Home Buyer's Guide

-What you can expect as a home buyer

1. Determine your budget

Before you start looking at homes, it's important to have a clear idea of how much you can afford to spend and to have a pre-approval letter from your mortgage broker. This will give you a sense of your price range and will make you a more attractive buyer when you make an offer on a home.

2. Shopping!

Once you have your budget and pre-approval in place, you can start researching neighborhoods and looking at homes that are on the market. This can include browsing listings online, visiting open houses, and working with a real estate agent to find properties that match your criteria.

3. The offer

Once you find a home that you want to buy, you will make an offer to the seller. The seller may counter your offer, and you will then negotiate the terms of the purchase. We highly recommend you have an agent on your side with only your interest in mind. The listing agent is obligated to only have the seller's best interest.

4. Secure your financing

If your offer is accepted, you will need to secure financing for your purchase. This typically involves working with your mortgage broker to complete the approval and providing all necessary documentation. This happens even if you are pre-approved.

5. Home Inspection

Once you have secured financing and have a sales contract, the next step is to have the home inspected to ensure that there are no major issues with the property.

6. Close on the purchase

After the inspection, you will finalize the purchase by signing the condition waiver. From this point forward, there is no backing out. Between condition waiver and possession, the lawyer of your choosing will reach out to book a time for signing legal documents.

7. Possession!

After the deal goes firm, you will take possession of the property and can move into your new home on possession date. Don't forget to hook up the utilities!