Hi everyone:

This has happened to me a couple of times this spring: a 'new' client (new to ME) calls me and we meet in my office and discuss the house (or condo) buying process. I will usually ask; "Have you looked at homes recently?" On a couple of occasions, the reply has been; "Yes, but our last agent didn't explain anything to us. He just sent us the listings and when we wanted to write an offer, we lost the house by $30,000"

Those buyers were not upset at loosing the house..... they WERE upset at getting 'blown out of the water' with no guidance or assistance from their real estate agent.

And so the reason for the headline of this post: "FINDING a house or condo is EASY". It really is. Here is what you do: Pick up the phone or send an e-mail to any one of the 1400+ REALTORS® in Winnipeg. Most will be only to happy to set you up on an automated search thru the new Keystone MATRIX® search system (an excellent system, by the way... check out this video)

After setting up the search, you'll be receiving listings by the dozens, maybe even by the hundreds. Then, when you find a house you like, you can call or e-mail that REALTOR® and go see the house and then even write an offer on it. This is where the problem occurs. Are you truly prepared for the bidding process? Have you been pre-approved by the RIGHT lender? Are your funds still tied up in RRSP's and will it take a couple of weeks to free them up? What's the house of your choice really worth? Can you trust the agent (whom you've never met until the day of the offer)? How much are your "Closing Costs"......

These questions just scratch the surface of what is required to actually GET the house or condo of your choice. So, FINDING it is easy....... GETTING it requires a little prep-work. That's why I start out with a meeting in our office, where we can make certain that you are prepared and ready.

If you're serious about buying a house or condo, call me anytime. Let's get started...

Bo   333-2202

Hi everyone:This has happened to me on a couple of occasions:  I meet with a new buyer for the first time, and we start to go over the buying process.  In this meeting, I explain what the market is doing, how best to write an offer, and generally discuss and describe the entire buying process.On more than one occasion, the buyer exclaimed:"We never knew THAT!".....  or, better yet: "Our LAST agent never explained THAT."In speaking to them further, I learn that they had been receiving listings from another agent, gone out to look at a few houses, tried to put in an offer and were promptly 'blown out of the water' by other, better prepared buyers.  So here is my point : FINDING a house or condo is the easy part.  The listings are out there, on MLS®, in magazines and newspapers and on the internet.  But FINDING is only a small part of what I do....  the key is in the PREPARATION.  To be blunt: We're not buying a pair of pants, a book or a loaf of bread.  We ARE about to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into the real estate market, and we're doing it at a time when there is heavy competition for the same house we want to buy.  Being PREPARED is key to winning these multiple-bid situation.I have created a "Home-Buying Brochure" which helps my house and condo buyers understand the process.  A PDF version of this brochure is attached here for your information.  I do hope you find it helpful.  If you have any real estate related questions or comments, please call me anytime.  And of course, if you're looking to buy a house or condo, I'd love to help you FIND and GET the home of your choice.Click here to download your Free Guide:                          Bo's Home-Buying Guide