   You can view properties 48-72 hours before they appear online.

4) Keep track of your progress: When screening multiple properties a day, unique features of each home can get lost in the clutter. Bringing a notepad will help you keep track of positive and negative elements of each property. Immediately after leaving, rate each home on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest.

5) Re-visit your top choices: After touring numerous properties, you will have a general idea of your top choices.  Once you have found the perfect home your HomeLife Realtor can help you determine a fair price to offer for the property as well as help determine any clauses that need to be added for your protection.

6) Find a Home Inspector: Since this may be the single largest investment you will ever make, it is a good idea to hire a home inspector.  The purpose of a home inspection is to determine the condition of the property at the time of purchase.  This will give you peace of mind and know if there are things that need repair and when.

7) Close the Deal: Once the offer has been accepted and all of the conditions met the deal becomes firm, START PACKING!  All you have to do now is wait for the closing day to arrive and pick up the keys to your new home from your lawyer's office.