It seems that everywhere you turn there is a sold sign in front of a house.  Good news for sellers but very frustrating for buyers.  If you are currently in the market for a home you could be in the same situation a lot of buyers are finding themselves in;  A new listing comes up that you think could be perfect for you and your family, great area, nice curb appeal, close to the kids school.  You pick up the phone to call for information only to find out that it either has an offer on it or it just sold.  Bummer.

So what can you do to ensure your family does not keep missing out on potential properties?

Step 1 – Get Pre-Approved For a Mortgage

Get to the bank and find out first if you can get a mortgage and second how much you can afford.  This way when you find that house you can submit an offer with more confidence that the money will be there.  A professional Realtor will not even show you a house without having a pre-approval in place.

Step 2 – Find a Realtor to Work With

REALTORS are in the know!  We have inside scoop on upcoming listings, we talk to other realtors who have upcoming listings and we have our own system we use that has properties posted before they hit MLS.ca.  Once your Realtor knows what you are looking for they can weed out what you are not interested in and notify you immediately of properties that fit your needs.  Believe me we constantly look for our clients.

Step 3 – Have Your Realtor Register You in Their Database for Automatic Emails

This is really cool!  Your Realtor is able to add you to their client database so that you are sent emails with new properties that match your criteria as soon as they come available.  Not only right away but before they are posted publicly to everyone else on the MLS.

Step 4 – Be Ready to Pull the Trigger

Your realtor just called and told you about a house just listed in your price range.  Drive by and have a look ASAP, if you like what you see schedule a viewing immediately.  Once you walk through the front door you will know if the house is for you and once you see it all and conclude that it’s the one “Pull the Trigger!”

A properly priced home in a competitive price range will go right away.  I have seen it many times where a buyer starts to get cold feet, delays too long and by the time they are ready to act another buyer has already got an accepted offer on it.

Keep in mind that your Realtor is out to protect your best interest.  When offer time comes we will put clauses in to ensure that you are able to inspect the home prior to committing to it.  If something is revealed in an inspection that wasn’t initially noticed then you can get out of the deal and move on.

Any edge you can get over another buyer will certainly work in your favor.  These steps will help make sure that you are ahead of the game the next time a new home comes available.

Good Luck,

T

Got a real estate question you would like me to answer? Email questions to troy@remax-cornwall.ca