In most cases – no. In this scenario, the listing agent has already agreed on a set commission with the seller and would be entitled to keep both ends of the commission his or herself.

The net price you pay does not change, but you have had to do all of your prospecting yourself and in the end you did not have a professional working for you whose principle concern is your own best interest.

It’s never too early to start looking for a REALTOR to help you with your home search – if you’re going to be in the market in the near future, meeting with a real estate professional to get the process started and get some guidance is a good place to start.

Your Realtor can direct you to a number of resources to aid in starting your search – starting an MLS search, referring you to a financial institution for a mortgage pre approval, and many other steps are a great place to start the process before you ever set inside of a home that is for sale.

In order to get a mortgage directly from a financial institution with no insurer, you will need 20% of the purchase price down initially.

However, because this is a lofty goal for many first time buyers, institutions such as CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation) exist to protect lenders against mortgage default and allow consumers to purchase homes with a minimum down payment of 5% – with the inclusion of an insurance premium to the total debt associated with their home purchase.

It depends on what your needs are! Ownership of both carries a series of pros and cons and it is up to your Real Estate Professional to help you understand those needs are and guide you to the decision that makes sense for you.

A young couple, newly married, with dual incomes and two pets has very different housing needs from a single professional with no pets and limited spare time.

In the end, regardless of whether you choose a house or condo your REALTOR should be working to show you properties that will not only meet those needs but also be sound investments for your future.

There is no clear answer on this as it depends on a number of factors – market activity, your budget, how open your criteria is in terms of the area you are looking or the size of home you seek, as well as how motivated you are to move.

In the Parkes Real Estate Team we have seen buyers decide on a new home in as little as a weekend to as long as a few years!

We believe in a strong team, and that the collective strengths of many outweigh those of the individual! Our team, especially being family based, is tight knit and each member brings different core strengths to the group whether it be marketing, market knowledge, experience in listing properties in a specific area or price range, condo purchases, etc.

When you work with one of us, you work with all of us, and we are all there to support one another with that collective knowledge.