Today I am going to talk to you about a few things you need to do before shopping for a home. Buying a home is probably the single largest investment that you will ever make in your life so it is very important to understand the entire process. The following tips will help save time, money and headaches.
Number 5: Employment: It is very important to ensure that you have solid employment before buying a house. You should also try and keep your debt in check and to make sure that you aren’t overextending yourself. Maintain good credit so that you will be able to get a mortgage.
Number 4: Down payment: When buying a home, you will require down payment. You should save up at least 5% of the cost of a house as well as a little extra for closing costs such as lawyer fees, land transfer tax and a home inspection.
Number 3: Pre-approval – By getting pre-approved, you will know exactly how much you can afford so you don’t waste your time looking at houses that are above or below your price range. The other reason to get preapproved is so you can lock in an interest rate so that if the interest rates go up you will already have the best rate.
Number 2: Choose a good realtor to help you through the process. Buyers are able to choose a real estate agent the same way sellers can. The goal of a seller’s agent is to sell the house for the highest amount of money with the most favourable terms. Likewise, the goal of the buyer’s agent is to help the buyer purchase the house for the lowest price with the most favourable terms. Working with your own licensed realtor will ensure that you are not taken advantage of. A buyer’s agent will be able to tell you what the other homes sold for in an area as well as protect you with special offer conditions. They will also negotiate price and all the terms of any offers. Don’t risk buying a home without your own buyer’s agent.
And the Number 1 thing to do before shopping for a home is:
Determine your Wants and Needs: Work with your buyers agent to create a list of everything you want in a home. Some things to consider are: Area, Size, the total number of bedrooms & bathroom, the age of the house and the style of the home. Sometimes you need to look at a few houses before you find the one you like. Knowing what you want can help reduce the time it takes to search for a new home.
Shopping for a new home can be an exciting adventure. If you follow the tips above, you will be better prepared to start shopping for that perfect home.
If you are thinking about buying a house in the Waterloo Region and you would like to get started with this exciting adventure, please visit our website at www.clickthathouse.com or call us at 519-498-8118. Thanks for watching and see you next time!
We are a full-time real estate team in Waterloo Region, Woolwich & Wellesley Townships. We enjoy assisting buyers and sellers with the purchase or sale of real estate in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira, Wellesley, Wilmot, Drayton and everywhere in between. If you would like us to help you with your home search, please check out our brand-newfree search website or if you are thinking of selling, get a free market evaluation.
Hi There! I am Warren McNeil from Team McNeil and Re/Max Twin City Realty in Kitchener
The Internet has changed the way we all communicate in this world. As a realtor, we need to constantly stay current with technology and utilize these new methods with our marketing. Technology, if used right, can make a huge difference when marketing a home for sale. Gone are the days of the big MLS book. According to the National Association Realtors, 84% of people start their home search onlne. So hiring a tech-savvy realtor is more important then ever to give you that edge you need to sell or buy your next home. Here are the top 5 reasons to hire a tech-savvy realtor.
Number 5 – Website
It is important that a realtor has their own website. In my opinion, websites are not optional they are mandatory. They serve many purposes. A realtor’s website should be able to display listings with lots of photos, detailed desctriptions of the property and an area for virtual tours as well as provide an easy way for prospective buyers to contact the realtor.
Number 4 – Print advertising
A realtor who utilizes both print advertising and the internet is better able to take advantage of both mediums strengths. Marketing a house for sale in the newpaper and leading the buyer to the website for more information is crucical for maximizing the marketing of a property. You still need both! A tech-savvy realtor understands that many consumers still rely on traditional advertising methods. So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Number 3 – Mobility
Realtors must be able to access email or text messages while in the field. Prospective buyers want information rightaway so it is very imortant for realtors to have a PDA such as a Blackberry or an Iphone.
Number 2 – SEO or Search Engine Optimization
Realtors who have good search engine ranking ensures that your listings get found on the Internet. Realtor.ca is a great website but it is not the only website to rely on when it comes to marketing your home online. Buyers also use search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing to look for houses. Realtors who have their websites optimized will have a better chance at getting their house listings found.
Number 1 – Web 2.0 – Social media
The internet has become more interactive over the past 5 years. Having a website is not good enough. Realtors also need to blog, do videos, Twitter and use Facebook. These are all methods that are important for us to connect with clients, prospective buyers and prospective sellers. Having a realtor that utilizes some or all of this technology ensures that you hired the right person to do the job.
The good news is, technology will continue to evolve. As new technologies come out we must harness their effectiveness so we can all do our jobs more efficiently!
Thanks for watching and see you next time!
Thanks for reading!
Warren & Melanie McNeil | Sales Representatives, Team McNeil RE/MAX Twin City Realty, Brokerage ( 519.579.4110 | 519-498-8118
From time-to-time clients say to us that they didn’t know that we provided certain services or they didn’t understand how realtors work. This post is to provide an overview of some of the things that you might not know about what a realtor does or how we work.
1. Realtors are independent contractors. They may represent RE/MAX or another real estate company but they work independently of each other. They are agents of the broker of record. In most cases you will never even meet the broker of record. You will only work with the realtor. Realtors are their own CEO, president and owner of their own business.
2.Realtors pay for their own expenses including the marketing of your home. This could cost hundreds to thousands depending on how long it takes to sell your house.
3. Realtors must be licenced in the province of Ontario.
4. Realtors must continually update their education in order to stay licenced.
5. Realtors don’t get paid until they sell your house and all their costs are upfront.
6. When you hire a realtor, they may already have a buyer. Realtors are constantly meeting new buyer clients who are looking for homes and your home could be the one they were looking for. They might meet buyers on the internet, at open houses or walk-ins at the office
7. A realtor can sell any house that is on the MLS. This is considered buyer agency and differs from seller agency. A buyers agent represents the best interests of a buyer and not the seller. For more information see your buyer team and their roles
8. There are no costs to you if your houses doesn’t sell.
9. Realtors sell houses everyday so they become very skilled at negotiations, marketing, customer service, local market information and they know the good or bad areas
10. Realtors must carry Errors and Omissions insurance. Due to the complexities of real estate transactions, the need for this type of insurances is necessary.
As a Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Agent, this question is one that we seem to answer often. Although not directly asked, “why should I hire a realtor” we know this is the underlying question. There are many answers to this question and I am going to provide a few. I am sure we have all seen the howrealtorshelp commercials; they are quite entertaining to say the least. Those commercials can only show so much. In one of the commercials they show an airplane flying over the house. Implying that a realtor would help you identify better areas then others. Or the other commercial has a two couples doing an offer and the negotiations seem to take forever.
Here are a few more good reasons to realize the value that a realtor can provide to their clients.
1. Finding the house: I am sure that you have all used realtor.ca. This is a great site providing you with all the listings that match your search criteria. However it is difficult to figure out which listings are new and unless you have a photographic memory or you maintain a database of new listings, then the task can become tedious. Realtors can provide you the newest listings daily. That way you will only have to look at what has just come on to the market and discount the old listings. Realtors can also notify you of price reductions in realtime.
2. Market knowledge: Realtors can also provide you with information such as days on market and the most recent sales in the area. Helping you to make educated decisions so that you don’t overpay for a property.
3. Expertise: Realtors sell houses everyday so they have much more experience then common individuals. Would you try to perform your own open heart surgery? Probably not. Realtors are professionals who have years of experience selling and assisting buyers with the purchase of housing.
4. Market evaluation: Realtors know pricing because they are around houses every single day. They are always doing market evaluation, previewing houses, showing houses and selling houses. After many years of doing the same thing every day, they become extremely skilled. Pricing is a very important part to selling a home. The incorrect price can result in the failure to sell a property. Drawing on the knowledge of a realtor can help you get top dollar for your house.
5. Negotiating: This is a big one! Realtors have experience with negotiating all aspects of an offer. Everything from price, chattels, conditions and closing dates to name a few. Although, all of us have a natural level of negotiation skill, when it It comes down to the nitty gritty, realtors bring an extra level of experience in this area that is necessary to achieve successful negotiations in the purchase and sale of a property. Don’t underestimate their value it could save you money now or in the long run.
6. Paperwork: This is also an important part to the purchase and sale of a house or other property. It is the realtors job to make sure you are protected. They will include many details in the offer meant to protect you. An example of this is home inspection. Mostly all houses that sell in the Kitchener-Waterloo area have a home inspection condition in the offer. There are many more of these types of conditions.
I hope you found the information here helpful. If you have any questions please don`t hesitate to contact us.
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