Buying Prudently

Making the difference

1. Getting the Context Right

Whether you are a first-time Buyer or a seasoned homeowner, we believe you should begin your home buying project by reviewing the historical and current performance of the marketplace, both generally and by market sector, specifically examining how different sectors perform differently, by neighbourhood and housing type. We place a priority on this part of your project, doing a focused briefing with each of our clients at the initial stage.

2. Getting the Process Right

The only way to guarantee good decision-making is to ensure that the process is comprehensive. Any one property or neighbourhood viewed in isolation can look agreeable, but only comparative shopping across neighbourhoods and properties reveals true value. We counsel our clients to suspend the desire to make early decisions in favour of a relaxed process ( a lot like "window-shopping") where we analyze properties by architecture, condition, lot, potential and location. Our emphasis is on learning to 'see' a property so thoroughly that a resulting decision to buy a given property proceeds from the confidence that only real knowledge brings.

3. Adding Perspective

In any individual home-buying process, the search is naturally limited by the combined constraints of time/agenda framework and the existing inventory of property for sale. Good decision making, however, depends on strong perspective. And so, to complement your process, we actively bring to bear the perspective we have gained over decades of Ottawa real estate sales, our knowledge of the Ottawa housing and condo market, and the distilled views of our clients. And, as our clients would tell you, our strict standards make us the first to recommend that you pass up on a property.

4. The Negotiation of the Purchase

The negotiation of the purchase including construction of the offer is perhaps the most complex part of the process. As many years as we have been doing this, there are constant refinements we make to our negotiating style and approach on a continuing basis. The art of the negotiation is something we believe that our client should both understand and manage actively with us, and so we make it a priority to begin preparing our client on this subject at the outset of the process.

5. Buying New Construction

The process of buying and having a new home built is not simply a matter of picking a model and placing an order. Indeed, the issues are more complex, and the potential for mistake arguably higher, than the alternative purchase of an already built property. We assist our clients in managing this complexity, over what is sometimes a long period.

6. Downsizing to Condo or Retirement Home

Overwhelmed? Don't be. We have assisted many clients to move from house to condo, or retirement home. We help manage the process from start to finish, including the selection of new residence, and guiding the preparation of the existing home for sale. And we do this with the fullest sensitivity to the personal needs of our clients, and in liaison with their families, where appropriate.