Before you start your home search, you have to analyze your needs and lifestyle requirements as well as your hopes and desires. To narrow your focus, first ask yourself these three questions:
Where do I want to live?
What communities do you want to consider? Do you want to live close to schools, public transport, hospitals and other amenities? Or do you want more privacy with cows as your neighbours? In the Durham Region, the selection runs the gamut!
What type of home do I want?
Think about the type of home you're looking for. Are you looking for a detached home with a lot of bedrooms for the family? Or perhaps a smaller townhome or condo is what you're seeking. You might also consider your ideal lot size.
What are my must haves
and deal breakers?
What are the most important must-haves to you in a home? Number of bedrooms? A pool? A detached garage? A home office? Also, think about what you absolutely do not want in a home.
Your home search should be a process of elimination, not a process of selection. There are so many variables to take into account. The style of home means a lot, but let's start with the different types of ownership to help narrow the options down even further.
Freehold for example, is when it's all yours, while condominium is when you take care of the inside and pay your fees to an association that manages the outside. Your lifestyle should dictate which best suits you.
Now it's time to dig a little further.
Step 2: Hire Us
Today, most buyers choose to work with a real estate agent for many reasons. Our main goal is to help you reduce the stress of a large purchase so you can truly enjoy the experience of buying your dream home. Out of the thousands of real estate agents to hire, here's why you should hire us.
Knowledge
We pride ourselves on our continual growth of knowledge about the market and community engagement. We are highly trained and thoroughly experiences real estate sales leaders who know the neighbourhoods, communities, towns and cities that comprise the Region of Durham, and we know them inside and out. Offering you exemplary client services to help you accomplish you goal of real estate ownership and love your happily ever after.
Trust
We act as your wise counsel, your representatives, advisors, facilitators and consultants and we serve your best interests, and yours alone. Your trust is something we don't take lightly. RE/MAX Jazz boasts an unwavering commitment to delivering a personalized, crafted approach that ensures you are educated in all aspects of home ownership and current market conditions so that your purchase becomes an asset able to achieve the highest potential value and equity growth.
Durham Region Aficionados
The Coppins Team has 70+ years combined experience in buying and selling real estate in the Durham Region, providing outstanding client service and satisfaction to thousands of clients over the years. We are highly trained professionals who know the neighbourhoods, communities and towns of the Durham Region inside and out. We are Durham Region die-hards, radically sold on the benefits of living in our amazing municipality, and we want to make you a believer too.
Step 3: Find Your Home
There are a plethora of ways of finding your dream home, but before you go shopping, let's make sure you are financially ready. Nothing kills the buying mojo like rejection from the bank after you have fallen in love and submitted an offer. We need to ensure you have a realistic budget when you go shopping. We say “realistic†because home ownership should be a calculated joy, not a suffocating burden. You can use our very handy affordability calculator by clicking here.
Down Payment
This is a percentage of the total cost of the home that you'll need to pay. The more money you put down, the more you'll save on monthly payments and the cost of borrowing. So we always say – start saving yesterday.
Mortgage Pre-Approval
When the lender approves you for a mortgage, it gives you an idea of how much you can afford to spend on your new house, and greatly increases your decision making power. If you need assistance finding a mortgage broker, we'd be happy to give you some recommendations.
Keeping these things in mind, you are free to go window shopping! You can start searching for houses that meet your needs and wants in areas that appeal to you. Looking for houses can be really fun and exciting but beware of getting too caught up and emotionally invested until we actually start walking through properties together.
Our partnership is going to take us through a variety of homes and your education has only just begun. You can browse listings in your desired area using the smart listings search on our website, here.We can also sign you up for Property Matching and have listings that meet your criteria delivered directly to your email inbox. To sign up for Property Matching, click here.
Step 4: Make an Offer
Now that you've found the house that you are set on, it's time to make an offer. Not all offers are the same and in this market, strategy is everything. Here's where our professional negotiating skills, insight and tremendous experience really shine. We will help you with specific terms and conditions that will be included in the offer for your protection and benefit, and we'll make sure you understand all of it.
Making an offer is not just about the price. You have to carefully look at the other details included in the sale. Appliances, window coverings, or even minor renovations can also be part of the deal. Shorter or longer closing dates can also be specified in the offer as well as other terms that may be a requirement. Over the years, we have seen it all, so you needn't worry. Every transaction is special and unique and we are here to make it a smooth, enjoyable experience for you.
If there is something in the offer that doesn't satisfy the seller, counter offers or negotiations can also be presented to help get a price that you think is fair or terms that meet your needs. The main thing is that you are fully informed and decisions are yours and yours alone.
Step 5: Close the Sale
There will always be closing costs associated with the sale that need to be paid either by or on the closing date. These can include mortgage application fees, inspections, appraisals, legal fees, land transfer taxes and so on. We'll walk you through all of this too, so that you are prepared long in advance. We even have checklists, reminders and services leading up to and after the sale, so you are never alone in the process. But once that's all taken care of, and the keys are in your hand, you're the proud new owner of a piece of real estate, something that is recognized as a great accomplishment and privilege the world over!
