Saskatoon Home Buyers Guide

What to Expect When
Buying a Home

Kent Braaten

 

THE BUYING PROCESS

  1. Pre-approval and from there, establish a comfortable price range.
  2. Deposit funds will need to be accessible. You will need between $5,000 and $20,000 available at the time of an accepted offer.
  3. Drive the neighborhoods you are considering for a home and familiarize yourself with your favorite streets.
  4. Maintain contact with me, informing me of any changes in direction you want to explore.
  5. Begin house shopping!

 

THE BUYING PROCESS (CONTINUED)

  1. Searching for your home is best done through our Board access of the MLS® system. Only a REALTOR® has the ability to give you the most up-to-date listings.
  2. I will be sending you listings, and ask that you determine which ones you want to see based on your needs and wants in a new home.
  3. Determining your needs and wants requires looking at such things as age built, location, size, and details such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
  4. Let me know the addresses of the properties you would like to view.

 

Viewing
Homes

  • I will schedule showing appointments for times that work best for you.
  • Each showing will take approximately twenty minutes, we can return to any properties that are among your favorites.
  • Exterior: condition of shingles, type of siding, soffits, and fascia, are the eaves in good condition, and the grading around the home.
  • Interior: Do you like the floor plan? Note: the paint colors and flooring can be changed over time. However, adding a wall, a room or extra space can be costly.

 

 

 

  • You've chosen a home to offer on! I will provide you with comparable and recent sales in the area to help us determine a realistic offer price. Just because a seller is asking a certain price, doesn't mean that it's proper market value. We will then complete a written offer.
  • Your offer will be subject to the following conditions:
    • Financing
    • Home Inspection
    • PCDS
    • Gas Line Locate
    • PID from the City of Saskatoon

Offer to
Purchase

 

OFFER TO PURCHASE (CONTINUED)

  • Conditions are typically left open for between 7 to 14 days.
  • Additional requests can be made, such as a 12-month average of power and energy costs.
  • At the time of offer, a deposit cheque made out to Century 21 Fusion must be provided. This will be deposited into our Trust Account and will be held in trust until the time of possession. If for some reason (ie, financing is not approved or home inspection is not approved), and conditions are not removed, the deposit is returned to the buyer in full.
  • The Offer to Purchase will outline insurance, possession, and items to be included in the sale, such as appliances, garage door openers, window coverings, and sometimes even furniture!
  • The Offer to Purchase will be signed by the Buyer and Seller and will be given a time frame (typically between 5-10 hours upon receiving the offer) in which they either need to accept the offer, counter the offer, or reject it altogether.
  • You may get an accepted offer on the first try. If not, further negotiations may need to be ironed out, such as possession, price, and inclusions (most common)

 

    OFFER TO PURCHASE (CONTINUED

    Once all conditions have been satisfied and removed, the Buyer will have to do the following:

  • Contact your lawyer or they will contact you about 2-3 weeks prior to possession to arrange a meeting to sign documents and transfer the title.
  • Buyer must contact SaskEnergy, SaskPower, and/or City of Saskatoon to have utilities transferred to their name on the possession date.
  • Insurance will need to be secured prior to the mortgage funds being released. Your lawyer will need a copy of the insurance.
  • On possession day I will be there to do the walk through and hand you the keys to your new home!

 

AFTER POSSESSION

Enjoy your new home!

Contact me with any further questions or requests, even after the sale.

If you enjoyed working with me and know of anyone that would appreciate the same level of service you have received, please forward their contact info to me and I will be happy to follow up!

 

Thank You!

KentBraaten.com

 

SASKATOON SERVICES & UTILITIES

WATER
City of Saskatoon - (306) 975-2400
www.saskatoon.ca

GAS
SaskEnergy - (800) 567-8899
www.saskenergy.com

ELECTRICITY
SaskPower - (888) 757-6937
www.saskpower.com