Is this the year you’re going to buy your first home?

By Kathy Schmidt, Broker/Owner, Schmidt Realty Group Inc.

Is this the year you’re going to buy your first home? It’s exciting, and it can feel a bit intimidating … unless you’ve got the right person guiding you every step of the way.  At Schmidt, we love helping people make their first purchase. There’s nothing more fun than handing over the keys on possession day to a first-time homeowner!  We’ve got a proven home buyer process that we can walk you through, step by step, so you understand well ahead of time what your costs will be, and what you can expect to happen at each point along the way.

One of our biggest responsibilities is to help you focus in on what matters most to you, and to do that within your budget.  One of the ways we do that is with our BIG DAY OUT!  What’s that?  Typically on a Saturday or Sunday, we take you out to explore a buffet of choices so you can have a taste of a lot of different options.  For instance, if you’re looking for a low-maintenance property and you love to garden, we might look at a townhouse condo where you’ve got a fenced yard with lots of room for your dream veggie plot.  We might also look at an apartment style condo where you’ve got a big south-facing balcony or even a loft style property with no balcony or deck, but where there’s a shared community garden nearby.

Before we head out to view homes, we’ll have a meeting with you and talk about the important things you need to know about buying, and then we’ll be excited to hear all your hopes and dreams for your first home!

• You’ll fill us in on your situation, and you can find out a bit about us as well!
• You’ll get educated you on the steps involved in buying a home in Alberta right now and empowered to make a safe, smart purchase.
• You’ll get your questions answered!
• Together with your REALTOR®, you’ll design your own custom search. Working with your agent, you’ll consider the pros and cons of various neighbourhoods and price ranges and property types, slowly narrowing down the neighbourhoods and properties that will best fit your ideal lifestyle.  Your REALTOR® will be invaluable pointing out the pros and cons of the various options and making suggestions that you may not even have considered!
• How long will this take? As much or as little time as you’d like!  Typically we find that the initial conversation takes about half an hour. Creating the custom home search and Zooming in your priority picks takes about an hour or so.
• Next, you’ll book a time with your REALTOR® to see our priority picks, and you’ll discuss how you’ll proceed so that you feel completely comfortable and safe every step of the way.

If you prefer, you can even do all this on Zoom from the comfort of your home, in your yoga pants, with a beverage lol!  One recent success story involved a meeting just like this, complete with meeting each other’s dogs! First, we considered all the options for neighbourhood and property type. Then we eliminated homes based on price. And finally we narrowed down the choices to 3 “good fit” properties. After viewing them all and getting some further information from the seller, our buyer was able to make a clear choice and proceed to a successful purchase!  While it doesn’t always happen that quickly, it certainly can if there are a good number of homes in the area and price range you prefer. Currently, there are fewer homes for sale than usual, so it’s more important than ever that we help you get a good understanding of the buying process and property values. That way you’re able to make an informed decision quickly when the right house shows up.

We’re confident our buyer process will reduce your fears and maximize the fun part along the way. When you’re ready to take the next step, or if you’ve got questions,  please reach out!  Text us at 587-776-3261 or email info@SchmidtRealtyGroup.com.

Want some more info right now?  Click here for a FREE DOWNLOAD of our Home Buyer’s Guide! No strings attached. We promise!