First Time Buyers

Use these 7 steps...

Defining What is Important to You

It is important to buy the best home for your present and future needs. Short term thinking can satisfy your immediate needs but leave you looking for a new home in a couple of years as your lifestyle and pernal needs change.

Getting professional advice can save you thousands of dollars over the years. Crystal helps you define what is really important to ensure your first home serves your needs for years to come.

Define your needs and wants

With so much available, how do you decide what to buy?

First, consider your lifestyle. Do you like to entertain at home? Do you need space for a home office? Do you or are you planning to have a family? Do you have pets? Do you have a physical condition that makes stairs an obstacle? Do you have an aging relative who will live with you? You're going to be living in this day and night for some time; make sure it suits your specific needs. Then consider your wants. A fireplace is very important to some buyers, while efficiency matters more to others. Some love low maintenance vinyl siding; others hate it. serious cooks may want a fabulous kitchen; advocates of high tech entertainment systems might prefer a larger den.

While the list could be endless, the key is to find the balance between needs and wants that work for you.


The benefits of working with a professional Realtor®

Think of a professional real estate agent as your employee who has only one task to perform and doesn't get paid for it until you are satisfied with the result. That task is to find you the best home you can afford with minimum hassle.

While you're at work or spending precious time with your spouse, family or friends, your agent is busy scanning the new listings, pre screening properties to see if they meet your needs, making appointments with dozens of other agents or sellers and monitoring the changing market.

Your agent has access to more listings than you can find on your own and is the first to learn of new listing; this knowledge base can be a real asset to you in a fast moving market. And when it comes time to make an offer, an agent can provide sound advice about the most advantageous terms or conditions and can be aof invaluable assistance in negotiating the best deal. A good agent is literally your eyes and ears, always hunting fir the perfect residence with an open mind and a critical eye. That kind of dedication and objectivity can be vital to your satisfaction. Keep in mind that working with a real estate professional cost you, the buyer, nothing. It is the seller if the house who pays your agents commission.

How agents view a house for sale

Once an agent has identified a property that meets your basic guidelines (three bedrooms, neutral colors, large yard, a finished basement, for instance), she is able to quickly decide whether it merits further consideration for you. How does she do that? It's quite simple, really. Experienced agents look beyond the cosmetic merits if properties and consider structural components that could become serious financial liabilities over the longer term.

Are the asphalt shingles curling, for example? If they are, you'll need to replace them soon. The probable cost? About $2,000, depending on the size and style if the home. How old is the furnace? Checking the serial number usually tells the age. If it's more that seven years old, prepare yourself for a $1,200 expense any day. Is the basement floor seriously cracked? That's rare in Calgary and usually indicates a structural problem such as badly poured footings. The cost of repair? You don;t want to know. As you tour potential homes with your agent, ask her about such things. This crash course in structural assessment will allow you to be a more informed home buyer and it could very well save you a small fortune over the years.