Langley Home Buyer's Guide
An ever-growing guide to buying the perfect Langley Home, Townhome, or Condo!
The home ownership journey doesn’t have to be overwhelming and stressful. In fact, you’re already off to a great start – you’ve found us.
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to help you navigate the home buying process and get you into your Langley home faster.
Investigate Mortgage Options and Get Pre-Qualified
An effective budget will map out your plan to set aside money for your down payment and additional costs. On average, the deposit is usually 5-10%, which will be included into the purchase price. There are many different types of mortgages so you’ll want to talk to a mortgage broker to get pre-approved before you start house hunting. A pre-qualified letter of approval from a qualified broker can actually save you money. Feel free to call us for more information.
House Hunting
Create a wish list. House hunting can be a lengthy process, so to save yourself time think about your immediate needs, future plans, and lifestyle. When you look at homes, you may be tempted to concentrate on the house as a standalone, but don’t forget to look at the whole property: the lot, the neighbourhood, the surroundings. How close is the home to facilities and services that are important to you?
When you’re ready to begin shopping for a home, we’ll help you narrow the search and make sure you’re notified of the listings you want to see as soon as they hit the MLS.
We put together a detailed guide of all the Langley neighbourhoods
Make The Offer
When we find you a home that you love, we’ll perform an assessment to make sure that it’s not overpriced. Then, we’ll write up the offer and present it to the seller and/or the seller’s agent. This document includes the price, conditions, deposit, and closing date. The seller either accepts, rejects, or counters the offer. The entire process can be a little overwhelming, but don’t worry, because we’ll be there every step of the way.
Home Inspection
Hiring an inspector is voluntary, but it’s a smart idea for resale homes. You can choose to make your offer to purchase the home conditional on the outcome of your inspection. If your inspection reveals major problems, you can negotiate those repairs with the seller before your deal closes or legally withdraw your offer.
Finalizing The Deal By Removing Subjects
Finalizing the deal will include the final approval of your mortgage and other conditions such as a review of the title, inspection report, and insurance. We’ll be there to help throughout this entire process to make sure you understand everything about the property you are buying and to move everything along properly before the Subject Removal Date deadline.
Moving Preparations
There’s a lot to do before you move, like lining up utilities and other services such as phone, cable, and internet. If you rent, you will want to give your landlord notice. Also, forward your mail to your new address and hire a moving company.
Completion Day and Possession Day
On completion day, the lawyer completes the paperwork, payments are finalized, and the Land Title Office registers the home in your name. The possession day is moving day, and we’ll arrange to get the keys to you at the specified time on the contract. And then…
It's an Investment
1. The Location
We’ve all heard the cliche: location, location, location; but it is, by far, the most important thing on our list. If buyers are looking for homes in a suburban area, they want quiet neighbourhood streets located within walking distance to good schools. Being close to transit is also important, especially if it’s in an urban area, and there’s an extra bonus if you can be within walking distance to grocery stores, dog parks, neighbourhood pubs, and a coffee shop.
2. Floor Plan
About 60% of the buyers we have worked with have an ensuite as an absolute must on their list of requirements when buying a home. Think about that: the home you purchase may automatically be dismissed by 60% of potential buyers when you go to resell that home in the future. Just because you are okay without an ensuite (or two-car garage, bathroom on the main floor, staircase off the back deck, etc.) doesn’t mean the next potential buyer of your home will be.
3. Square Footage
The reason this makes #3 is that square footage is king when realtors assess your home and lot size. When a realtor runs an assessment, the first thing they do is punch in the lot size and house size into their MLS program. That will pull up all the comparable homes sold in the area, and chances are, a realtor will be running those same stats again in the future.
4. Quality of Build and Finishes
The finishings in a home can have a drastic impact on resale value in a slow market. If the finishings are cheap, they can show their wear quickly or fall apart sooner. Everything from the mouldings, carpets, windows, faucets, toilets, appliances, countertops, etc are all items that we will look at when we view a property. Well-known builders value their reputation for quality work and can get an extra $25-100k more than the same sized home built across the street by an unknown builder.