An Informed Home Buyer's Guide
Buying a home is one of the most exciting milestones of your life. To prepare yourself for this moment, you need to know what to expect during the process. This step-by-step first time buyer’s guide created by our team will help reduce the stress of buying a home and help you enjoy the journey as much as possible.
Congratulations on taking the first step toward homeownership!
Owning a home is one of life’s biggest milestones—both exciting and rewarding. Whether this is your first time buying or you’ve been through the process before, every home purchase is unique. My goal with this guide is to make your journey as smooth and stress-free as possible by providing clarity and confidence every step of the way. By the time you finish reading, you’ll have a clear understanding of what to expect and how to navigate the process with ease.
Let’s dive in! First, we’ll define where you want to live, the type of home that suits your lifestyle, and the features that are absolute must-haves versus “nice-to-haves.” Understanding your priorities from the start will make it easier to focus on homes that truly fit your needs.
Of course, finding the perfect home often involves some trade-offs. While it’s rare to check every single box on your wish list, I’m here to help you weigh your options and make the best possible decision.
The mortgage industry is a highly competitive field, and interest rates can fluctuate at any time based on market conditions. Because of this, it’s essential to stay informed and proactive when securing financing for your home. Partnering with a trusted mortgage advisor and/or financial institution is a key step in the home- buying process. They can help you navigate your options, secure the best possible mortgage product at the best rate, and ensure you fully understand the terms of your mortgage.
Ideally, someone who comes highly recommended. Independent mortgage brokers tend to offer the most options because they work with more than one financial institution. However, if you have a good relationship with your current financial.
Your personal and financial details will be assessed to determine the mortgage amount you qualify for.
The mortgage broker will give you a list of documents that the lender will need to finalize the mortgage.
Your mortgage advisor will carry out the necessary checks to make sure you’re not taking on more than you can manage.
This is an effective negotiating tool, especially in multiple offer situations. It demonstrates your financial capability, giving the seller of your dream home confidence in selecting your offer.
When you hire your own personal agent, you get someone who is contractually committed to working in your best interests. Your personal Real Estate Agent offers:
Educated buyers are able to make informed decisions, which leads to a stress-free and enjoyable home-buying experience. With this in mind, our exclusive Home Buyer Service Program is designed to ensure that you have the key market information,
knowledge and tools needed to become a confident, educated buyer—empowering you to make the best decisions throughout the process.
Remember, when selecting what homes to view...
Our goal is to provide you with the most personalized service that is designed to help you buy your dream home
The consistent communication and education you will receive from us through the entire process will empower you to make confident decisions and ultimately secure the best possible deal on the home you desire. We will ensure you are always well-informed and fully supported as we move forward.
You’ve found the one. Fantastic! Here’s what happens next:
1. We will provide you with a detailed CMA (Comprehensive Market Analysis) complete with comparable active and expired listings, recent sales and historical data relevant to determining the market value of the home.
2. We will prepare an offer that protects you, follows your instructions and matches your schedule and needs.
3. We will explain the details of the offer, the terms and suggest options for specialty clauses, ensuring you know exactly what you are agreeing to.
4. We will strategically present and negotiate the offer to secure the home you want, on terms and at a price that work in your favour.
What happens after this:
Your offer price should reflect recent comparable sales, the condition of the home, and current market conditions. In a balanced or slower market, there may be room for negotiation. In a competitive market, an offer at or above asking may be necessary to secure the property. We’ll review the data together to make an informed
decision that aligns with your goals.
Most offers include subject conditions such as financing, home inspection, title review, and insurance approval. These protect you while you complete your due diligence. In rare cases, offers may be written without subjects to be more competitive—this would only be considered after a thorough discussion of the risks involved.
If the home inspection reveals issues, we can request that the seller either complete certain repairs or provide a financial credit at closing. The seller is not obligated to agree, but these negotiations are common and can often be resolved in a way that works for both parties.
Adjusting your completion and possession dates to accommodate the seller’s plans can strengthen your offer. We’ll communicate with the listing agent to understand the seller’s ideal timeline and, where possible, align your offer accordingly to make it
more attractive.
If we’re in a multiple-offer situation, we’ll review your best terms—price, subjects, dates, and deposit—to ensure your offer is as strong as possible. While you won’t know the details of the competing offer, we’ll use market knowledge and communication with the listing agent to guide your strategy.
The offer has been accepted. Now it’s time to satisfy the subject conditions before finalizing the deal. This process typically includes scheduling a home inspection, providing the necessary personal and property details to your mortgage broker or bank, and securing any additional information that may be required, such as surveys, water tests, and reviewing condominium documents, if applicable. We will be with you every step of the way, helping you make these arrangements and ensuring the process moves forward smoothly while meeting the established deadlines.
Home inspections are essential and give you the opportunity to thoroughly examine the property and avoid any unpleasant surprises down the road.
Your lawyer or notary is an invaluable member of your team. Their expertise helps ensure that the transaction is legally sound and that everything proceeds smoothly, giving you confidence and ensuring that you fully understand the terms of all agreements in place as you move forward with your purchase.
Your lawyer/notary will ensure:
Lawyer or Notary?
The simple answer to this common question is that notaries cannot represent clients in court and cannot get involved in litigation. As such, notaries are often a slightly less expensive option than lawyers. While most real estate transactions are relatively straightforward, we generally recommend using a lawyer for peace of mind, especially in more complex situations. Ultimately, the decision between a lawyer or notary comes down to your personal preference, comfort level and the complexity of the transaction.
Typically you will have anywhere from 30 to 90 days to get everything ready for your move. It could be shorter or longer, depending on what you need and have agreed upon with the seller. The completion date is usually the day before your move-in date. It is a good idea to get things organized well in advance of the completion date to reduce the stress of the move, complete any outstanding tasks and handle any unexpected issues that may come up.
Lawyers: Our office will send your lawyer the information about your purchase. You’ll need to provide your lawyer with the home insurance details, down payment information, citizenship details, or other information specific to your purchase. You will meet with the lawyer about a week before the completion date to finalize everything.
Down Payment and Closing Costs: Make the necessary arrangements to have the funds available when your lawyer asks for them. If your down payment includes money from other
sources—such as a parental loan, a gift from family, or overseas funds—ensure these funds are transferred well in advance and properly documented.
Movers: Whether you are using professional movers, renting a truck or getting a bunch of friends together, plan and organize it early to avoid last-minute stress.
Insurance: The lawyer will need a copy of your home insurance policy before closing so that the financial institution will release the money to them. Call your insurance broker with the listing information. They may want to know the age of the house, condition of the roof, furnace, electrical system, as well as other general information, which can be found in your home inspection report.
Change of Address: Register your new address with Canada Post and set up mail forwarding.
Utilities: It is important that you call the local utilities to have their services connected in your name. These include phone, internet, cable, gas, electricity and water. Remember to cancel the services at your old address.
As your personal Real Estate Agent I know my role doesn’t end just because I’ve handed you the keys. You can call on me any time. Whether it’s about:
As always, my advice is fast, free and confidential. I’m here for you, through your move-in date and beyond.
We pride ourselves in providing personalized solutions that bring our clients closer to their dream properties and enhance their long-term wealth. Contact us today to find out how we can be of assistance to you!