WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS IN WORKING WITH A REALTOR TO BUY YOUR HOME?

Purchasing your home will be one of the biggest investments you will make. There are a lot of decisions you will make that go far and beyond the style of home you want. There are many things that you must consider when purchasing your home such as:

·        In what neighbourhood do I want to live? (Location is #1!)

·        How much can I afford to spend on a home without leaving myself short financially?

·        Am I looking for something long term or am I looking for more of a starter home?

·        What should I be looking for when viewing homes?

·        How do I make an offer on a house? What paperwork do I need?

·        Is there any way I can be protected if the house has faults that I was unaware of when I purchased it?

·        How do I know what to offer on the home I like?

·        Is a residential detached home the right purchase for me and my busy lifestyle or should I consider a condo?

These are just a handful of the questions that will be going through your mind when you are considering purchasing a home. I assure you, there are many more questions that will need answering and I will be happy to answer all of them at a buyer's interview.

What kind of benefits can you expect to be provided with if you choose to utilize Amanda Dehn as your Real Estate professional?

  1. Comprehensive knowledge of homes and Marketplace: I have job shadowed home inspectors and structural engineers to be able to educate myself on the product I sell and to provide added service to my clients. I also have a vast knowledge of different areas of Winnipeg and what the areas are selling for. 

  1. Availability: You will always know where I am and how to get a hold of me; I never leave my clients stranded. My goal is to get you into the home of interest the same day showings start.
  1. Educating You: When looking at homes there are certain things that you are going to want to look for. The major expenditures such as windows, foundation, furnaces, roofs, etc. can cost a bundle! Make sure that you factor these items in when looking at homes of interest.

  1. A CMA on the home of interest: A Certified Market Analysis is a comparison approach to value. We will compare the criteria in the  home of  your interest to other homes that have already sold in the neighbourhood within the past 6 months to 1 year to make sure that it has been priced accordingly and to ensure that you are making an educated offer.

 

  1. MLXchange: An exclusive computer program to real estate agents that will automatically send you all new listings that meet your desired criteria to ensure that you have the first opportunity to view the home that may be "the one".

  1. Honesty, genuineness, and hard work:  I have a 95% repeat and referral business which I believe reflects on my integrity as a person and my dedication to my clientele.
  1. I am a Professional: When it comes  to writing offers, viewing homes, any and all paperwork, arranging any inspections, and negotiating on your behalf, I assure you that I will ALWAYS keep your best interests at heart and do my very best to make buying your home as stress free and fun as possible.  It is my job to steer you into opportunities and away from traps.

  1. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING TO PURCHASE WITH A REALTOR!! You heard me! It costs nothing! The vendor is 100% responsible for all commissions that are paid. So... why not utilize the skills that I have, protect yourself, and relax... I will do all the work for you to ensure a positive, stress free experience!

PREQUALIFICATION

The first thing I recommend doing before you even open the Winnipeg Real Estate News (www.wren.com) is make an appointment with your financial institution to be pre-approved for a mortgage. 

Why is this so very important?

  • you will know the realistic price range in which you can be looking
  • it gives you a competitive edge in competitive offer situations
  • less risk of "rejection of bank financing" for the vendor when accepting your offer
  • You can be locked into a low interest rate (depending on the institution 1-3 months) and if the interest rates rise... yours will not, if they drop, you are entitled to the lower interest rate!

I have a list of mortgage representatives that I highly recommend and work closely with if you are interested in shopping around for the best deal. I believe that a referral is a personal extension of ones self and I know that these professionals will uphold the same level of customer service that I provide.

Please email me at realestatediva@hotmail.com to receive my list of preferred associates.

FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS

Hello First Time Home Buyers! Welcome to the exciting realm of Real Estate! I have put together a list of things that you must do when purchasing a first home.

  1. Get Pre approved! I can refer you to great mortgage reps if you would like!
  2. Find an agent you feel comfortable working with... preferably me J
  3. Decide on the location in which you want to live
  4. Make a list of "needs and wants". Don't stray from the needs but be flexible on the wants...
  5. get set up on MLXchange
  6. Go out one day with your agent and see everything available within your criteria and location. The more homes you see, the better the idea of what you want. Don't be surprised if your criteria changes!
  7. Don't be afraid to ask your realtor questions! That's what we are here for! If your realtor doesn't know the answers to your questions, they should be honest and tell you they don't know but then find the necessary resources to find out in a timely manner.
  8. Go find the house you've been looking for and don't forget to have fun and I guarantee some laughs along the way! 

What do you do when you find a house you want to offer on?

  1. Always see the home at least twice before you write on it. There will always be things that you didn't notice the first time in.
  2. The more knowledge the better! I always tell my clients to bring friends and family in because they know you best!
  3. Write the offer to purchase up with your realtor. Make sure that you fully understand the Offer to Purchase and if you have any questions, ASK!  It is a legally binding document!

What to expect when you put in an Offer?

I guarantee one of 3 things will happen:

  1. Your offer is Accepted
  2. Your offer is Rejected
  3. Your offer is counter offered

This is a rather lengthy topic and I highly recommend talking with your realtor prior to writing the offer to Purchase. Below I have noted some points when you are in an "all too common" competitive offer situation. This situation is what most people find confusing, so I hope I can clarify some of the questions you may have.

COMPETITIVE OFFER SITUATIONS

In the market place that we are surrounded by today, competitive offer situations are a regular occurrence. You should be so lucky not to find yourself in the midst of a competitive offer situation. I have made some points below to help you understand the rules and expectations of this situation and I hope it helps. If you have further questions, feel free to contact me and I welcome the opportunity to assist you!

Ø      Once all the offers are in the listing agent's possession, he will meet with the vendor to present all the offers that they have received.

Ø      They will open each offer one by one and choose which offer may look the most appealing.

Ø      Some of the important criteria within the offer that they will be focusing on are: the possession date, inclusions, exclusions, conditions, and obviously the amount offered.

Ø      Once they open all of the offers they will choose one that they would like to accept.  They will accept it outright or, if there is one offer that stands above the rest but there is an undesirable inclusion - they may try to negotiate the inclusion (such as possession date) and if it can be changed they may accept the offer.  If the purchasers aren't flexible, they may have to reject that offer and move onto the 2nd favourable offer.

Ø      IF, there are 2 offers that are extremely similar they can:

§         accept one over the other,

§         contact the 2 agents that wrote the offers and ask if there is anything that they would like to reconsider on their offer (please note that they can not tell them what to change and they can not disclose anything about either offer to either agent)

§         Once the changes are communicated, the vendor(s) have to decide what they want to do.

DID YOU KNOW THAT VENDORS DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT ANY OFFERS IF THEY ARE NOT WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR? Yes, legally they do not have to accept any offers. They also can counter the price you offered over and above their asking price. Why someone would do that? One reason may be that they undervalued their property to get multiple offers, but only 1 offer came in at asking price, so they are now forced to counter the offer they received for the amount that they expected to get on their home. This isn't favourable for either party!

BEWARE OF PRIVATE SALES!

There are a lot of Com-Free and private sales on the market today. As a purchaser you have to be very careful as to what you buy and where your money is going. Now, not all Com-Free and private sales are bad. There are some places out there that are priced accordingly, that are structurally sound, and that have great potential. And... there are some that are not.

 The last thing you want to do is invest your hard earned money into a home that will need MAJOR expenditures that you were not aware of and that you are not financially prepared to make.

The top 3 things to watch out for when viewing private sales:

Ø      There may be a defect in the home that may adversely affect the sale price and a realtor would ask them to disclose this defect. Always protect yourself and put the necessary conditions in the offer to ensure a safe and reliable place to live.

Ø      They are priced too high. The last thing you want to do is pay 10x more for a home than what it is worth and there really isn't a way that you have access to sale prices within the area unless it is word of mouth which isn't always reliable... also... don't take the vendors word for it... remember who they are representing!

Ø      They are not serious about selling. If they get the high price that they are asking for- then they will sell... if not, they are happy living where they are for now.

Like mentioned above, not all private and Com-Free sales are bad. I myself do work with Com-Free and private sales, but I definitely do my homework on the home before we even enter the premises to see if it is even worth looking into. The last thing I want to do is lead you into a home and get your hopes up and then tell you that it is priced to high, they are not willing to negotiate and it is unattainable.  Also, there are rules and a Code of Ethics that realtors have to abide by when selling homes. With private sales...there are no rules.

Well, I hope I have answered some of the questions that you may have had. Feel free to email me with any further questions and comments. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Happy house hunting!

THE BUYER'S INTERVIEW

Yes, believe it! I personally have an interview process that I like to go through with purchasers that choose to work with me. I usually only take on 10 purchasers at a time to guarantee that I am able to provide the customer service that I pride my business on.

Prior to meeting with you, my assistant Shannon Martin will email you the Buyer's Educational Package that I have put together so that when we meet, I can answer any of the questions you may have and so that everyone is prepared to get into the details.

Upon Meeting, I will explain to you what you can expect from me as your realtor, answer any questions you have, touch on the current market trends, discuss what you can expect when we go out in the marketplace, go over an offer to purchase in detail so that you understand ahead of time what to expect when it's time to write an offer and I will collect the criteria as to what you are looking for in a home.  The next business day, Shannon will enter the info into the MLXchange program and will email you all the listings that match your criteria.   To make an appointment for the buyer's interview, please email us at realestatdiva@hotmail.com!