It was winter and the back yard appeared to be many small rolling hills of picturesque, sparkling white beauty. Little did we know, when we decided to purchase our first home so many years ago, that those small hills were actually piles of trash that the current owner had not been bothered to take to the local dump during the course of her ownership of the property. As they say, hindsight is golden.
There are many things to consider when you've begun to seriously consider the purchase of your first home, and preparing through research and asking questions ahead of time, will not only save you an abundance of time and money down the road, it can also make the difference between calling your first home 'home sweet home' or your first initiation into a property ownership nightmare.
Preparing now will make the whole process smooth and enjoyable and you'll have something to celebrate in the years to come as you settle into your own private sanctuary.
You've been browsing the internet for homes for sale in your area and reading the local real estate newspapers and have found some properties that you can picture yourself living in. Can you afford to own one of these properties?
Your first step towards Ontario home ownership should be to meet with a real estate sales representative who will be able to give you a list of recommendations for mortgage pre-approvals and advise you as to the current mortgage rates you can expect to pay should you purchase at this time.
Real Estate Sales Representatives are in regular contact with mortgage brokers and bankers and know who is offering the best rates and the best buying incentives. Often a REALTOR will be able to locate a better rate for you than your own bank is willing to give you.
When considering which real estate sales representative to call, go with someone who you feel comfortable with. You may have met them at an open house or gotten to know something about them through reading their online articles or viewing their website or perhaps a family member or friend has recommended someone to you.
It's very important to feel that you can trust your real estate sales representative to take care of your needs and to be fully present for you during the entire transaction. Asking to see letters of testimonial from previous clients is an excellent way to guage the level of service you can expect to receive.
The right Sales Representative will guide you through every step of the transaction and be there to answer all of the questions you might have or concerns that may arise.
They'll provide you with pamphlets on mortgages and home-buying, maps of the areas you're interested in, recommendations on trustworthy and dependable professionals who you'll need along the way (such as lawyers, home inspectors, mortgage professionals, etc), listings of suitable homes and will be there with you as you preview every home that meets your requirements.
They'll point out potential problems with particular properties, advise you as to the desirability of the areas you wish to search in, and prepare and guide you through all of the legalities of your agreement of purchase and sale when you've found the house that's right for you.
They'll make sure you're protected on the contract and will advise you as to which clauses should be included in the purchase contract and will be there every step along the way to make sure each condition is satisfied as required.
Choosing a REALTOR® is the most important decision you'll make in the homebuying process next to the actual choosing of the home itself, and choosing carefully will make all the difference between a smooth and enjoyable home search or one littered with pitfalls along the way.
If you're considering buying your first home in the Belleville, Quinte or Prince Edward County regions of Ontario, I'd be more than pleased to meet with you and discuss your desires and questions as you begin on the exciting road to home ownership.
Jo-Anne Smith, the author of this article, is a REALTOR® with Royal Lepage Proalliance Realty, Brokerage, in Belleville, Ontario and welcomes your real estate inquiries. To contact her, visit www.QuinteRegionRealEstate.com
24 Comments on Buying Your First Home in Ontario~Step One, Choosing a Real Estate Sales Representative.
Jo Anne,
You made some very good points and I love your first paragraph about the hills of garbage in the backyard. I had a seller cut down a huge redwood tree and remove it the day before escrow closed. I think my buyer was pretty happy right about then he had someone working on his behalf. I called a local forester who gave me an approximate value of the tree's worth and we asked for compensation and got it in lieu of having the tree stealer arrested. Or how about when the buyer moved in and there were three cats left behind? Or the buyer moved in and the water heater failed shortly thereafter, and on and on. Those buyers were thankful they chose to work with an agent and no doubt, the seller's were too.
Thanks for stopping by and reading this post and for your insightful and supportive comment!
There are certainly many horror stories told by people who have bought a property privately without using a real estate sales representative and when you consider that it costs nothing to have a sales representative working on your behalf, I can't understand why anyone would want to buy on their own.
Great post Jo-Anne and I would just add that our negotiation skills are also very important when we are representing a client. These skills are often over-looked yet are worth a great deal in a transaction.
Jo, I'm glad you pointed out the importance of choosing a good and trustworthy realtor, I do believe it is the most important decision a potential buyer should make. With your knowledge and expertise in your area I am sure anyone would be fortunate to work with you, I know how hard you work for your clients!
Thank you for visiting this post and for your kind comment. You're so right with regards to the negotiating skills a REALTOR brings to the table on the buyer's behalf. It can make the difference of thousands of dollars on a home purchase.
Haha, I thought that first paragraph would grab your eye if you read this post....that was just the beginning of our problems with that house. We lived there for 5 years and then bought a hobby farm.
Thank you! Yes, of course you can send it to a seller....your talents, skills, people saavy and knowledge all come shining through in everything you do, however if you think it would help, then use it however you want with my blessings.
Jo, I so agree with you in comfort and trust in finding an agent. I've had people tell me that when they visit your web site, or look at literature about yourself, or read your blog, it all represents you. They get a sense if they want to work with you or not. Excellent advice for the first time home buyer in Belleville or even the veteran homebuyer.
I would think you would be everything one needs in a Real Estate Broker. If I buy a home by you one day you would have the job of being my agent.
However, Don't need any dog houses; my dog Lars does not even let me sleep on the bed because he takes up the whole thing.
This a wonderful post. Pointing out all the importantances of a good agent.
Can I relate to that Winter opening paragraph. I bought my farm in Winter only to find all kinds of Green Acres extras in Spring that took me a whole month to get rid of.
I agree that the articles that we write represent who we are and I get a very good feel for people by reading their blogs here on AR.
Trusting in your REALTOR is very important.....it's very wise to choose someone who is knowledgeable and hard-working as well as possessing empathy and caring.
Yes, the same things apply to the veteran homebuyer....thanks for pointing that out.
It's very nice of you to place such confidence and trust in me. I would enjoy very much working with you also and if I ever bought property in Milwaukee, you'd be the first one I call.
Lars is kind of a bed hog, isn't he? I hope he's staying out of the junk food lately....you don't need a repeat of his last episode when he decided to eat too much human food.
Judging from the pictures you sent me, you certainly did a thorough job of cleaning up the grounds on your farm....it looked absolutely heavenly in the pictures.
I was procrastinating with these posts and then yesterday morning I had some time to spare so decided to get down to it and tackle two of the subjects.
I just posted another link for the google map one in the category post....it gives further instruction and I think it explains how to embed google maps .
I'm going to try that one next too. I believe it will be an excellent tool to use in writing community based blogs.
This is the first week of the group and it takes a bit to get into the rhythm of writing regular 'on assignment' posts, so if you can't meet the 3 post guideline, don't worry over it.....you'll get it next week! ((-:
Besides that, you're just getting your energy back after being down with that cold not too long ago....be gentle with yourself.
I just posted another link that gives more guidance on writing the google map one. I'm posting it here for you too in case it might be of some help to you:
I'm going to be tackling that one next too....a very useful skill to have, I believe. Think of the possibilities when it comes to writing community blogs!
Kathy, That's so true...this is why it's so very important to use the expertise of a REALTOR® when buying a home. I remember we bought that home privately....we were young and rather foolish at the time. Needless to say we paid the price after we took possession......there were so many things wrong with that place.
Jo-Anne Smith-Belleville, Quinte and Prince Edward Region Real Estate, Ont.
Belleville, ON
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Royal Lepage Proalliance Realty, Brokerage
Office Phone: (613) 966-6060
Cell Phone: (613) 922-5978
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When I first became a licensed REALTOR® over 11 years ago, my instructor said to me as I was leaving the class for the last time, 'Now your real education begins !' How right she was ! Every day in real estate is different and the stories are many !
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consider the purchase of your first home, and preparing through research and asking questions ahead of time, will not only save you an abundance of time and money down the road, it can also make the difference between calling your first home 'home sweet home' or your first initiation into a property ownership nightmare.
The right Sales Representative will guide you through every step of the transaction and be there to answer all of the questions you might have or concerns that may arise. 
Jo Anne,
You made some very good points and I love your first paragraph about the hills of garbage in the backyard. I had a seller cut down a huge redwood tree and remove it the day before escrow closed. I think my buyer was pretty happy right about then he had someone working on his behalf. I called a local forester who gave me an approximate value of the tree's worth and we asked for compensation and got it in lieu of having the tree stealer arrested. Or how about when the buyer moved in and there were three cats left behind? Or the buyer moved in and the water heater failed shortly thereafter, and on and on. Those buyers were thankful they chose to work with an agent and no doubt, the seller's were too.