BUYING A HOME WITH THE FOURNIER'S
TOP 1% OF ROYAL LEPAGE REALTORS IN CANADA (2023 & 2024)
LOCAL, BILINGUAL, FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED REAL ESTATE TEAM
THE FOURNIER REAL ESTATE GROUP
ABOUT US
The Fournier Real Estate Group proudly ranks among the top 1% of Royal LePage realtors in Canada for 2023 & 2024, cementing their reputation as one of the leading real estate teams in the greater Ottawa area.
The Fournier Real Estate Group is a local, bilingual, family-owned and operated team with a deep-rooted passion for all things real estate. Furthermore, they are proud members of the Royal Lepage network – Canada’s largest real estate brokerage. Opting to collaborate with the Fournier’s ensures you benefit from a combination of nationwide coverage, and potent local expertise – a proven recipe for our buyers, sellers, real estate developers and investors.
Born and raised in the Russell township, the group managed to carve a niche in Ottawa’s premier suburbs, including Embrun, Russell, Limoges, Casselman, Crysler, Rockland, Wendover, Ottawa, Orleans, St. Isidore, St. Albert, Fournier, Alfred/Plantagenet, L’Orignal, Long Sault, Cornwall, Winchester, Chesterville, and all surrounding housing markets.
Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, invest in real estate, or simply seeking insights into current market trends, our dedicated team is here to assist you every step of the way.
SCHEDULE A FREE BUYERS CONSULTATION, AT YOUR CONVENIENCE
BUYING WITH THE FOURNIER'S: STEP BY STEP
BUYING A HOME WITH US: A BETTER DETAILED STEP BY STEP
STEP 1: GET IN TOUCH WITH US, AT YOUR CONVENIENCE
Your home buying journey begins with a meeting with one of our experienced realtors. During this initial meeting, we’ll delve into the current market dynamics, understand your wants and needs, assist you in determining your budget (including obtaining a mortgage pre-approval letter), establish realistic expectations, and craft a tailored strategy for finding your dream home.
STEP 2: GETTING PRE-APPROVED, AND DETERMINING YOUR BUDGET
Setting off on the quest for your ideal home begins with a pivotal first step: defining your budget. Your budget serves as the cornerstone of your entire house hunting journey, ensuring that we narrow our focus to properties that fall within your specified purchase limit.
To establish your budget, we highly recommend individuals contemplating a home purchase to initiate the process by obtaining a mortgage pre-approval letter.
Consider the following industry insights and critical factors when determining your budget:
'ALL CASH' PURCHASE
An all-cash purchase indicates that the buyer is acquiring a property using existing assets or readily available cash. In this situation, the buyer pays the entire purchase price without depending on external financing, ensuring a swift transaction upon closing.
'FINANCED' PURCHASE
In a financed purchase, the buyer acquires a property by using a portion of their assets/cash and securing the remaining balance of the purchase price from an external institution, such as a bank, credit union, or private lender.
If you find yourself needing financing to facilitate your purchase, we highly recommend beginning with the essential step of obtaining a mortgage pre-approval. This pre-approval determines the mortgage amount for which a lender has pre-qualified you, based on the information you’ve provided, including details such as debt, income, debt-to-income ratio, down payment, current employment, and more.
DETERMING YOUR BUDGET
Receiving an $800,000 pre-approval doesn’t automatically dictate that you should purchase an $800,000 home.
We advocate for our clients to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of their financial standing, desired lifestyle, and to set a budget that suits their individual circumstances. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind when determining your budget: housing cost of living, lifestyle expenses, potential home maintenance costs, vacation plans, and more.
CLOSING COSTS
Furthermore, it’s essential to consider closing costs. There are three main types of closing costs to incorporate into your budget:
- Land transfer tax
- Legal fees, encompassing lawyer services
- Moving expenses, which may include furniture, appliances, hiring a moving company, groceries, household supplies, and more.
For a precise estimate of the land transfer tax and lawyer fees pertinent to your purchase, we recommend consulting directly with your real estate lawyer.
STEP 3: ESTABLISHING YOUR WANTS & NEEDS
After establishing your budget, the next step is to outline your list of wants and needs.
THE INTERIOR
It’s important to determine the type of home you desire, and the amount of interior space needed.
Here are some of the most popular types of homes found in today’s market: condos, semi-detached houses, townhouses, single-family homes, duplexes, 4-plexes, and more.
It’s also essential to narrow down the style of structure you prefer, such as a bungalow, 2-story, slab-on-grade, split-level, or apartment.
Regarding interior space, consider key factors like total square footage, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the use of the basement and garage, available storage space, kitchen layout, overall home design, and more.
THE EXTERIOR
It’s equally important to define the type of property you wish to have, its setting, required exterior space, and essential exterior criteria that are crucial in your searches for an ideal home.
Additional exterior considerations include: acreage, potential for outdoor buildings, property grading, surrounding trees, waterfront access, and more. By carefully evaluating these factors, you can ensure your future home aligns with both your indoor and outdoor living preferences.
STEP 4: THE START OF YOUR HOUSE HUNTING JOURNEY
Now that your budget is set and you have your list of wants and needs ready, it’s time to begin your house-hunting journey!
CUSTOMIZED AUTOMATIC EMAIL SEARCH
At the outset, we’ll create a personalized email portal designed to match your specific preferences. This portal streamlines your access to market updates and ensures you receive timely notifications about properties that align with your criteria.
VISITING PROPERTIES
Once we find a property that captures your interest, we’ll schedule a showing for you to visit in person. This gives you the opportunity to thoroughly explore both the interior and exterior of the property, as well as evaluate the neighborhood, nearby amenities, and other important factors.
PROPER DUE DILIGENCE
Before moving forward with an offer, our team conducts comprehensive due diligence on the property you’re interested in. We prioritize ensuring that you have access to all pertinent information and disclosures upfront, empowering you to make a well-informed decision when crafting your offer.
STEP 5: MAKING AN OFFER, AND HANDLING NEGOTIATIONS
Once you’ve found the perfect property, it’s time to prepare to submit your offer. You can trust our team of experts to guide you through crafting a meticulously prepared offer, skillfully navigating negotiations, and ultimately securing the acceptance of your offer on favorable terms.
MAKING AN OFFER
When making an offer to purchase a property purchase, it’s crucial to ensure that your offer is structured correctly.
Here are several important items that will be incorporated into your offer: purchase price, deposit amount, the period of irrevocability, items to be included or excluded from the sale, any rental items involved, conditions of the purchase, contractual obligations, and more.
Wondering how to accurately assess the value of the property you’re making an offer on?
Rest assured, our extensive market knowledge will prove invaluable in determining the optimal price to propose in your offer. We’ll ensure that your offer is crafted to provide you with ample protection while also making it attractive enough for the sellers to consider accepting.
HANDLING NEGOTIATIONS
Negotiations are pivotal in real estate transactions.
It’s essential to comprehend the various terms of an offer, including purchase price, deposit amount, irrevocability, inclusions, exclusions, conditions, contract obligations, and more.
You can trust in our expertise to guide you through negotiations, ensuring a successful outcome tailored to your needs and preferences.
OBTAINING AN ACCEPTED OFFER
Obtaining an accepted offer marks a thrilling milestone in the process, but it’s not the final step. Upon obtaining an accepted offer on a property, we transition into the conditional period. During this phase, both the buyer and seller have the opportunity to fulfill the agreed-upon conditions, ensuring their due diligence is met.
Once the conditions are satisfied, either through fulfillment or waiver, the deal becomes firm, solidifying it as an official sale.
NAVIGATING THE CONDITIONAL PERIOD
Conditions play a crucial role in safeguarding both buyers and sellers throughout the transaction.
Buyers typically conduct due diligence when purchasing a home, including securing financing approval, inspecting the property, and having their legal representation review the terms of the deal.
Conditions are a standard aspect of the buying and selling process.
Rest assured, our expertise will be invaluable in navigating terms, clauses, conditions, and more.
CLOSING THE DEAL
Once the contract is firm, our focus shifts to preparing for the closing date.
We’ll be by your side, facilitating a seamless transfer of documents to your lawyer or mortgage specialist in preparation for closing day.
On the closing day, several important tasks will take place, including the transfer of funds, adjustments for taxes and utilities, and the transfer of titles, among others.
CELEBRATIONS
And finally, the most thrilling step of them all: celebrating the sale!