Century 21 is the only real estate company to be associated with the Air Miles Reward Miles programme.
How does this programme work for you when buying or selling your home with me?
Century 21 is the only real estate company to be associated with the Air Miles Reward Miles programme.
How does this programme work for you when buying or selling your home with me? For every thousand dollars of the sale price when you buy in the GTA, Greater Toronto Area Real Estate, including North Toronto, Thornhill, Richmond Hill and Newmarket, I will purchase two air miles, i.e. if your home sells for $575,000 your reward will be 1150 air miles ---a round trip ticket to New York! This is my "house warming" gift to you, and my way of saying "thanks for the business"!
Other Rewards are also available. They include Gift Certificates. Some of the most popular of these are:
Alamo Rent a Car------------------325 reward miles for Canada, and 425 for the U.S.
Best Western Travel card----------- 375 reward miles
Fairmont Hot Springs Resort-----------1,200 reward miles
Hilton Family Canada Gift Certificate-----400 reward miles
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide---700 reward miles
Saturday, June 26, 2010
10 STEP PROGRAMME TO BUYING A HOME IN THE NORTH TORONTO COMMUNITY OF THORNHILL
1. Get a pre-approval
In the hot North Toronto Thornhill real estate market, pre-approved home buyers get preferential treatment when negotiating home purchases. Why? Because pre-approved buyers are financially qualified to purchase the North Toronto Thornhill home, and are considered more serious than buyers who are not. Nothing feels worse than finding the ideal North Toronto Thornhill real estate in the perfect area, and then not being able to get the financing to close the deal. A pre-approval will provide as a reality check prior to mapping out your life in a detached house, semi, townhouse, condominium or luxury home that you cannot afford.
2. Meeting with your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent for a home buyer's consultation
Also a very important step in the process, this is when you and your North Toronto Thornhill agent prepares each other for exactly what to expect along the way. The following points should be covered and fully understood during this meeting:
Exactly what your needs are (number of bedrooms, baths, etc.), in which areas you're looking, what price range you are comfortable with, and what your time line is. It takes generally takes 30 to 45 days from purchase to closing.
How often you are available to look and what you expect from your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent in terms of availability and communication (e-mail, phone updates either daily or weekly).
Your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent should give you copies of all the paperwork you will be expected to sign throughout the process and briefly explain what each form is for.
Your agent should explain buyer brokerage vs. seller's representation, and you should sign a buyer broker agreement.
3. Look at North Toronto Thornhill properties
This is the fun part. It is important to limit the number of North Toronto Thornhill homes you're looking at in a day. If you look at too many houses, they begin to run together, and you can't remember one from another. It's a good idea to use a checklist form to help you track the properties you have seen. It is also helpful to actually begin to narrow down the real estate after each visit. For example, if house #3 was better than house #2, immediately eliminate house #2. Remember, communication with your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent is crucial. It's important to let your Century 21 agent know which houses you like and why, as well as which properties you don't like and why. Sometimes it takes going out and looking one time before you and your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent really have a good grip on exactly what you're looking for. Call Gitta Levi , and have her do the research on any advertised real estate that looks interesting to you. That's what agents get paid for. If you should become interested in a for-sale-by- owner, ask Gitta Levi to contact the seller before you do, to see if he/she will cooperate (pay a commission) with a buyers' agent.
4. Select a North Toronto Thornhill home
Once you've narrowed your search down to one or two North Toronto Thornhill homes that you really like, Gitta Levi will do whatever research necessary to help you make your decision, but the decision will ultimately be yours. And surprisingly enough, it's going to be a pretty easy decision to make. Buyers are welcome to call the local chambers of commerce for any statistics in which they might be interested. Local zoning and planning offices are a good source for future road plans, etc. Once you've selected one home to focus on, Century 21's Gitta Levi will do a comparative market analysis on that property. This involves determining "fair market value" by looking at what other buyers were willing to pay for real estate similar to yours in the same neighborhood or area.
5. Making an offer & negotiation
When making an offer on a property, it is important to decide ahead of time how much you are willing to pay at what terms for the North Toronto Thornhill detached house, townhouse, luxury home or condominium. You already know what fair market value is. Now you have to decide what price you will offer; how much deposit you will offer; what personal property you wish to have convey (everything is negotiable); when you plan to close; and what inspections you plan to have conducted.
When negotiating with any seller, it's best to remember not to take anything personally. Also, try to put yourself in the seller's shoes. Figure out what's not negotiable to you, and be willing to give a little on the things that are negotiable. Gitta Levi of Century 21 Heritage Group will be able to give you tons of advice about how to structure your offer. Once your offer has been presented, the seller will either accept your offer outright, reject your offer outright, or counter your offer. The counter process can go back and forth many times. It's important for all parties to keep their cool and focus on the goal.
6. Get inspections & remove conditions
If, as part of your offer, you asked for time to be allowed to have inspections conducted on the property, you should have written what is called a conditional offer. Offers can be conditional upon financing, inspections, the receipt of acceptable condo status certificates, the sale of property, and many other conditions. It is important that all deadlines be met and that all conditions are removed exactly the way the contract describes. Gitta Levi of Century 21 will be responsible for making sure this is done correctly.
7. Select a notary
If you do not have an attorney already then Gitta Levi of Thornhill's Century 21 office can help you find one that specializes in real estate transactions at a very reasonable price.
8. Walk-through
Most sales agreements will give the buyer the right to one pre-closing inspection. This is your last chance to find any problems and have the North Toronto Thornhill real estate seller correct them. Read the contract carefully, but most contracts read that all electrical systems, plumbing, appliances, heating, and air conditioning need to be in working order at the time of closing. These are the items you're checking for at walk-through of the North Toronto Thornhill real estate that you're buying.
You are also checking for any other items the seller previously agreed to fix or replace. If anything is found to be defective or missing, you have several options: The North Toronto Thornhill real estate seller can remedy the problem prior to closing; the seller can credit you the amount of money it would take to hire someone to remedy the problem; or the seller can promise to correct the problem and place into escrow with the attorney the amount of money you will need to pay someone else if the seller does not perform as promised.
On new-home real estate purchases in the North Toronto community of Thornhill, the process is a little different. The builder will generally do a walk-through with you approximately one to two weeks prior to closing, resulting in a "punch-out list." Hopefully, they will get everything on the punch-out list completed prior to settlement. If not, most new-home contracts allow the builder to complete whatever minor items have been noted in a "reasonable" period of time.
9. Closing on your North Toronto Thornhill real estate
This is the day you "sign your life away," as most clients say. Not really. You will be signing all of the mortgage documentation, which can seem never-ending. The lawyer conducting the settlement should be able to explain every document to you in a satisfactory manner. Do not ever feel intimidated. If you don't understand, don't sign. Your lawyer will help your understand everything. If you like, you can request blank copies of the documents you will be signing in advance so that you can carefully review them. You will have to present whatever down payment and closing-cost funds you were expected to pay. This check must be certified; personal cheques usually are not accepted.
10. Moving day
This is the last and probably the hardest step in the North Toronto Thornhill real estate home-buying process. A little bit of planning and forethought, though, will make for a much smoother move. You will want to make arrangements with a moving company as soon as you can. Call at least two in order to get competitive quotes. They will usually ask to come to your home, condo or townhouse to get an idea of how much they will be moving and the distance they will need to travel. Be sure to change your address with the post office, your banks, and any creditors at least 30 days in advance. To avoid late payments, it's a good idea to actually call and verify receipt of the address change whenever possible. Call to order your utility hook-ups approximately 10 days prior to your move. Be aware that some utility companies will keep you on the phone for a long time.
In the hot North Toronto Thornhill real estate market, pre-approved home buyers get preferential treatment when negotiating home purchases. Why? Because pre-approved buyers are financially qualified to purchase the North Toronto Thornhill home, and are considered more serious than buyers who are not. Nothing feels worse than finding the ideal North Toronto Thornhill real estate in the perfect area, and then not being able to get the financing to close the deal. A pre-approval will provide as a reality check prior to mapping out your life in a detached house, semi, townhouse, condominium or luxury home that you cannot afford.
2. Meeting with your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent for a home buyer's consultation
Also a very important step in the process, this is when you and your North Toronto Thornhill agent prepares each other for exactly what to expect along the way. The following points should be covered and fully understood during this meeting:
Exactly what your needs are (number of bedrooms, baths, etc.), in which areas you're looking, what price range you are comfortable with, and what your time line is. It takes generally takes 30 to 45 days from purchase to closing.
How often you are available to look and what you expect from your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent in terms of availability and communication (e-mail, phone updates either daily or weekly).
Your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent should give you copies of all the paperwork you will be expected to sign throughout the process and briefly explain what each form is for.
Your agent should explain buyer brokerage vs. seller's representation, and you should sign a buyer broker agreement.
3. Look at North Toronto Thornhill properties
This is the fun part. It is important to limit the number of North Toronto Thornhill homes you're looking at in a day. If you look at too many houses, they begin to run together, and you can't remember one from another. It's a good idea to use a checklist form to help you track the properties you have seen. It is also helpful to actually begin to narrow down the real estate after each visit. For example, if house #3 was better than house #2, immediately eliminate house #2. Remember, communication with your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent is crucial. It's important to let your Century 21 agent know which houses you like and why, as well as which properties you don't like and why. Sometimes it takes going out and looking one time before you and your Century 21 North Toronto Thornhill agent really have a good grip on exactly what you're looking for. Call Gitta Levi , and have her do the research on any advertised real estate that looks interesting to you. That's what agents get paid for. If you should become interested in a for-sale-by- owner, ask Gitta Levi to contact the seller before you do, to see if he/she will cooperate (pay a commission) with a buyers' agent.
4. Select a North Toronto Thornhill home
Once you've narrowed your search down to one or two North Toronto Thornhill homes that you really like, Gitta Levi will do whatever research necessary to help you make your decision, but the decision will ultimately be yours. And surprisingly enough, it's going to be a pretty easy decision to make. Buyers are welcome to call the local chambers of commerce for any statistics in which they might be interested. Local zoning and planning offices are a good source for future road plans, etc. Once you've selected one home to focus on, Century 21's Gitta Levi will do a comparative market analysis on that property. This involves determining "fair market value" by looking at what other buyers were willing to pay for real estate similar to yours in the same neighborhood or area.
5. Making an offer & negotiation
When making an offer on a property, it is important to decide ahead of time how much you are willing to pay at what terms for the North Toronto Thornhill detached house, townhouse, luxury home or condominium. You already know what fair market value is. Now you have to decide what price you will offer; how much deposit you will offer; what personal property you wish to have convey (everything is negotiable); when you plan to close; and what inspections you plan to have conducted.
When negotiating with any seller, it's best to remember not to take anything personally. Also, try to put yourself in the seller's shoes. Figure out what's not negotiable to you, and be willing to give a little on the things that are negotiable. Gitta Levi of Century 21 Heritage Group will be able to give you tons of advice about how to structure your offer. Once your offer has been presented, the seller will either accept your offer outright, reject your offer outright, or counter your offer. The counter process can go back and forth many times. It's important for all parties to keep their cool and focus on the goal.
6. Get inspections & remove conditions
If, as part of your offer, you asked for time to be allowed to have inspections conducted on the property, you should have written what is called a conditional offer. Offers can be conditional upon financing, inspections, the receipt of acceptable condo status certificates, the sale of property, and many other conditions. It is important that all deadlines be met and that all conditions are removed exactly the way the contract describes. Gitta Levi of Century 21 will be responsible for making sure this is done correctly.
7. Select a notary
If you do not have an attorney already then Gitta Levi of Thornhill's Century 21 office can help you find one that specializes in real estate transactions at a very reasonable price.
8. Walk-through
Most sales agreements will give the buyer the right to one pre-closing inspection. This is your last chance to find any problems and have the North Toronto Thornhill real estate seller correct them. Read the contract carefully, but most contracts read that all electrical systems, plumbing, appliances, heating, and air conditioning need to be in working order at the time of closing. These are the items you're checking for at walk-through of the North Toronto Thornhill real estate that you're buying.
You are also checking for any other items the seller previously agreed to fix or replace. If anything is found to be defective or missing, you have several options: The North Toronto Thornhill real estate seller can remedy the problem prior to closing; the seller can credit you the amount of money it would take to hire someone to remedy the problem; or the seller can promise to correct the problem and place into escrow with the attorney the amount of money you will need to pay someone else if the seller does not perform as promised.
On new-home real estate purchases in the North Toronto community of Thornhill, the process is a little different. The builder will generally do a walk-through with you approximately one to two weeks prior to closing, resulting in a "punch-out list." Hopefully, they will get everything on the punch-out list completed prior to settlement. If not, most new-home contracts allow the builder to complete whatever minor items have been noted in a "reasonable" period of time.
9. Closing on your North Toronto Thornhill real estate
This is the day you "sign your life away," as most clients say. Not really. You will be signing all of the mortgage documentation, which can seem never-ending. The lawyer conducting the settlement should be able to explain every document to you in a satisfactory manner. Do not ever feel intimidated. If you don't understand, don't sign. Your lawyer will help your understand everything. If you like, you can request blank copies of the documents you will be signing in advance so that you can carefully review them. You will have to present whatever down payment and closing-cost funds you were expected to pay. This check must be certified; personal cheques usually are not accepted.
10. Moving day
This is the last and probably the hardest step in the North Toronto Thornhill real estate home-buying process. A little bit of planning and forethought, though, will make for a much smoother move. You will want to make arrangements with a moving company as soon as you can. Call at least two in order to get competitive quotes. They will usually ask to come to your home, condo or townhouse to get an idea of how much they will be moving and the distance they will need to travel. Be sure to change your address with the post office, your banks, and any creditors at least 30 days in advance. To avoid late payments, it's a good idea to actually call and verify receipt of the address change whenever possible. Call to order your utility hook-ups approximately 10 days prior to your move. Be aware that some utility companies will keep you on the phone for a long time.
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