• Don’t forget about closing costs, like insurance, legal fees, home inspection costs, land registration and land transfer fees. Add those to your moving expenses and service hookup fees, and they can add up surprisingly fast.
• Your monthly housing expenses (mortgage, taxes, heat, etc.) shouldn’t use up more than 32% of your income. (If your combined monthly income is $5000, for example, 32% of that is $1600.) If you have car payments or credit card debt, the rule of thumb is that debt repayment shouldn’t be more than 40% of your income.
• Get pre-approved for your mortgage. It’s a good way of finding out how much you can borrow – and it speeds up the process once you’ve found the home you want to buy.

Living in an area in Red Deer and Central Alberta that you like is as important as buying a home you love. As your Red Deer Realtor, I can give you insight on areas that take advantage of the great trail system throughout Red Deer.  I can also advise what ares will be best for your family in relation to what schools best accomodate your children and your families specific needs.  Also, we can discuss where you will be working and what area will be best for your daily commute to work and the recreation facilities as well the shopping centers.  Red Deer offers many great parks and programs for children and young adults.

As a real estate agent in Red Deer and Central Alberta, I host several open houses, as a first time home buyer, you can view these open houses and I can offer my opinion on the pros and cons of each property we view.  I can offer you the service to set you up on MLS listings and this will automatically email you all the homes that fit your home search.  As your Realtor, I will drive you around the neighbourhoods so you can get a feel of what area you would like to purchase your home in, location, location, location ! 

As your Realtor, we can put together the right group of experts to help you buy. I have several  reputable lenders I can refer you to and a lawyer, a home inspector and an insurance broker. I work closely with all of these professionals, and will be happy to recommend people you can depend on.

We have found the perfect place – now it’s time to make an offer. An offer to purchase includes the purchase price you’re offering, chattels to be included in the purchase (like appliances or light fixtures), the amount of the deposit, the closing date and any other conditions.

As your Realtor, I will help you prepare your offer, and I will present it to the vendor, who will either accept it or make a counter offer (which asks for a higher price or different terms). After we discuss this, we can accept or reject the counter offer. If everyone agrees, the home is yours. If not, you can make another offer, or you may have to keep looking.

Once you’re approved, you’ll need to decide what type of mortgage works best for your needs. Will you go with a fixed or variable interest rate? Will your mortgage be closed or open? What will your amortization period be? Will you make payments monthly, biweekly or weekly? Your mortgage broker or lender can help you find a mortgage that suits your needs – and saves you the most money in the long term.

As your Realtor, I will be there for this part as well, I will turn the house over to you on possession day.  Any questions you have, you can call me for assistance.