Buying a Home

You want to buy a home. Maybe it’s your first home, maybe an investment, maybe it’s for your childrens’ University accommodation. Perhaps, you’ve been living at YOUR parent’s house, or you have 47 roommates in your Uncle’s triplex.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Google “homes for sale in _______ (your city)”.
  2. Do this for at least 6 months, and get lost.
  3. Use a Realtor. Realtors are paid by the Seller (except in rare occasions).
  4. Again, Realtors are FREE for Buyers. Use a Realtor.

Buyer’s often search the market by themselves, and search and search and search, and they wait until the last minute to use a realtor. This can be a stressful ordeal.

Some Buyer’s are reluctant to use a Realtor. The following are some of the main reasons that I’ve come across:

  1. A realtor will force them to buy early.
  2. A realtor may not have their best interests at heart.
  3. All the information they need is on the internet, and they don’t need another person to help them.
  4. They think they can get a property for a cheaper price, without using one (for example, they will save the 2.5% realtor fee that a seller would have to pay otherwise).

In today’s real estate market, particularly in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, For Sale By Owners (or FSBO) are on the rise.