BUYING A HOME IS A DREAM COME TRUE!

Fantastic! It may be your first home, or perhaps your fifth, but no matter how many times you've been through the process, one thing remains the same: It's a big job, involving a great deal of effort, time, and of course, money.

STEP 1: DECIDING WHAT YOU WANT

To make your home search more efficient, ask yourself these three focus questions:

1. Where do I want to live? What communities or neighbourhoods do you want to consider? Is it important to be near schools, shopping centres, recreation facilities, places of worship, hospitals, or other amenities? Will you require public transportation?

2. What type of home do I want? What style of home is best for you? It could be a detached, a semi-detached, a bungalow, a split-level, a two-storey, a duplex, a townhouse ”” the options are endless! You may also want to consider your ideal lot size and the age of the home.

3. What are my must-haves and deal-breakers? What are the most important features for you in a home? A basement? A garage? A pool or a fireplace? How many bathrooms? Bedrooms? Do you have family members with special needs? What do you absolutely not want in a home?

STEP 2: GET PRE-APPROVED FOR A MORTGAGE

When it comes to buying a home, getting pre-approved for a mortgage is a very important step. Not only does it help you understand exactly how much you can afford to spend on a home, but it often allows you to lock in an interest rate for a period of time which could potentially save you thousands of dollars for years to come.

Make sure you check with banks and mortgage brokers too. It is common that the mortgage brokers can offer you a mortgage from the same bank you went to, but with a better rate and better terms.

STEP 3: AGENT OR NO AGENT?

Most buyers today work with a real estate agent rather than go at it alone for many reasons. In most cases, your home is your most valuable asset, and it makes sense to use a professional. A great real estate professional will provide key market insights, sound advice and save you endless hours of time and money ”” all while helping you reduce the stress of a large purchase so you can truly enjoy the experience of buying your dream home.

Top 5 Reasons Why Most Homebuyers Choose to Work with a Real Estate Professional

1. It's free. In almost all cases, commission is paid by the seller so having an agent working for you is essentially free.

2. Avoid overpaying for a home. If you're like most buyers, you want to know, with certainty, that you are paying a fair price. Quite often, sellers overprice their homes to “see what happens.” A great real estate professional will educate you on the price of currentcompetitive properties as well as similarhomes that have been recently sold tohelp you make an informed decision onhow much to offer for your dream home.

3. Represent and protect your interests as a buyer. In any transaction, it's important to understand that the seller's agent is bound by contract to work in the best interests of his/her sellers. As a buyer, you also need representation (an agent), someone to work exclusively in your best interests. Engaging the services of a real estate professional to assist you in the home buying process means you now have someone to work solely in your best interests to provide you with:

• Confidential advice that addresses your needs first.
• Loyal and diligent “full disclosure” care, FREE from any conflicts of interest.
• Access to all listings including MLS®, bank-owned properties, distress and estate sales, even homes that were previously on the market where the seller might still be interested in selling.
• Expert advice on useful clauses such as home inspections and financing to protect you fully.
• Expert negotiation of the offer to purchase, to achieve the best possible price and terms.
• Expert advice on market value, inclusions, location, as well as help you decide when you should walk away.
• Discovery and disclosure of all information about the property including liens, warranties, disclosures, seller's purchase price, market and planning activity in the area.

4. NEGOTIATE the best price and terms of your most valuable asset. Negotiating requires expertise and skill, period. A great real estate professional is a masterful communicator with expert negotiating skills whose job is to help you decide what to offer, what to include, what to give up and most importantly, when to walk away if reasonable terms cannot be reached.

5. Manage the countless details and mountainous paperwork. From the moment of engagement, your agent will ensure smooth sailing and guide you effortlessly through any obstacles along the way.