BUYERS GUIDE
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ABOUT TONY JOE PERSONAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION, TEAM LEADER • Multiple MLS Award Winner, recipient of the MLS Special Gold Award and President’s Gold Award (2015) for 20 years of Top Level achievement. • President, Victoria Real Estate Board (2008) • RE/MAX International Lifetime Achievement and Diamond Award recipient
COMMUNITY MAKES VICTORIA UNIQUE
An ardent supporter of the Province’s Capital, Tony has served on Boards and committees ranging from the Victoria Dragonboat Festival Society, the Victoria Hospice Society, the Anawim House Companions Society, the Victoria Cool Aid Society and most recently the Telus Community Board. His efforts garnered him the “CFAX 1070 Community Leader of the Year” award in 2013. Most remarkable is the fact that Tony has been one of Victoria’s Top Producing Agents for over 20 years, with recognition of the Top Production awards both locally and Internationally. A sought-after speaker and presenter, Tony has been an Instructor for the British Columbia Real Estate Association since 2010 where he teaches Agents on the subject of Marketing, Ethics, Negotiation and Technology. He has been asked to speak at Real Estate events of up to 2000 attendees across North America. A Conference and Trade Show regular, Tony brings cutting edge marketing and technology from other marketplaces to Victoria, combining his contacts and connections both Nationally and across the Globe to assist clients in reaching their objective of maximum value, a positive outcome and exceptional service.
Exceptional Agents.
Exceptional Results.
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MEET KYLE KERR
Personal Real Estate Corporation Associate Partner Seller and Buyer Specialist The 2018 President of the Victoria Real Estate Board, Kyle swiftly rose through the ranks of organized Real Estate since becoming licensed in 2010. A supporter of local sports, Kyle is also active in several annual charity and fundraising events in the City some of which he founded himself. Kyle’s marketing background from Camosun College and working in sales in the residential/commercial/industrial supply sector combines a unique expertise of housing and marketing skill sets that benefit his clients. He is an adopter of technology allowing him to help his clients with seamless transactions no matter the logistical constraints. Kyle’s mandate is to provide his clients with market knowledge beyond the traditional transaction ensuring his clients are well educated when making one of the most important decisions of their lives.
Exceptional Agents. 4
MEET ANGIE HILL Associate Partner Seller and Buyer Specialist
Multiple MLS Award Winner Angie has been a fixture at RE/MAX Camosun since 1997, starting as support staff then becoming a full fledged REALTOR(r) in 2006. A true team player, Angie was the lead Buyer Agent of a now-retired team before joining the PRIME Real Estate Team in 2010. She is well known in the local Real Estate community as one of the original and longest standing Buyer specific Agents. Angie has her finger on the pulse of the ever-changing family communities of Victoria, possessing knowledge about its great schools: being a mother of two gives insight for family orientated clients. Warm and effervescent, Angie puts people at ease on initial meeting and truly understands their wants and needs. Like Tony, Angie is a rare born-and-raised Victorian, possessing an unparalleled knowledge of the local Region.
Exceptional Results. 5
MEET SUSAN FROHER Associate Partner Buyer Specialist, Team CFO
Since 2004 Susan has been sharing her love of Real Estate with all around her. As an expert Buyer Specialist Susan understands that there is more than turning a key and showing a home; it’s a relationship that is built on trust, knowledge and honesty. You can always count on 100% honesty from Susan, it’s what keeps her clients coming back. Susan is often a requested guest speaker and trainer on the subject of Buyer Representation at the Victoria Real Estate Board. This has allowed Susan to shift some of her focus from working with clients to training and coaching other REALTORs the importance, responsibility and excitement there is in developing long lasting relationships with clients and colleagues. Susan also instills the importance of giving back to the community having served on the Ballet Victoria Board and also as President (2017) of Habitat for Humanity Victoria and various committees of the Victoria Real Estate Board. As you can imagine, all of this takes balance and Susan is exquisite at that as well- this is crucially important as she is the team’s Chief Financial Officer.
Exceptional Agents. 6
MEET SONYA JONES
Operations Manager (Unlicensed) Sonya is the frontline of our team, there to answer your questions and handle your needs often before you even know you need them. Sonya was the lead Customer Service Representative at the Victoria Real Estate Board prior to joining our team and as a result knows not only the industry but virtually every Agent in Victoria. She is the calm and soothing person on the other end of the phone when things get hectic and she’s the one who knows where all the pieces are, where they need to go and how to get them there: our clients find this a priceless asset. Sonya’s background includes Event Planning and Retail Fashion and some of her many responsibilities include Social Media, Client Care, Transaction Coordination and the smooth closing of your sale.
Exceptional Results. 7
FOR BUYERS 7 STEPS TO A SMOOTH HOME PURCHASE STEP 1: FIND A REALTOR® Well look no further you just found one! By choosing our team as your REALTOR® you just found someone who is experienced, punctual, efficient and above all honest. We give you our email and direct phone number. You can call us 24/7 with any thoughts, questions or concerns. Ask about our one hour call back guarantee “Remember: REALTOR® fees are paid through the transaction. There are no cost to use our services & expertise!” STEP 2: GET YOUR CREDIT CHECKED Have you checked your credit lately? Before you apply for a home loan, it’s a smart idea to obtain a copy of your credit. There can be errors or things that need to be addressed. It’s easier to address these problems before you find a house, than after you have found a house and are trying to close your loan. STEP 3: GET APPROVED BEFORE YOU GO HOUSE HUNTING: Getting an approval is easy and very beneficial to you. Most lenders can hold your rate for 120 days. You may not be looking to buy right away so by doing this you are locking your rate in case rates go up. If rates go down you get the new rate so it’s a win-win situation! During the approval process the lender will verify your employment history and assets to ensure you’re a strong lending candidate. 8
STEP 4: LEARN ABOUT LOCATION Narrowing down your search location can be one of the hardest parts in finding a home. Often people find a home in a location that they never thought was a possibility. That’s why it’s important to discuss your housing needs with us. Then we can help guide you to an area. We have taken the liberty of enclosing an MLS® Map to help you narrow down your search. STEP 5: PROTECT YOURSELF: Our team will provide you with a copy of the documents necessary to buy your new property. Read them ahead of time so that you’ll understand the questions that you will be asked, the things you need to know, and the decisions you will need to make. STEP 6: HAVE REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS. Understanding and remembering the following two statements will help diffuse the negotiation stage, the inspection stage and the closing stage. When you go to purchase your home just remember the market value of the home is what the buyer and seller are willing to agree to. When we have come to an agreement on your property, getting an inspection is a must. It may cost a few hundred dollars but this could potentially save you thousands. During your inspection, the inspector will go over your property and discuss any deficiencies of the property with you. We will then go over the report and come up with a suitable solution if there’s a problem. STEP 7: HAVE FUN! This is a fun and exciting time in your life. We will make this process as easy and as fun as possible. 9
THE BUYING PROCESS TWELVE STEPS (1 - 6) 1. We will help you determine the price range of the home based on the mortgage payment amount you can comfortably afford. It is strongly recommended that you obtain a pre-approval for a mortgage. We will arrange this for you and work with our mortgage specialists to get you the best rates available for your situation. 2. We will review all the amenities and features you want in a home and help you find the perfect house. 3. We will help you identify the most desirable properties based on your price range and features, and will set up an automatic search to send you properties that fit your criteria. We also search For Sale By Owner properties and our list of foreclosures to help you find the right house. 4. We will help you estimate your closing costs. 5. We will discuss the process of negotiating, educate you on the contracts and explain the different condition options. 6. We are then ready to go out and look at homes. It is very important to give us feedback and your thoughts on the homes we look at. Remember its ok to say you dislike a home. Tell us why, so we can eliminate these features from your search the next time we go out. “Knowing what you don’t want is just as important as knowing what you do want.”
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OUR TRUE THE BUYINGADVANTAGE PROCESS TWELVE STEPS (7 - 12) 7. When you select a home that you want to purchase we will first do all the proper research and find comparables in the market. Once we know an initial purchase price we will write up the Real Estate Purchase Contract and proceed to send the offer to the other REALTOR® 8. In most cases we will be negotiating to get you the best price. This process can take many hours and it requires patience. We are working our hardest to get it done as soon as possible for you and for the best price. 9. When the purchase contract is accepted by both parties the property is now “conditionally sold”. Conditionally Sold means that there has been an offer on the property and it has been accepted depending on certain conditions. Some of the conditions could be: financing, home inspection and condo document review. At this time we will be waiting for the conditions to be approved and/or waived before becoming a firm sale. 10. We will then help guide you in choosing a lawyer who is also part of the Prime real estate team. 11. Copies of the purchase contract go to all selling parties and buying parties. 12. When the contract becomes a binding agreement the lawyer goes to work to finalize the purchase of your new home!
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INTRO TO MORTGAGES WHAT IS A MORTGAGE? A mortgage is an interest in property provided by the borrower as security for a loan. There are normally two people involved in this process. Mortgager: The borrower that receives funds. Mortgagee: The lender that has an interest in the property until the loan is repaid. Different Sources of Mortgage Funding: • Life Insurance companies • Chartered Banks • Credit Unions • Sellers • Loan Companies • Mortgage Brokers • Finance Companies DIFFERENT TYPES OF MORTGAGES: Conventional Mortgages: Mortgages that don’t exceed 80% of the value of the home being purchased. High Ratio Mortgages: Mortgages that can exceed 80% of the value of the home being purchased. This mortgage must be insured through a bank or trust company.
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EXTERIOR
HOME INSPECTIONS WHAT YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR To cover every nook and cranny of the house and discover its true conditions you must hire a home inspector with experience and expertise. Don’t worry we have you covered, we have inspectors for hire. Here’s what our inspectors investigate in and around your new home: • • • •
Exterior Structural Roof Electrical
• • • •
Heating Plumbing Insulation Interior
The inspection is a process to learn about your new home and determine the situation the home is in. The type of questions the inspector will ask are: • Is the home structurally sound? • Is the electrical service adequate? It is prudent to be an informed purchaser as you make one of your largest buying decisions ever. Home inspections assist in giving you peace of mind that there are no surprises in store.
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TESTIMONIALS “Tony and his staff went the extra mile with personal, practical and professional support in making my recent purchase in Oak Bay. I have also learned the high regard in which he is held by the community and the real estate industry. I would not hesitate to call on him again in any future real estate transaction.” - Carol McMehen “Tony and his dedicated team are fantastic and I have no doubt as a recent seller that Tony could help anyone! Tony was always timely, patient, fair and realistic whenever we discussed the sale of my property. My property was a hard house to sell and two other local realtors prior to Tony had failed. Tony’s positive energy can do attitude, and thorough approach to advertising contributed to the positive outcome.” - Pamela Richards “Angie was patient and always providing great advice on the neighborhoods and made me feel like I was a priority. She went over and beyond in every aspect. I would recommend Angie to anyone looking for expert real estate help in the Victoria market” - Lori Hunter 14
OUR TRUE ADVANTAGE
“Over the years I have purchased and sold many homes. I can honestly say I have never experienced a more diligent, committed Realtor as Kyle Kerr. His response time is fantastic (even when he is out of town) whether it be for showings, property information or any other information that we have asked him for to help facilitate our purchase decision. I really appreciate the regularly updating listing information as well and the fact that often Kyle has background info on the properties or can get it in very short order.” - Monica Mueller “We decided to work with Tony and his team with the warm welcome and relaxed smile he gave us; it was genuine like him. His knowledge and experience were benefits too. Working with a team was great too as we were taken care of from start to finish and even after that.” - Robert Trouton “Tony and his team were professional, knowledgeable and thorough. They made the process painless by explaining each and every step. Thanks.” - Jill “Master of his craft. I’ve used several realtors over the years and he’s far and above the best we’ve ever encountered. Before you hire a realtor, you must speak with Tony” - B Smith
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250-370-7788 2239 Oak Bay Avenue Victoria, British Columbia
www.PrimeTeam.ca