Buying a Home In Mississauga, Oakville or Burlington-Advantages of Using Your Own 'Buyer's' Agent

As you begin the process of searching for a home in the Burlington, Oakville or Mississauga regions of Ontario , one of the most important steps to take is to find a real estate sales representative who you feel comfortable with and who has good past client references .

Many people searching for a home do not realize that they have the opportunity to save thousands of dollars, time and avoid potential problems by choosing to work with a REALTOR® early in the home buying process.

A REALTOR® will sit down with you and go over all of the things that should be taken into consideration when searching for a home.
They will provide you with valuable information and tools that will help you to find the right home at a price that fits your lifestyle and needs.
They will advise you on things to watch out for and will be there for you from the beginning until the day you move into your new home and will stay in touch with you once you've moved in should any problems arise.

As you begin to work with a REALTOR®, he/she will discuss with you the advantages of signing a 'Buyer's Representation Agreement '

A Buyer's Agency/Representation Agreement provides you with the top level of services a REALTOR® can provide and these services are most often provided to you free of charge.

Your Buyer's agent is paid for the work they have done for you through the Seller's agent whose property you have purchased. The Seller's agent is paid a commission by the Seller when their house is sold. From this commission, a certain percentage is paid to the Buyer's agent's office who then pays the Buyer's sales representative.

When acting on behalf of my buyer clients, I offer the highest levels of service, free of charge to my buyers.
In giving the best service possible to my buyers, I provide the following list of services to ensure that they have an enjoyable, smooth, care-free and happy home buying experience:

• To assist my buyers in understanding what will take place, I outline the entire homebuying process from beginning to end.
  To facilitate this, I provide my buyers with a Homebuying Book and pamphlets on various things to do with the homebuying process.
  
  
  
• In order that my Buyer clients feel comfortable with signing the Buyer's Representation Agreement, I explain it in detail and ensure them that if they are not happy with my services and are able to provide me with an explanation, they are able to cancel the agreement at any time.
  
  
  
• As part of the Homebuying process, I discuss with my clients financing alternatives and determine their needs with regards to financing the purchase of a home.
  If they will be requiring a mortgage, I provide them with a Sutton Member Program VIP card which enables them to apply for a mortgage with the lowest interest rates in Canada.
  Only those Buyers who buy through a Sutton sales representative who is a member of the Sutton Member Program are eligible to apply for a mortgage at this lowest rate.
  The 5 year term, fixed rate mortgage is currently at 3.24 %.
  
  
  
• I endeavour to find the best possible home for my clients and in order to do so, I meet with them and ask them to answer a fairly in-depth questionnaire that deals with their specific needs and desires in a home.
  
  
  
• My Buyers have the right to always be kept up to date with the new listings that have come on the market.
  Immediately after determining my Buyer's needs/desires in a home, I register my Buyers on a Listing Update Program through our local real estate board that provides them with all of the new listings that meet their criteria by email on a daily basis.
  They are then free to peruse the information at their leisure and, since the best listings sell very quickly, are certain not to miss out on any new listings that come on the market within their guidelines and price range.
  
  
  
• When my Buyers come across a property they would like to see, or if I recommend we go and see specific properties, I coordinate the showings and accompany my Buyers through all of the listings they wish to see.
  When looking through homes, I point out potential problems and concerns in relation to each particular property. This gives my Buyers the peace of mind in knowing that a trained eye who is working on their behalf is observing each property along with them.
  
  
  
• When my Buyers find a home they would like to put an offer in on, I provide them with a Comparative Market Analysis on the property so that they know the value of the property.
  This enables them to make an informed decision when deciding how high they would like to go when negotiating on the home price.
  
  
  
• I provide my Buyers with all of the information that is available on all properties that they wish to view.
  On any property that they have further questions about, if I don't know the answer I find out and let them know as quick as possible. This way they won't miss out on a home due to not knowing the answers to any pertinent questions they may be considering. 
  Time is always of the essence when searching for the right home.
  
  
  
• If my Buyers are short on time or are from out of the region, I preview properties for them in order to weed out those that are of poor quality, require a great amount of work or are not suitable.
  This way my Buyers only need  view those properties that are of good quality, priced right and fall within their search criteria.
  
  
  
• If one of my Buyers finds a For Sale By Owner, or if I find one for them that falls within their search criteria, I will set up an appointment to view with the Sellers and should my Buyers decide to put in an offer on the property, I will prepare the Agreement of Purchase and Sale and do all of the negotiating with the Sellers.
  I will also ensure that the Sellers pay my commission for the services I've provided to my Buyers and in payment for bringing them an offer on their property. This way my Buyers are still ensured of having my services provided free of charge, no matter if a property is listed on the MLS system or not.
  
  
  
• When my Buyers find a home that they would like to put an offer on, I discuss with them the terms and conditions of the offer, advising them as to what clauses and terms I feel should be included for their own protection and in their best interests.
  I then prepare the Agreement of Purchase of Sale and present it to the Sellers and their Agent on my clients behalf.
  
  
  
• I negotiate with the Sellers and their Agent to get the best possible price and terms for my Buyers.
  
  
  
• As part of the Agreement of Purchase and Sale conditions that I recommend to my Buyers, I ensure that all offers are conditional upon my Buyer receiving a satisfactory Home Inspection Report on the property prepared by a highly qualified professional Home Inspector.
  
  I give a list of recommended Home Inspectors to my Buyers and ask them to choose one for the inspection. I also ask that my Buyers be present during the Home Inspection process and I ensure them that I will also be in attendance at the Home Inspection.
  
  Once the Home Inspection is completed, I discuss any issues with the Home Inspector and make recommendations to my Buyers as to how to proceed from this point forward.
  Most often, if a house requires certain upgrades or repairs, these can be negotiated on with the Seller during the negotiation and offer process.
  I endeavour to do this to the satisfaction of all parties involved so that my Buyers feel comfortable moving forward with a purchase of the home of their choice.
  
  
  
• Any and all personal information that my Buyers disclose to me is kept in strictest confidence. I provide them with a privacy agreement that outlines this and my Buyers feel comfortable knowing that they can trust me to always keep their best interests in mind throughout the home buying process.
  
  
  
• On any property my Buyers decide to offer on, I do my best to find out the Seller's motivation and reasons for selling as this information will play a vital role during our offer preparation and negotiations.
  
  
  
• Once the offer to purchase has been accepted, I ensure that any and all conditions are satisfied in a smooth and timely manner. I provide my Buyers with a list of recommended lawyers and outline to my Buyer's their lawyer's role and what they can expect to pay.
  I also provide my Buyers with a list of Homebuying incentives and rebates that government bodies may be providing so that all of my Buyers receive the highest value possible in their home purchase.
  
  
  
• My Buyers receive a list of home services that will be provided to them at a discount rate for having bought through me. These services may include, although are not limited to, moving and cleaning services.
  
  
  
• On closing day, I ensure that the events of the day flow as smoothly as possible for my Buyers and am there to assist should keys need to be picked up or documents delivered.
  
  
  
• To ensure that my Buyers are happy with their home purchase and to make sure they know I am always only a phone call or email away, I contact or visit my Buyers on closing day and discuss with them their new home and any concerns they may have.
  
  
  This is the day of celebration and I'm justly proud of my Buyers and their new home and all they have come through to reach this point.
  I ensure that my Buyers know that I will be staying in touch with them and that they may call or email me anytime should any issues arise with their new home or just to say hello!

 

©2009JoSmith

 

Jo-Anne Smith, the author of this article, is a REALTOR® with Sutton Group - Quantum Realty Inc., Oakville, Ontario and welcomes your real estate inquiries. To contact her, visit www.Oakville-BurlingtonHomes.com