Buying a Home

When purchasing a home, you are faced with a multitude of decisions! The primary one is whether you are actually prepared to purchase a home. Locating the perfect home is not always an easy task, and obtaining a mortgage loan can be a complex and tiring process. Although, once you have determined that you are ready to move forward with the required effort towards your home-purchasing goal, the rewards are unquestionable.

While at your side each step of the way, I will make the process of purchasing a home easier, more enjoyable, less time-consuming, and less expensive than if you undertook this challenge on your own. I will help you prepare so that sellers perceive you as a preferred buyer, help you locate and assess properties for sale that match your specifications, and help you through the myriad of details attending the actual purchase.

I am always familiar with the current homes on the market, and I know neighborhood values well, so I can help you determine which properties are fairly-priced and in good condition before you start your search.

Your First Step

Your first step to buying a home is to ask yourself why you want to buy a home: to stop paying rent? To start building equity? To have a place of your own? To raise a family? To entertain business associates? To move up to a bigger house? Next, list what kind of home you'd like and where you would like to be. Be specific. Separate the "must haves" from the "want to haves."

Think of yourself as zeroing in on a target, going from the general to the specific. Consider area (city, suburban neighborhood, country); community (north, south, east, or west side); neighborhood (older and settled or sparkling new; a particular school zone; recreational facilities; and other community services such as transportation, day care, library, stores, entertainment). Ask yourself how many minutes you are willing to commute to work.

Think about home styles. How much space do you need? Does your situation require a one-level home, or are stairs acceptable? Consider size and kind of property. Do you want a newer home, or maybe an older one to fix up? Someday you or your heirs will want to sell. Consider how long you expect to live in this particular home.

Your Next Step: Loan Pre-Qualification

Once you have addressed the above needs, your next step in the purchasing process is to get pre-qualified with a mortgage company. This can be done over the phone or even online in a matter of minutes.

Call me and I will refer you to a mortgage professional that has an excellent reputation and track record for successfully acquiring loan approval for his/her clients.

I Will Find The Right Homes For You

Once you've been pre-qualified and know what price range you want to stay in, I can help you determine which properties fit your needs by using the (MLS) Multiple Listing Service system to locate them.

I have the best possible resources and communication systems available today to help you locate the homes on the market that match your specifications. You can even search my listings here at my website.

I Will Help You Every Step Of The Way

I will help you complete your financing and inspections, and close on the transaction. My top priority is to make sure that your home buying experience is pleasant, cost-efficient, and successful.

Be Sure you are Represented

When you buy a home it is important that you work with someone who represents you.  Too often people think to contact the listing agent of a property or enter a show home with an expectation that they will be treated like a client.  Most people do not realize that in such circumstances they are not clients, they are customers.  And they are engaging the very people who have been hired by the owner of the property to do everything possible to part them from their money. 

There is simply no rational basis for going it alone.  You need someone in your corner who offers honest advice about value, about the pros and cons of a specific purchase, about resale, and who will negotiate on your behalf.   I have been successfully representing buyers in Calgary and its peripheral communities for more than two decades, both on resale and new construction properties through builders.  I can help you process the market so that you make the wisest investment possible.  I can also connect you with other skilled professionals – like lawyers, mortgage specialists, home inspection companies and other trades people – who can provide you with valuable support to ensure that your purchase is all you hoped it would be.

I offer professional, service-oriented buyer representation in the following areas:

Luxury Homes and Country Residential Estates

I have worked in the luxury home and country residential estate market since the inception of my practice and can help provide you with valuable insight into this unique and often unpredictable segment of the market.  Of all of the market segments that exist, in fact, this one can be the most difficult to parse.  It is also the one that has the potential to engender the greatest losses when markets turn negative, so making intelligent, well-reasoned decisions when buying luxury real estate is imperative.  If you are in the market for a luxury home or a country residential estate I encourage you to give me a call to discuss your goals and objectives.  I will help simplify the process, maximize your time and, above all, help you make the wisest investment possible. 

General Residential, Condominiums and Town Homes

If you are thinking of buying a home you will be please to know that the Calgary and area market typically affords an abundance of choices.  These can include residential detached homes, various kinds of condominiums and strata properties, town homes, duplexes and semi-attached dwellings, revenue properties, mobile homes and, if you are thinking of building, raw land or residential lots.  The variety of choices available can be very exciting, but it can also be confusing.

I have extensive experience in all of these market segments and can help you navigate the intricacies inherent to each.  I will help simplify the buying process for you and make shopping for a home fun, easy and exciting, as it should be.  You will never feel any pressure to buy anything because, as a client, your interests are my top priority.  What is important is that you have the resources and information available to make a wise investment.  This is what I provide.  So feel free to contact me and I will help craft a strategy for you that secures the home you need in the time you need it.  

Foreclosures and Judicial Sales

If you are looking to purchase a foreclosure property or judicial sale I encourage you to speak with me.  I have been representing major banks and serving as an officer of the Court of Queen’s Bench in foreclosure actions for more than a decade, and I bring extensive experience in the sale and marketing of these kinds of properties to bear for you as a buyer.

Contrary to what most people may believe, foreclosures and judicial sales are not the same.   Each can require different protocols and different documents and schedules that will form part of any purchase agreement.  Both come with their unique risks.  It is important that you know what they are.  I can help you not only to understand them, but how to navigate them and use them to your advantage.  Buying a foreclosure or judicial sale can be wise, but it can also be daunting.  Call me today for an insightful discussion about the risks and rewards inherent to this intriguing aspect of the real estate marketplace.

Other Consulting Services 

I also offer several complimentary and paid consulting services for individuals, professionals and large institutions.  You can find a list of these in the "Consulting Services" tab above.

For any service I can provide, please feel free to fill out the contact request form below or call my office.  I will reply to your request the moment I am free.