From a Client’s Perspective

Posted: September 12, 2011 | By: Patricia Kiteke | In: Blog, From a Client's Perspective

Many first time home buyers toil with the idea of  ’taking the plunge’ and finally purchasing a property of their own.  For many the prospect of becoming a home owner is both scary and exciting all at once.

A great way to gain valuable insight into what being a first time home buyer is really like  is to hear from others who’ve had a similar experience.

I asked the Stringers our past clients to share the experience of purchasing their first home and to tell me frankly what went well and what could have been better.

I learned from their answers and hope you do too!

1. How long have you been in your home? 8 months
2. What type of home were you looking for? Small house or townhouse
3. Why did you choose to work with Christina and Patricia? They were recommended highly by friends.
4. What was the biggest factor that influenced your decision to buy a home? We were tired of paying someone elses mortgage via rent. Wanted something we could invest in.
5. Describe some of the things that you thought were easy about the home buying process. Actually all of it, we expected it to be really stressful but found that Patricia was so skilled and experienced that it took the scariness out of buying our first home.
6. What where some of the things you found hard about it? Again, honestly the confidence we found in Patricia relieved the difficulty we thought we were going to encounter. Figuring out the timing of documents just after purchasing was the only time is was slightly confusing.
7. What advice would offer someone buying their first home? Don’t expect to find the perfect home, find the perfect home for you. Every place is going to have something to deal with, it’s just a matter of what you are willing to deal with. It’s an exciting experience so breathe and go with it.
8. Describe the funniest thing that’s happened to you in the purchase process. We were ‘sure’ twice that we found THE place and I didn’t want to even look at more places but with my husband and Patricia’s encouragement we looked at more and found our current home, thank God we didn’t stop at the first two because our home meets our preferences way more! Also amusing was a place we looked at that had dozens of bathtubs strewn over the property
9. Describe the worst thing. Can’t think of anything negative in this process.
10. What are the qualities about your home that make living there enjoyable? We are able to have our pets live with us without consent of a ‘landlord’, the forest behind our yard is beautiful, it is mostly quiet and peaceful and has a good size yard for the dogs. We are paying less a month for our mortgage than our previous rent! It’s OURS! looking forward to having our first house one day and we are loving our first home now.

Here are a few things to ask your self when deliberating your readiness to take the next step towards home ownership.

1. Do you have job stability?

2. Can you stay in your new home for at least the next 5 years?

3.  Are there properties on the market for you to buy that are more affordable than rent?

These are just a few of the opening questions that you’ll want to consider as you work with your real estate agent to determine what’s right for you.

Posted: July 14, 2011 | By: Patricia Kiteke | In: Blog, From a Client's Perspective

One of the best ways to learn about something is to speak to others who have had a similar experience.  As full service real estate agents we  walk our clients through any number of situations and are available throughout the entire home sale and purchase process but it’s helpful to know what effort, time, emotions and thoughts people encounter .  If you’re just at the very beginning of a real estate transaction below is a taste of what it’s really like when looking for the right home.

I asked Mr. K. Ng one of our past clients to share his home purchase experience and to tell me frankly what went well and what could have been better.

I learned from his answers and hope you do too!

1. How long have you been in your home?  8 Months

2. What type of home were you looking for?  Condo

3. Why did you choose to work with Christina and Patricia?  Christina and Patricia are both competent, patient and are always up for the challenge. When I have a difficult question they did not turn their back or convince me that it’s not important, they did the proper research and get back to me with an answer. This speaks value.

4. What was the biggest factor that influenced your decision to buy a home? Investment

5. Describe some of the things that you thought were easy about the home buying process.  MLS listing provide statistics on the market and price difference in locations.

6. What were some of the things you found hard about it?  Negotiation, because a fair price value for both the seller and the buyer is difficult to establish.

7. What advice would you offer someone buying their first home?  Do extensive research, do not over look the obvious due to emotions.

8. Describe the funniest thing that’s happened to you in the purchase process.   A fridge was missing from one property.

9. Describe the worst thing.   Nothing, overall a very pleasant experience.

10. What are the qualities about your home that make living there enjoyable?  Excellent location,walking distance to work, shops, and groceries. Water view and height ceiling.