Buying a home in BC, with the full picture in front of you.
Most buyers do not need more listings. They need to know what they can afford, what the property is really worth and what happens at each step.
What I do for buyers.
Before we look at anything, we go through your numbers with a mortgage broker and put the pre-approval in writing. Then I explain the agency agreement and the disclosure form, so you know who I work for before you sign anything.
From there it is criteria, regions, alerts and showings, and I say what I would not buy as often as I say what I would. When a property holds up, I pull the comparables and we agree on the number before I write the offer, with the subjects that protect you.
Once the offer is accepted, the work is the part nobody sees: inspection, strata documents, final financing approval, subject removal, deposit, lawyer or notary, Property Transfer Tax and completion. Eleven stages, and you know which one you are in.
How much do you actually need to buy in BC?
- Down payment
- Mortgage pre-approval
- Closing costs
- Property Transfer Tax
- Strata fees
- Inspection
- Lawyer
Families upgrading.
Selling and buying at the same time is a logistics problem before it is a market problem. Timing, financing and order of operations planned together.
Condos and strata.
Three documents that tell you what the listing photos never will.
Depreciation report
Meeting minutes
Contingency reserve fund
Buying from abroad or as a newcomer.
Different system, different rules, same goal. I explain how the process works here and what changes compared to what you knew.
FAQ
The search is the part that varies, and it depends on your criteria and on what is available in your range. From an accepted offer to completion the timeline is short and it is written into the contract. I show you the real dates of the properties we are looking at, not an average.
Subjects are the conditions written into your offer: financing, inspection, strata documents. While they are in place, the contract is not firm. Once they are removed, it is, and the deposit is committed. That is why nobody removes a subject on my watch before the reason for it is answered.
That is exactly what the subject period is for. Depending on what it is, we renegotiate, we ask for the repair, or we walk. Finding a problem before the deadline is the inspection working, not the deal failing.
The rules on this have changed more than once in recent years, and they apply differently depending on your status, the property and where it is. I check your specific case against what is in force before you spend money on anything, and I put it in writing.
No, and you can go straight to your bank. I suggest talking to a broker because seeing more than one lender usually changes the number you are working with, and that number decides everything after it.
Let's talk before you make the decision.
A short conversation is usually enough to know where you stand and what the next step is. No pressure, no commitment.