In reality, there are only 5 things you need to know and to do to make your home buying experience as simple as possible.
1. Get pre-approved for your loan.
If possible, get “pre-approved” for a loan in the amount you’re willing to borrow.
Don’t lose your dream home to another buyer because you were waiting on the approval.
With this pre-approval, you are in a stronger position to buy a home when you’re ready – rather than finding your dream home, only to lose it to another buyer, because you were waiting on the approval.
2. Find a great real estate consultant.
Once you’ve decided to buy a home, find a great real estate consultant. What you’re looking for is a Buyer’s Agent.
What is a Buyer’s Agent?
This means that the consultant represents YOU as the buyer, rather than the person selling the home. They will have YOUR best interests at heart.
Really good consultants know their markets, and will help you find the best match for your needs and wants. They can also recommend mortgage brokers with whom they’ve worked in the past.
3. Look before you leap.
Drive around the neighbourhood at different times of day. Get out and walk around and chat with neighbours.
Some people like friendly neighbours, others think of them as nosy.
Drive to the local grocery store, laundry, and anywhere else that you frequent. Visit nearby schools and see for yourself how the kids behave and how the grounds look.
The point is to see if this is really the type of neighbourhood you want to live in BEFORE you make an offer.
4. Be prepared.
Make sure your contract has reasonable contingencies included to protect you as a buyer.
Reasonable Contingencies:
These are protections like approval by a home inspector and a lawyer reviewing your contract.
For the long-term investment, make sure that you buy homeowner’s insurance, and upgrade it as the value of your new home and its contents increase.
5. Be reasonable.
No home will be without flaws.
Many times it’s these flaws that lend character to older homes, but nonetheless, it will take SOME work to personalize any home.
Summary: 5 Keys to Success
- ✅ Loan Approval: Get pre-approved to strengthen your position.
- ✅ Great Broker: Use a “Buyer’s Agent” who represents YOU.
- ✅ Neighbourhood: Drive the area at different times of day.
- ✅ Protect Yourself: Include contingencies for inspection and legal review.
- ✅ Be Reasonable: Accept that every home will need some personalization.
Preparing yourself with these 5 simple things will help make the home buying process easier for you and your family.
Want early access to serious buyers?
If you’re going to be moving in the next six months, what you might not realize is that there are a significant number of buyers searching for homes like yours.
In fact, for every buyer actively viewing homes right now, there are 5-10 more about to begin their search, or eagerly waiting for the perfect property to come up.
If you’re interested in getting a head start on finding a buyer for your home, leave us some details below… We’ll see if we can find a match!
Want to know what your home is worth?
Before you put your house on the market, you need to find out how much it’s worth in today’s market, so you can make your plans based on the most current information available.
We can prepare a detailed Pin-Point Price Analysis for you that shows the most current market activity in your area for homes like yours, and we can recommend an optimal marketing price range that will give you the best odds of selling quickly – and for top dollar!