Thinking of Buying?
Hammer & Watkinson is here to make buying a home as stress-free as possible. We value our clients and we understand that the relationship between homebuyers and real estate agents must be based on trust, mutual goals and understanding—this is why Hammer & Watkinson always keeps your interests first and foremost.
There are many houses in Vancouver put up for sale, but the real estate process requires negotiation of complex issues. We are committed to working in your best interests. Our realtors will help you secure the best possible price, with the most favorable terms, in the shortest period of time.
Advice and Resources
To help you get started on home searching, we would like to share some advice and resources with you. They will definitely help you along the way.
1. Define Your Objectives
When searching for your dream home, it’s important to be well informed of the real estate market. To help you with this process, consider the following factors: What features do you require in a home to satisfy your lifestyle now? Five years from now? Will your needs change? What’s your budget? It’s important to identify what you want and expect from a new home with the price you are willing to pay.
2. Prioritize Your Needs
Your objectives may include accommodating family members, finding the right size for your budget and lifestyle, or reducing commuting distance. Whatever it may be, start by prioritizing your needs. The top factors people consider when buying a home are the size and style of the property, location, and price. Know the top three most important things that you care when choosing a house in Vancouver. It will help you to narrow down the choices and find the best one to suit your needs.
The Home Buyers Guide lists a great number of things to consider when buying a home. It’s a good start point to evaluate the property and the neighbourhood. Check out our neighbourhoods page to learn about the different communities in Vancouver, and visit our Vancouver Resources page to learn more about the city. The RE/MAX Buying Tips Blog also has a lot of useful information to frequently wondered questions.
3. Understand Your Financial Options
Knowing your financial options and establishing a good financial foundation will save you a lot of time and frustration when you buy a home. Getting a credit report, saving the down payment, and calculating how much mortgage you can afford are some of the things you can do before buying a property. Use our mortgage payment calculator to get a rough idea of how much you can afford. Ideally, the mortgage payment should be less than 30% of your total monthly income.
4. Get to Know Your Home
Take a look at the Residential Construction Performance Guide provided by the B.C. government’s Homeowner Protection Office to help you evaluate a house in Vancouver before buying. It helps new buyers to self-evaluate possible defects and find out if the concerns are covered by home warranty insurance. It talks about the basics of a well-built home and educates users on what counts as defects. Also, be aware of the Top Ten Problems that come up in home inspections.
5. Visit a Property
While searching for homes online saves a lot of time and helps to narrow down your search, actually visiting the properties will give you a much better feel of the place. Every house’s design is different, and it takes a real trip to see whether it suits your taste. Contact our realtors and we will do everything possible to match you with your dream home.
We've compiled a list of reports to further help with your decision making process, view them here!
Hammer & Watkinson always keeps your interests first and foremost
The data relating to real estate on this website comes in part from the MLS® Reciprocity program of either the Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR), the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) or the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board (CADREB). Real estate listings held by participating real estate firms are marked with the MLS® logo and detailed information about the listing includes the name of the listing agent. This representation is based in whole or part on data generated by either the GVR, the FVREB or the CADREB which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy. The materials contained on this page may not be reproduced without the express written consent of either the GVR, the FVREB or the CADREB.