First Time Buyer Information

House or Home?

When you decide to sell your property, ask yourself what the purchaser is buying. Is he/she buying a house. or your home? Your attitude towards the sale of your property can be a distinct advantage. You may put your HOME on the market. but try to think of it the way a purchaser does - as a HOUSE. This should keep you in an objective frame of mind, allowing you to deal with the marketing and sales procedure more effectively.

Professional Assistance

In most cases, a home seller needs the professoinal assistance of a real estate licensee who has the built-in objectivity required and - most important - intimate knowledge of the current market, experience in financing and negotiating, the ability to qualify potential buyers, and a network of Real Estate Board colleagues to provide wide ranging assitance.

Attempting to sell your home yourself could put you in line for disappointments. If an offered price offends you, or you become upset by any term of the offer, it's possible you could disregard reality and lose potential sales.

A buyer won't put a value on your memories, sentiment or any labour of love you have lavished on your property. He/she may not even plan to use the property in the same way you have used it.

A real estate professional retains a practical approach throughout the sales period and helps ou through difficult decisions that could arise.

Professionals Can:

Professionals can take the mystery out of the market in a graphic manner by presenting you with facts, figures and computer printouts that provide the statistics you'll need for realistic pricing and marketing.

Professionals can put your property listing on the Multiple Listing Service® so some 12,000 plus colleagues in two Real Estate Boards on the Lowe Mainland can access information on your home.

Professionals can ensure the personal safety of you and your family because all potential purchasers have been PRE-qualified and PRE-screened as legitimate home buyers. Home owners trying to sell by themselves cannot afford to refuse any potential buer access to their property, and could be running the risk of later becoming the victim of "buyers" who were only looking with criminal intent.

Professionals can give you time to do the things you want because they are looking after your interests, making appointments, setting up viewing hours and supervising them as well as making such arrangements to suit YOUR convenience.

Professionals can provide information on financing, real estate law, and any assistance programmes that could help complete a sale on your property.

Professionals can suggest minor improvements, clean-up, spruce-up measures and other ways you can make lasting favourable impressions on potential buyers.

Reviewing an Offer

During the listing period your home will be inspected by potential buyers looking for the kind of accomodation your property affords.

Eventually you will be presented with an offer to purchase, commonly known as the Contract of Purchase and Sale.

The time you invest in reviewing this offer can make the difference between a satisfactory sale or possible delays and frustrations.

First and foremost, make sure you are accessible to your sales representative and that you make yourself available when he/she has an offer to present. You should arrange for no interruptions or distractions when reviewing an offer - it's the first step in a contract that could complete the sale of your property.

Check the obvious points: is the property correctly described; is the mortgage information accurage; can you move by the requested possession date; are the purchase price and terms satisfactory?

Double check your calculations to be sure you know how much cash you will receive. Understand what you are being asked by the purchasers and be sure you can accede to their requests, dates and provisions. When in doubt. don't sign until all questions are answered satisfactorily.

The Offer to-Purchase is binding on the purchaser for the amount of time stated. You can accept it, let it expire or consider changes. If you want to counter the monetary offer or any other provisions in the original offer you are, in fact, making an "Offer to Sell" to the purchaser under condition your changes are accepted.

Remember that completion of the sale will include all that is contained in the offer after both the potential purchaser and you, the vendor, have signed it . Give proper time and attention to the review of an offer to make sure it clearly states all points of agreement between you both. If can save both parties to the transaction time and possible problems later.