Dear Home Buyer Searching for a home, let alone the right home, in today’s market can be tedious and aggravating. (Going through the newspaper, Winnipeg Real Estate News, surfing the internet, driving through neighbourhoods, calling various Realtors in an effort to see this house here or that house there, only to find it’s been SOLD but the advertising has not kept up to the market, etc.) There is a much easier way … Just go to online home search and enter your requirements (neighbourhood, square footage, number of bedrooms, basement type, parking, price range, etc.) I’ll search this for you, based on your criteria. This way I will only contact you with homes that meet your needs, regardless of which Realtor is representing the sale. If you see a particular home you like, contact me and I’ll arrange a viewing. It’s as simple as that. HOWEVER, before you start to look, it is imperative in today’s market that you receive a Pre-Approval Letter from your financial institution affirming the amount you can go shopping with. There is a difference between pre-approval vs. pre-qualification A Pre-Approval letter, attached to your OTP (Offer to Purchase) is looked upon as cash. Your bid may actually be lower than someone else’s, but, if you have a Pre-Approval letter and your competition hasn’t, your chances of succeeding are quite often better. Here’s why: Once an OTP has been submitted and accepted the home moves from the status of Active to Pending. Many Realtors consider a pending sale as “sold” and no longer show the home to their prospective buyers. The home becomes essentially “off the market”. Should you have found the home of your dreams and made an offer and been accepted but now decide to see if you can obtain financing, the Vendor has no security of a sale. The sale of their home is tied up for 3 or 4 days and, should the financing not approve, they’re back to square one with the momentum gone. (This can result in over a week of no showings, even in a hot market.) With a Pre-Approval letter, the Vendor feels safer and, if there are multiple offers, is more apt to take your bid. I can help. I work closely with Prestige Financial Group (mortgage brokerage).With one single credit check they will farm your request to over 40 different financial lending institutions. If you’re experiencing temporary credit challenges you may have a better opportunity to obtain the borrowing power you need. If your credit is stellar, Prestige Financial Group will search on your behalf for the best rate. Now, let’s go shopping.