Let us guide you through the home buying journey
There is no better resource for navigating the home buying process than a real estate agent. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a first-time buyer, or have experience buying properties in the past; it always helps to have a knowledgeable expert on your side.
An attentive agent will provide help and support from the outset of the proceedings, and stay in your corner well beyond the final sale. This guide outlines each step of the process, and identifies how working with an agent benefits your position.
The starting point: MLS listings
The majority of house hunters begin with MLS listings. By offering a comprehensive list of homes available in the area(s) you’re looking to buy, these listings make a natural starting point.
But while this list can start a buyer out on the right foot, it's far from the only tool available. If your entire approach is to scan through these listings, you’re making the process more difficult and time-consuming than it needs to be. A real estate agent will reduce the stress - and time - involved with your search.
Rather than scouring the listings, and checking back every day to see what’s new and what’s off the market, you can simply hand a list of criteria to your agent and let them do the leg-work. A good agent will learn your needs and expectations during the early stages of the search, and track down potential targets. They'll then pass on homes that meet your requirements, while screening out those that don't.
Education and advocation
Beyond helping to find what you’re looking for, a real estate agent should get to know you as a client. This process involves both learning your priorities, and helping you establish realistic expectations based on your finances and borrowing power.
The agent should also function as your home buying tutor. If you have questions about the process, taxes, legal fees or any other aspect of house-hunting, negotiating or buying, your agent is the person to ask.
When you find a home that interests you
Throughout your home search, your real estate agent will leave no stone unturned. They’ll complete an extensive search, and relay all of the available houses or condos that fit your requirements. Once you've looked over what's available, you'll have the opportunity to view the property in person.
During your visit to a property, your real estate agent will provide you with all the relevant facts and details of the home, laying out the advantages and disadvantages of the building and its location. They can show you the home's desirable features, elements that may require maintenance and answer any questions that spring to mind. If there is something they can't answer off hand, they'll make it their business to find out and get back to you.
Preparing to make an offer
A real estate agent is your greatest advocate throughout the home buying process. They understand key concepts, such as home values, market fluctuations and sales conditions. Using this privileged knowledge, they will negotiate on your behalf, doing everything possible to strengthen your bargaining position, while sharing any available information about the property and seller.
The agent will instruct whether the home you want is a reasonable price, relative to the market, and provide guidance for setting the value of your offer. The agent will also provide you with an accurate estimate of how much the home will cost – not just the sale price, but the total cost, including mortgage interest, maintenance and upgrades, legal fees, inspections and taxes.
After you sign the purchase agreement
The best real estate agents don’t say goodbye after the purchase agreement is signed. They do everything they can to resolve any problems with the property to the buyer’s satisfaction. Whether this means examining legal recourse in the event of a dispute, or simply finding the most efficient and cost-effective solutions to issues as they arise, the agent will continue to work on your behalf.
With you every step of the home buying journey
Though most real estate agents make the home buying process easier, different agents add different levels of value. Our dedicated team of RE/MAX sales reps possesses the knowledge and experience to find you the right property at the right, and help educate you every step of the way.
Our award-winning service has led us to consistently rank among the top-selling groups in Toronto, with an especially strong presence downtown. But what speaks even stronger than the sales we make is that so many of the clients we work with come back to us the next time they buy or sell a property.
