As you may or may not be aware, currently the real estate market is in flux. Searching for a home will be quite a bit different than what you may have been used to in the past.
It is very common for a listing to go live and then hold offers for 3 to 5 days. This generally means that offers are held until a certain meeting date. There are different strategies that can be used to make your offer the best one. In order for Belinda to work for you and put your best offer forward, she needs to have a few things in place before we can look at properties.
She will have a brief general conversation with you and ask if you have met with a mortgage broker. If you haven’t done this step first, she will ask that you connect with a mortgage specialist or mortgage broker first and supply them with all of the paperwork they require. It is important that you give authorization for the lender to speak with her so that she can give all of the property details that are required to fund the purchase. If you do not require a mortgage, this step can be skipped.
After you have the mortgage information, she will ask you to sign in to an Ap that collects your identification information. This Ap is called “Really Trusted” and is the preferred method of collecting identification information. This is the safest way to share your identification.
Belinda will ask you to read over and sign forms that are required by the Real Estate Council of British Columbia. There is a disclosure of representation in trading services, privacy notice and consent, and a buyer agency agreement. Having this paperwork done ahead of time is required.
When the lender has done their preapproval and connected with us, we have the identification, and the forms are completed, Belinda will have a longer conversation about your needs. She is really asking the who, what, when, where, why and how.
Who is going to be living at the home? – ages, pets, tenants, future rental required.
What type of home are you looking for? single family dwelling, condo, townhome, manufactured home
When do you need to be in your new home? Have you just started the process of looking for a home and would like to take your time browsing or have you sold your home and in need of a place right away?
Where would you like to live geographically? Anywhere in the Cowichan Valley, somewhere between Langford and Nanaimo? Where do you work or what types of recreation do you want to be close to? If you are looking outside of Belinda’s trading area, we are connected with excellent agents across Canada and can refer you to someone who specializes in the specific area.
Why are you moving? There are lots of reasons and its a good idea to discuss the why’s to make sure the Cowichan Valley is the place for you.
How are you going to make this purchase? How much of a down payment do you have saved up? Will you be borrowing money from a bank or family? Have you considered the size of mortgage payments, utilities, and taxes?
Once we have a good sense of all of these factors, Belinda can set up a search that will auto email you properties as soon as they hit the market. The multiple listing service is really the best place to find newly listed properties. All other websites are syndicated from this original source. The only problem with any of these web systems is that there is a delay showing if there is an accepted offer on the property. For this reason, we will be in regular communication to discuss which properties are available and we can send you the additional documents that are relevant to the properties that interest you.
Phew! We know its a lot of information and preparation work, but the more work we put into the front end of your search the more satisfied you will be with your new purchase!
You can book an appointment below or contact Belinda at 250-710-6727.
