8 mistakes to avoid when buying a home

You have been saving, weighing options, and looking around casually. Now you are ready to buy. The process is exciting and stressful at once, and the same handful of mistakes come up on file after file. Here are the eight Nadia sees most often, and how to avoid each.

1. Shopping before pre-approval. Falling for a home you cannot finance is heartbreaking and avoidable. Get the lender's letter first.
2. Draining savings for the down payment. Keep a reserve for closing costs, moving, and the first repairs. A bigger down payment is not worth an empty account.
3. Ignoring the strata documents. For condos and townhomes, the minutes and depreciation report tell you about special levies, disputes and building health long before a listing photo would.
4. Skipping the inspection to win a bidding war. If you must compete, Nadia can often arrange a pre-offer inspection so you can go in with fewer subjects and still know what you are buying.
5. Buying for today only. Think about how long you will hold the home and who will buy it from you. Layout, parking and location drive resale.
6. Making big financial changes mid-purchase. New car loans, job changes or large transfers between subject removal and completion can derail mortgage funding.
7. Letting emotion set the price. Comparable sales, not the number of other people at the open house, tell you what a home is worth.
8. Going it alone. The buyer's agent is paid from the listing side in most transactions. Representation costs you nothing and protects you at every step.

The habit that prevents all eight

Slow down at the decision points and speed up everywhere else. Nadia's process is built around that: fast to preview, fast to book showings, fast to respond, and deliberate at the offer table. If you want a second set of eyes on a home you are considering, send the address to 604-440-6295.