Landon Masse's Buyer Guide

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Secure a pre-approval from a lender to understand how much you can borrow. A pre-approval letter strengthens your offer and shows sellers you are a serious buyer. It also helps narrow down your home search to properties within your budget.

There are thousands of real estate agents how do you chose one that’s right for you?

You have to pick carefully. They will be acting as your representative and you will need someone to look out for your best interests. You will need someone that you can trust and someone who understands what you want. You will be confiding in them on a business level and often on a personal level. They are the key to you finding the right home in the right area you for the price you want. Once you select someone you feel good about working with, sign them up under buyer representation. It is very important that the person you’re working with is representing you exclusively.

This should be the most enjoyable step of the entire process (other than moving in!). I will arrange showings of homes you’re interested in that are within your price range. Take notes about what you like and don’t like, and make sure to pay attention to details. Turn light switches on and off, open and close doors, and run the faucets in various rooms. Don’t limit your inspection to the home itself. Make sure to take time to explore the neighborhood and keep an eye on traffic at certain times of the day, the parking situation, and how close it is to necessities like schools and grocery stores.

Once you’ve narrowed your search down to one or two homes that you really like, your REALTOR® will do whatever research necessary to help you make your decision, but the decision will ultimately be yours. And surprisingly enough, it’s going to be a pretty easy decision to make. Once you’ve selected one home to focus on, your REALTOR® will do a comparative market analysis on that property. This involves determining “fair market value” by looking at what other buyers were willing to pay for properties similar to yours in the same neighbourhood or area.

Once you have selected the perfect home, work with your agent to craft a fair offer based on the value of comparable homes on the market. Depending on what the home is listed at and whether the current environment is a buyer’s or seller’s market, your offer may be below, at, or even above the asking price.

When negotiating with any seller, it’s best to remember not to take anything personally. Also, try to put yourself in the seller’s shoes. Figure out what’s not negotiable to you, and be willing to give a little on the things that are negotiable. A good REALTOR® should be able to give you tons of advice about how to structure your offer. Once your offer has been presented, the seller will either accept your offer outright, reject your offer outright, or counter your offer. The counter process can go back and forth many times. It’s important for all parties to keep their cool and focus on the goal.

In most cases, your offer will be contingent on having the home inspected to ensure there is no major structural damage or large repairs needed. We can help you arrange this, and you can schedule it within days of making an offer. If there are no major issues, the process goes to step seven. If there is, you can renegotiate your offer based on what needs to be fixed, or you can withdraw it.

Now is the time to go back to the mortgage lender who pre-approved or pre-qualified you and choose your mortgage. You will be presented with various options based on your unique financial situation, including fixed-rate, variable-rate, 15-year, 30-year, or special programs such as VA loans or FHA loans. Work with your mortgage lender to select the option you feel the most comfortable with. If you need a mortgage lender, I can refer a list of trusted colleagues.

This is the day you “sign your life away,” as most clients say. Not really. The lawyer conducting the closing should be able to explain every document to you in a satisfactory manner. Do not ever feel intimidated. If you don’t understand, don’t sign. Your lawyer will help your understand everything. If you like, you can request blank copies of the documents you will be signing in advance so that you can carefully review them. You will have to present whatever down payment and closing-cost funds you were expected to pay. This check must be certified; personal cheques usually are not accepted.