We’ve been in our rental for a month now, and are settling in while the new house is being built. For those of you who don’t know, we sold our old house and closed at the end of April. We’re building a home that better suits our needs for now, and we’ve navigated the entire process (through a pandemic no less) with the expert guidance of our REALTOR®.
*REALTOR.ca sponsored this post, but all thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make PMQ for Two possible.
Why we use a REALTOR®
Simple! They’re licensed members of the Canadian Real Estate Association. Not all real estate agents are REALTORS®. They’re committed to the REALTOR® Code, are always updating their qualifications and are knowledgeable about developments in real estate (especially your local market). We don’t want just anyone representing us, and in the tricky markets we find ourselves in, we want someone who’s fully prepared.
As a military family, we don’t always have a long horizon on our side, or knowledge of the local market when we’re posted to a new location, so being able to depend on reliable expertise is key to making the process more secure for us.
What we looked for in a REALTOR®
We’ve been working with our REALTOR® since we bought our first home back in 2018. She’s been an integral part of our journey, as we grow our nest egg as homeowners. We’re not quite at the point of a “forever home” so each purchase and sale is a calculated choice. We chose a REALTOR® who would help us along the way. You wouldn’t go to court without a lawyer, why would you make a real estate transaction without a REALTOR®?
Because we had always planned on renovating our home to sell, whenever we tackled a new project we consulted with our REALTOR® about certain upgrades and how they would fare on the local market. A good REALTOR® knows exactly what is and isn’t going to play well on the local market, and we had many discussions about heat pumps, marble in the kitchen, laminate flooring, bathroom renovations etc. At one point we had considered adding a wood pellet insert to our basement fireplace for heating, but after discussing it with her we decided against it for a variety of factors, all tied to what local buyers want (or don’t).
Selling with a REALTOR®
We hadn’t planned to sell as soon as we did, but after completing the basement reno this past fall, we got the house re-appraised and were pleasantly surprised by the valuation. We reached out to our REALTOR® and had a very frank conversation about not only our house’s valuation, but also what buying/selling in our local market is currently like.
Based on our conversations, we were prepared for just about anything: high offers, low offers, multiple offers, and even no offers (but we doubted that would happen). Selling in a hot market means buying in a hot market, but with a REALTOR® by our side, we were confident we could navigate the choppy waters and come out on top.
We got to work on preparing the house for viewings. We deep cleaned everything, did a few paint touch-ups, and made sure our house was looking its best. After getting the house ready to list, we had an accepted offer after one viewing. Turns out, the people who bought our house had looked at it when we had a few years before! We just beat them to the punch with our offer. They loved everything we did, and were so pleased to see our thoughtful and respectful work on the home.
As we proceeded, we had the entire process explained in detail by our REALTOR®, who also walked us through the pros and cons of each choice. If we pushed too hard on our price, we might lose them, but we also wanted to make sure we were getting top dollar for the house. It’s a fine line to walk, and one did to the best of our abilities.
Once we had officially sold the house, our REALTOR® kept in touch and helped us stay on track as we prepared to close. She was also there to smooth over any hiccups along the way. Fun fact, our microwave broke two days before we closed. It was part of the sale! So, on a Saturday night, our REALTOR® contacted the buyer’s agent to discuss how they’d like to proceed. We had everything sorted in short order, and we had one less stressful thing to contend with so close to our move.
Buying with a REALTOR®
We announced our build a while back, but did you know that our REALTOR® is part of that transaction too? We opted for a turn-key build, and while we negotiated the details of that contract, our REALTOR® made sure we had all the necessary clauses included to keep us protected.
Ex. Final sale pending inspections and closed permits, timeframes for decisions and selections, and overall helping us understand a whole new contract language. Buying a build is different than buying an already built home, so we needed some clarification as we went through the process.
I can safely say that without her, we would have been exposed and less secure in our decision to build.
From the very minute we decided to buy in 2018, to meeting with her to record some fun stories for Instagram over the weekend, our REALTOR® has been communicative, helpful and always informed. With such big financial transactions, we expect the most from our REALTOR® and it’s safe to say we get the most!
Our family is in good hands going forward thanks to our REALTOR®!
