Frequently Asked Questions

Click here to see a video about this. There are some rare exceptions that I discuss in the video, but generally, buyer agents do charge a fee, and the fee is paid by the seller. So as a buyer, you will almost never pay any commission fee.

Click here to see a video about this. Listing agents can provide you customer service, but make no mistake they are hired by the seller to work in the seller’s best interest. They will gladly facilitate a sale, but they cannot represent both your  interest to get the lowest price and the sellers interest to get the highest price, as they are conflicting. A listing agent can agree to adjust their commission if they are representing both sides, but if the home is even 3-4% overpriced (quite common) you still didn’t end up with any deal. Hiring me as your buying agent means I will dig up every last sales statistic and market report to ensure you are getting the best price for the house.

I would like to hear from you as soon as you know you want to buy a home. I can set you up on auto-listings to start, so that you can get a general sense of what’s out there and for what prices. You can send me feedback on homes you see that you like and ask me any and all questions about anything. We have a NO HARASSMENT policy, because that’s not how to build trust. We won’t call you endlessly just to “check in” with nothing of value to offer. We will always work on your timeline, and the longer you can see how we respect your time and goals, the more confident you will be about hiring me when the time is right for you.

NO, not in the initial stages where we haven’t spoken and I don’t know your specific needs.  I have hundreds of contacts using the auto-listing service with me, and it is a resource best used for becoming familiar with the market and what’s out there. Once you’re ready to actively start looking at homes, then we will speak, and I can set you up on a much more information-rich system that will be much more useful in finding the right homes quickly. I focus my time on conducting searches for my active clients.

If you know you want to be moved into your new home within the next 3-4 months, it’s time to set a date to meet each other, and start the house search process.

I ask you complete a short questionnaire that I will send you about your home buying goals. There’s something about writing down your goals that helps to drive the process forward and helps me to get started with a good understanding about you. It’s critical for me to get to know you and this is the best first step.

Click Here to see a video about this. The buy/sell process usually goes fairly smoothly, but it’s always prudent to plan for the worst and expect the best. It all depends on what “worst-case-scenario” you’d find most stressful. Would it be buying first and possibly having an overlap of 2 mortgages if the closing dates didn’t line up perfectly? (worst case). Or would it be selling first and not finding your new dream home before you close on your current home? Do you have relatives or another place to live in the meantime? (worst case). Again, we do a lot of planning and consideration to avoid these kinds of issues, but it’s good to think about.

It is very important for us both to see that we communicate well together, that we like each other, and that you trust what I say. Buying a home involves a lot of conversations, questions, and emotions, because its a major life decision. Anyone can find you a home, that’s not the difficult part. It’s about trusting my advice throughout negotiations to actually get you the home you want, for the best possible price. Sometimes that means playing hardball, sometimes that means taking a slower path. If you know that I have your best interests at heart, you can trust that my advice will get you what you want.

You need to bring 2 pieces of ID for every person who is purchasing the home and your individual responses to the questionnaire, or emailed to me beforehand. If this Q&A section didn’t cover all of your questions, bring a list of any other questions with you.

It is critical that everyone who is part of the purchase decision to be at the meeting. Anyone who will have influence and/or veto power on what to purchase must be part of the process from beginning to end. Otherwise we will waste a lot of time satisfying some, but never all, and we end up going in circles.

Absolutely not. The purpose of the meeting is to ensure that we both feel we will get along and work well together. As I will explain in the meeting, everyone gets one NO OBLIGATION home viewing after the meeting, so that you can see me in action, see the kinds of questions I will ask you and how I work. Don’t let any agent pressure you into a contract upon first meeting, you should have a good chance to evaluate their communication skills and knowledge before you decide to hire anyone.

I will send you more information and links from my website and links to homes of interest. Being educated and informed is the best tools you can have when you are a home buyer. It is also time to get in the habit of asking me any questions about anything that is unclear to you. This is the process that starts to build trust between us.

You need to get pre-approved for a mortgage. There is no point looking at an home until we both know what you can afford. This is also a clear sign to me that you are serious about your home purchase and are ready to move towards what you want.

I work in Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington and Milton. It’s very important that a buyer agent works actively and regularly in a given area. There’s too much to know about a neighbourhood – you can’t just Google and guess. The more time an agent spends on the road travelling, the less time they have to actually do their job, so it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep things local.  So call me first, and if I can’t help you, I can refer you to an equally service-minded, professional realtor from my network throughout the GTA and beyond.

I often have more than one buyer client at a time and most everyone wants to look on evenings and weekends. So when we’re first starting out, getting a feel for the market and seeing what you can get for the price, we need to schedule outings. This way, I ensure every buyer gets quality time and service. Once we have been out a few times and we have really zoned in on exactly what you want, it’s more important to “jump” on a house as soon as it becomes available. This means not waiting till the weekend when everyone else will go look at the home. I also have assisting agents for the sole purpose of home showings, so that all of my clients have the chance to see homes as soon as possible when they’re ready to buy.

You can expect honesty, openness and lots of questions. I truly do need to get to know you, which includes what you like, what you don’t, what your goals are and anything you are worried about. To act in your best interests, I need to know you. I will tell you my honest opinion about anything you ask, condition of a home, location, value, and so on. Every house isn’t “great” and I will never push you to see just the good side of any home. If I see you don’t like a home, we’re out, and it’s off the table.

More importantly though, is what I do when you DO like a home, but now the reality of your decisions are setting in. Often the biggest obstacle to buying a home is yourself. If I took the time to get to know you, I can act like a “shadow” you, without the emotion. I can advise you about whether moving forward, no matter how nerve racking, does meet your goals, or whether I think you’re forcing a fit and there’s something better out there. My best contribution to your home purchase is when emotions start coming into play and you need a clear voice who knows your goals as well as you do.

My ideal client is someone who wants to build a collaborative relationship with me. Someone who recognizes that I have industry knowledge that the average person doesn’t have, and that I have experience that can better navigate the process.  A lot of emotions arise for many people; fear, uncertainly, anxiousness, worry, etc., and I can only help keep your on track if you are willing to communicate with me. The best home buying experiences are when I can build a high level of trust with my clients, and we work together through the challenges to reach your goals.

As long as you do your due diligence in choosing which agent to sign with, and ensure you are confident in their ability and communication skills, you are far better served by hiring an agent under contract. If you don’t sign a contract, the agent knows it is likely you are talking to MANY agents. So when you meet with them, it might be their last chance to sell you a house before you’re off to another agent. This creates a natural sense of desperation and they might push you harder on a home that isn’t the best fit. Under contract, I work in your best interest, having the confidence to walk away from a home if the price or conditions don’t end up ideal or fair. I am motivated by ensuring your satisfaction rather than a one-and-only-shot at a commission.

After your No-Obligation Home Viewing, we will schedule another meeting where I will explain all the legal documents  ~ in plain English ~ so that you know exactly what the contract entails. I never gloss over the paperwork, I will explain it to you so that you feel informed and confident.

Never be pressured into signing a contract right away, you should have a  fair chance to see how they communicate with you and that you like how they work.

We can make it for any length of time, often between 90-120 days. I am flexible to your needs, but I never work without a contract.

Once you are my client, I will review your needs and wants against your budget and preferred location. If you have a partner buying the home with you, then there is more than one set of needs, wants, priorities and wishes. I look for some common ground and send you some options to review. Sometimes there is one person who takes more of a lead and has more influence, or sometimes there’s stronger influence just about certain aspects. I ask you a lot of questions to find our starting point and to weigh priorities.

I have a search system that’s just for my clients, and I find that most love to use it and be involved in “the hunt”. With this interface, we can communicate in real time, without need for strings of emails. As my client, I do now take an active, daily role in searching out property and I will show you homes that you might not have seen/considered. Together we will make the lists of home to see. If you don’t want to be part of the search, that is fine too and I will send you homes for your review.

I can’t speak for others but it’s certainly not typical for me. I emphasize communication because the hardest part of the whole process is to find the common ground between all partners, and reaching acceptable compromises on the areas that don’t perfectly meet. Once you do this, it’s easy to find a house that you will want to offer on. Without compromise, you will go in endless circles, always waiting for a perfect house that doesn’t exist.

It is actually important for agents to do this but most of them fail to explain to their clients WHY.  Almost every client starts out wanting a home that’s a little bigger, newer, or prettier, than their budget affords. So the dance of home buying is to really decide what is MOST important you; sometimes people shift location or size to stay in budget, and sometimes the budget goes up. You need to see what your money will buy whether you like it or not, and start making the real decisions from there. The key is communicating to you the process and the rationale.

Wanting to see the Listing Pictures

All buyers are waiting for their beautiful, perfect dream home to pop up on their screen. So when a listing doesn’t have pictures, most buyers will pass it by without a second thought. Sometimes the homes without pictures (or really poorly done pictures) are real gems that no one can see. And if you are really ready to buy and it ends up being a great home for you, you can swoop in and offer on it while all the other buyers are sitting around and waiting.

First, I’ll tell you that I DON’T take or return phone calls and send you off to wander alone. This is my time to learn your thought process. I assess how you are reacting to the home and make note of what you gravitated towards. I will ask you what you didn’t like. You can’t hurt my feeling, and it’s very important for me to learn what you do and don’t like.

I will ALWAYS ask you if you want to buy the home, because there is no wrong answer. You either do, or don’t, and you’ll let me know why. This is how I quickly filter what’s most, least and not at all important to you.

The most common mistake I see with many of my buyers is that they often fall in love with the finishes of a home too much. The value of a home is in the land and location, and finishes are a very, very distant runner up. So once we’re settled on the price, home size and style, I try to encourage buyers to look first for homes in the best neighbourhoods, over which home has granite counters (because I can help you get them installed in the home that’s in the much better location).

Yes, 2 things are Universal:

1. I always encourage my clients to think about future value. How is one neighbourhood appreciating versus other neighbourhoods? Does this area offer the best long term appreciation you can afford? What are the future predictions and trends of an area? I always want my clients to make the most money they can from what is likely their largest asset.
2. I always insist that my buyers play close attention to the neighbourhood, not just the home. If you want to be happy long term, you should be in an area that provides you the lifestyle you’re after. If you are a young family, you probably would appreciate other young families nearby. You want like-minded neighbours who take care of their property, and to have access to desired amenities. This is what The Village Guru is all about.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken clients out for their no-obligation home viewing and we see a wonderful house that ticks all the boxes. I know that this would be a great home for them but they’re not even thinking offering that night…..some of them weren’t even pre-approved yet…. It’s the first home they’ve seen…..We’ve only just met….So even though they do like it, I don’t push it because they are not ready. But I will tell you that another home does come up, it always does. Homes get listed in cycles and sometimes you have to wait for inventory to re-generate before you find what you want, and it’s very easy to start to feel desperate. There is always more than one “perfect” home for you.

Then that is what we will find you! You have to live in the home and you have to love it. If you don’t want to have to do any upgrades or renovation, there are plenty of options to make this happen. It is my job to put all the considerations on the table so that when you choose what you want, you are informed and confident in your choice.

Now is the time for my super-geek analytical side to ramp up and start pumping out stats and reports to review. It takes me a good 4 hours to do the analysis of the homes and to come up with a price range that is a fair purchase price for the home. I don’t do this for every home, as it is very time consuming and I have more than one client. Once you know for sure this is a house you would buy if it works out, then I will do every last scrap of research necessary to make the right offer.

Beyond the quantitative factors, like stats and reports, there are also qualitative factors that can very much influence the price. How much are the sellers willing to negotiate? Are there other buyers at the table? How badly do you want this home vs. the other buyers? Although we want to get the lowest possible price, these qualitative factors can have an impact. As long as we stay within this range, it’s a fair price. If we’re moving outside this range, I will tell you that you’d be paying a premium for the home if you still want it. If you want to offer below this range, you risk offending the sellers outright and likely won’t get a nice response. I provide the data and advice, and then you decide what you want to offer.

This could mean a variety of things. Often a home is in good shape but needs some serious cosmetic updating, and more and more buyers are shunning these types of homes. If you are game, this could be an equity-building opportunity. If there are no apparent drawbacks on the house, the owners might be hopeful for multiple offers to drive the price above market value through a bidding war. It could also mean there are less apparent flaws with the house we need to fish out with a thorough inspection.

This means that you’ve encountered the most common pricing strategy on the market. Every owner wants to push the boundaries in hopes of making as much money possible.  If the home is 1-10% overpriced, they are pricing high because they likely have a “real” price in mind once they expect you negotiate them down a bit. If it’s more than 10% overpriced, be warned. These owners are likely not even listening to the advice of their own agent and are blazing their own path. They will be much more difficult to bring down in price, hence, why most people don’t even bother putting in offers on homes like this. However, they usually do crack eventually, and if you LOVE the home, you can always try to see if you’re the one they’ll crack for.

Congratulations, you have uncovered the real estate unicorn, a rare and elusive home indeed.  If you find a home that is priced to market, it’s in your best interest to show some respect to these sellers. We might still choose to offer lower than asking price, based on the situation, but within reason. To offer 10% less will do nothing but offend sellers who were trying to be fair in the first place. Negative emotions, including those of the seller, can ruin what could have been a perfectly good sale.

This depends on so many factors. I don’t have a crystal ball but this is where my experience usually comes into play. If it’s aggressively overpriced and fresh on the market, usually owners are very confident and unlikely to accept a lower offer right away. If it’s a drop-dead gorgeous home, this is what all buyers are lusting for these days and could very well sell to someone who is willing to pay top dollar to snap it up. Where do you fall on the scale? Pay a premium for the perfect home, or pay a fair price for a perfectly good home? Are you willing to wait a few days and see what happens, or could you not bear to lose the home? This is where the facts, feelings, and experience all start to join together to form your individual strategy.

Once you put an offer on a home, you are entering a legal process that has obligations and ramifications. Can you afford to buy 2 homes if it came to that? If no, I will suggest that we review the 2 homes and choose to offer on the one that suits you best.

It depends. For a first time home buyer I’m going to say yes 99% of the time. You likely need financing and you should go through the process of a home inspection if you’ve never done one before. If you are a more seasoned buyer, maybe the answer is no. Perhaps you have been around construction enough to know what the red flags are in a home and what to look for. Perhaps you are able to bring a licensed contractor to view the home before you make an offer. If you want to make your offer stronger, and you are confident about not needing a home inspection, then you don’t need to put it in. Unless you are buying the home in cash, I would still recommend a financing clause because banks are becoming ever more stingy and difficult.

BRING THE CHEQUE. More and more I hear of deals falling apart because the deposit cheque doesn’t show up, as promised. Seasoned listing agents know that a buyer with cheque in hand is a serious buyer. It takes time and effort to draw up a bank draft and this effort shows you have intention to buy.

When it’s time to put in an offer we will go line by line to ensure you fully understand everything. I do not sneak things in and gloss things over.

Just like when talking about offers, the answers about negotiation become more variable because it all depends on the situation. There is no one best negotiations strategy. But in general, winning a negotiation is never about being a bully or jerk to the other side, it’s about knowing how much leverage and power you have, and using this knowledge to your best advantage.  Can I smell fear or urgency from my conversation with the listing agent? Will the owners meet with me to present your offer? The timing of presenting an offer tells a story too. It’s all about positioning us to look like we have the upper hand (even at the times when I know we don’t).

Buyers as a whole, have a herd mentality. It is very common for a lot of buyers to like a home, but no one will offer until they see that someone else likes the home too. It sounds very silly but it’s very true. So the listing agent is doing their job by trying to drum up multiple offers for 1-2 days before they have to respond to your offer.

I always try to schedule a negotiation meeting with the sellers, so that I can present your offer right away and they must deal with it right away. Once the sellers are engaged in the process and there are real people involved, it creates a higher level of commitment from them. Many sellers are open to this when asked. Some dig in their heels and refuse to accept any offers in person. In this case I communicate with the listing agent to scoop any information from him/her that we can use in our favour.

Often, but not always. If your main goal is to get a knock-out deal above getting a home that is right for you, you will be putting in a lot of offers with no sale. And for the 80% of my buyers who do want the finished, move-in-ready, stylish home, you are in thick competition. On rare occasions my buyers have willingly decided to pay a premium because the location and house was just too good to lose. The majority of times I ensure my buyers buy within fair market range so that they will see good appreciation even within 1-2 years.

No. That is the fastest way to kill a negotiation. It always creates a negative reaction from sellers, who are already frustrated that you want to bargain them down. The difficult part of coming to an agreement is that so many emotions from both parties can get in the way, and then pride takes over logic. Your goal is to work towards a deal, inch by inch, $1000 by $1000, even if it takes 5 rounds or several days. If you want a house where the sellers are stubborn, a slow and steady approach works far better.

If you have conditions on the home, you have a set amount of business days to complete the conditions and sign in acceptance to make the deal firm. There is no deal UNLESS you sign these waivers. It is time to get the final approval for financing from your bank, provide the cheque immediately and speak to a lawyer if you haven’t done so already.

Yes, I prefer to. This is a very hectic week to ensure all the details are taken care of, and it is my job to coordinate all the paperwork from the bank or broker, the lawyer, the home inspector, and the seller agent. It all must come to me when I need it. So, unless you have a long-standing relationship with one of these professionals, I would much prefer referring you to ones whom I already have a relationship with – we have good communication and they know what I need and we work well together. If you use your own, we need to set up a time to speak to create a strong line of communication and everyone knows their roles and expectations.

The home inspection is to uncover anything that we couldn’t see ourselves when viewing the home. For example, the price we agreed on already includes the cracked tile, broken screen door, leaky faucet, etc. The home inspector is looking for mechanical, electrical, foundation, and building code issues that could affect the house. If he does find any major issues, we can go back to the seller to either have the price adjusted to reflect the cost of repairs, to have them fix the issues before sale, or a combination of both. If you cannot accept the issues of the house, you also have the right to walk away from the sale by signing a mutual release.

When you have signed off on any conditions of sale, like financing, inspection or status certificate (condos), then the deal goes firm and the home’s status is changed to sold.

Yes, nothing is done until it’s done. Sometimes the seller or the buyer wants to change the closing date, and this can be done if both parties agree. Also, you are not truly approved for financing until closing day. You will be strongly advised NOT to do any major purchases during this time, because the bank CAN deny you on closing day if they see your finances dramatically change. Practice being frugal during this time and plan for the purchases you can make after the home closes.

Yes, especially for first time home buyers. It’s in our nature to worry about major changes in our lives and whether we made the right decision, so after the first time you purchase a home, it is very likely you will feel this to some extent. This is why throughout the process it’s so important for you to see everything that I see, so that you feel confident in your decision, so that when buyers remorse does kick in (if it does) you can look back and know you did your due diligence. Click here to see my video about Buyer’s Remorse.

If you have decided to sell your home after you’ve purchased, now is the time to start that process.

We write into the contract that you have 2 home viewings before you close on the home. One should always be reserved for shortly before closing, to test the appliances and make sure everything is still in working order. The other can be done at any time to measure the rooms and plan for furniture, decor or any renovations you may want to do.

As part of my closing gift to you, I include a design consultation from my wife Stephanie, of Style By Stephanie, and she can come to the second viewing to help you choose paint colours, do floor plans, or help you to choose materials like tiles, flooring, or window coverings. Planning a kitchen or bathroom update?  She can work with you to create design plans, suggest materials, and coordinate contractors. This is services is free and optional for you.

Start collecting a variety of moving check-lists and fuse them together to build your own comprehensive list

• List out all contacts, businesses, services, financial and investment companies, insurances companies, utilities, etc., who will require your address change
• Contact Canada post for mail delivery changes
• Purge before you pack – Keep, Sell, Toss, Donate. Also take hazardous material to the dump or arrange for junk removal. Plan a garage sale or sell items online. Give what you can to charities. This all makes moving easier.
• Research and do you due diligence on moving companies. Cheapest is rarely best.
• Arrange for moving day assistance from friends and family – someone to watch your kids, pets, help move, etc so that it goes more smoothly

No. There is a product called bridge financing that many people take advantage of. It allows you to take possession of your home a few days or week before you close on your current home. This allows you to move in more slowly, clean or paint before you have to move all the furniture in and many people find it much less stressful. It does cost a little extra so you need to decide what’s more important to you.

Absolutely. I will call and check in on you periodically, but please be proactive and contact me with any help you find you need.

Click here to watch my video about closing costs. 

You had better believe it! I do all the real estate things like send you market updates and home reports, but I also like to meet for lunch or drinks from time to time. We’ve spent a long time building a positive relationship, and that’s important to me.

As well, if you need an electrician, call me. If you don’t know how to switch out a light fixture or patch a hole in a wall, call me. Want to know if an upgrade with provide a good return, call me. Anything to do with your home, feel free to ask me and see how I can help you out; today, tomorrow, and 5 years from now.