Karla Knows Quinte!
THE HOME BUYERS CHECKLIST
READY TO BUY A HOME?
Buying a new house is one of the most (if not the biggest) investment that a person can make in their life.
This can be extremely stressful.
We’ve compiled this checklist for you so that you can be in control every step of the way and feel confident in the process.
01
Step 1
Building a Foundation
02
Step 2
The Financials
03
Step 3
Finding Your New Home
04
Step 4
Insuring Your Home
05
Step 5
The Home Stretch
01
Building a Foundation
Finding a Real Estate Agent
- Interview a few agents and see if their personality matches your needs/wants. You want to “click”!
- Qualifications your agent should have:
- Local market knowledge
- Good reviews or testimonials
- Financial Knowledge – they can walk you through the numbers!
- Find an agent who works full time in the industry and has a track record
- Great time management and communication skills:
- Did they show up on time & prepared?
- Do they communicate with you in a way that you understand and feel comfortable
- Network connections:
- Effective real estate agents rely on their relationships. Do they work with other agents regularly?
- Share your Housing Goals
Know your Financials
- Maintain great credit
- Pay off as much debt as you can before proceeding
- Your lender will be pulling your credit in the future as a part of the pre-approval process so don’t worry about that just yet
- Compile and save any important financial documents
- 2 months worth of pay stubs & bank statements
- 2 years of tax returns & T4’s
Find a Lender
- Compare different lenders to understand the benefits and advantages of working with each. Something as simple as a lower rate or term can save you thousands of dollars over the life of the loan
- Make sure to tell EACH LENDER not to pull your credit until you’re fully committed to working with one
- If your credit isn’t where you want it to be, work on creating a plan with your chosen lender
- Your agent may also be able to help you find someone trustworthy that they have worked with before
02
The Financials
Establish a Budget
- Saving up 20% of a home’s purchase price as a down payment is suggested, but often hard to do in high-priced markets
- If saving up 20% isn’t feasible, work with your lender to create the best plan for your needs
- Remember that just because you’re approved for a certain amount doesn’t mean that you have to spend that amount. Work with your lender and agent to establish a price point and monthly payment that you will be comfortable with
03
Finding Your New Home
The Fun Part
- Meet with your chosen real estate agent to discuss your home buying wish list
- Make sure to include:
- Must haves: bed/bath number, garage, etc.
- Nice to haves: pool, jacuzzi, smart home capabilities, etc.
- Things to avoid: pools, busy streets, etc.
- Bring along your pre-approval and lender contact information so you can discuss budget and have your agent connect with your chosen lender.
- Determine different neighborhoods you might want to live in.
04
Insuring Your Home
Do your Due Diligence
- Find a reputable and thorough home inspector, if you need suggestions ask your agent
- A good home inspector will help to ensure that you don’t end up in a “money pit,” for example, a property with lots of electricity, plumbing or foundation issues
- An inspector will also report any issues found with the home that will allow you to ask for repairs during negotiations
- If work is needed to be done on the property, strategize with your agent to submit a request for repairs
- Review disclosures and paperwork with your agent
- If you will be making any additions or construction to the property, such as adding a pool or a guest house, check with city building department to ensure zoning allows for those upgrades.
- Review title report with title representative and agent to ensure that there are no unknown easements or liens on the property
05
The Home Stretch
Finalize Financing with Your Lender
- The lender will order an appraisal on the home to verify that the market value supports the purchase price.
- Double check that your interest rates and mortgage payments are what you agreed upon.
Final Walkthrough of the Home
- Go through the house with your agent to double check everything you agreed upon in your offer is present.
- Ensure that any repairs that were agreed upon in the transaction were completed. If repairs are difficult to visually inspect, call back your home inspector or a specialist to ensure the repairs were completed correctly.
- Turn on all lights and appliances to make sure that they still are in good working order.
Closing the Deal
- Bring everything you might need: Form of identification
- Any additional payment you may need
- Sign the mortgage documents!
Move In!
- Meet with your real estate agents to get the keys to your new home.
- Celebrate! You now own your new home!
Schedule a Consultation
If Karla didn’t know the answer she would find out. Her response time is so quick and I love that she has a network of professionals that she can recommend (mortgage, inspections, etc).
Karla exceeded our expectations as an agent because she works hard and fast and knows how to talk/negotiate well between buyer and seller. -K&M
The first time we met Karla was at a showing and we were immediately impressed by her honesty and knowledge of the housing market. After this, she brought us to many different houses to view. Through the process she was great about pointing out both the pros and cons of each of the properties we looked at. She was also very responsive to all our requests and got us in to see houses quick. Once we found our dream house and were ready to put in an offer, Karla made it easy for us. As first time home buyers everything was new to us but Karla had prepared us well and there were no surprises through the process. She answered every question we had and addressed every concern. I would recommend Karla to any of my friends and family. I cannot thank her enough for getting us into the house we love so much!
It is Karla’s attentiveness. She is also very good in talking with me through the sale process when I got frustrated. She went extra miles in taking care of our cottage when the boiler needed to be replaced and the bathroom below was a mess, and we were away on the other part of the country! Karla is the kind of agent that anyone would need to have for the sale. -Liying
Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to your friends and clients. You really have went above and beyond for Jolene and I . You are by far the hardest worker I’ve worked with in many many yrs . This coming from a roofer of 30 yrs plus . I will definitely refer your unbelievable service to all friends and family and look forward to working with you again . My favourite part of working with you is how you responded to all text ,phone calls and emails within minutes no matter day or night or time . We love you Karla ❤️ -Dan and Jolene
Karla went out of her way to look at homes on her own that I was interested in and was able to have me trust her own opinion on the property or video chat with me through the house if she felt I may have had an interest
It is Karla’s attentiveness. She is also very good in talking with me through the sale process when I got frustrated. She went extra miles in taking care of our cottage when the boiler needed to be replaced and the bathroom below was a mess, and we were away on the other part of the country! Karla is the kind of agent that anyone would need to have for the sale
An unexpected benefit was Karla’s excellent judge of character. After meeting with Karla, she knew exactly what type of home to find for me
Karla’s professionalism, experience, kindness and patience had giving me a stress free experience in purchasing my new home. I honestly feel Karla is the best agent! I truly believe Karla would be an excellent mentor for new agents getting into the real estate business
Karla is patient and doesn’t pressure to buy. She listens to what you are looking for and only shows you those options. She is so caring and wants to ensure that you love the home you’re in
We have been working together for almost a year to find the perfect home for me and she has been so patient and will not let me settle. She truly cares!
If Karla didn’t know the answer she would find out. Her response time is so quick and I love that she has a network of professionals that she can recommend (mortgage, inspections, etc).
Have any Questions?
The home buying process can be confusing and stressful, but we’re here to help!
Lets Chat!
