Thinking of buying a new home in Chestermere? Our latest blog covers some of the show home locations and builders featured throughout the new developments in the town of Chestermere and...
Why you should use a REALTOR® when you are buying a new home in Chestermere
Lifestyle & Recreation
Whether it's a fun winter activity like ice skating, or a highly popular summer activity like boating, Chestermere Lake is the best hotspot for residents in the town. Chestermere Lake is over 650 acres, and is a man made reservoir that essentially splits the town running from south to north. Chestermere features a couple beaches / public waterfront spots that provide residents of the town, some incredible summer days and nights.
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The Quick Lowdown on Chestermere
Depending on where you come in to town, your trip from Calgary can be under 10 minutes! Where east meets west, East Hills shopping Centre could be as quick as five minutes to the far west side of Chestermere. Established as a town in 1993, Chestermere routinely competes with Airdrie, Okotoks, and Cochrane for many home buyers who are looking for an alternative to live in the City of Calgary.
Visiting a show home in Chestermere
Many new home builders in Chestermere have a registration policy for clients wishing to work with a REALTOR® in their home purchase, this policy essentially limits you when purchasing a new hom, by potentially limiting access to your own representation, unless you choose to pay for this representation out of pocket yourself.
The rules are pretty simple, with many new home builders, they cant' charge you more for bringing a REALTOR® with you, but they can decline compensating an agent if they're not their on your first visit at the show home to register you. Typically, an agent would be compensated by the home builder when you purchase a home, if the builder refuses to compensate your agent, this would mean you have a couple of options. You represent yourself, or you compensate an agent out of your pocket to help you with your new home purchase There are some exceptions though, some builders understand the value of a real estate agent being apart of their clients purchase and will make exceptions in some instances to ensure that their mutual clients best interests are taken care of.
New & Show Homes in Chestermere
Do I need a REALTOR® to buy a new home in Chestermere?
No. You can purchase a new home without a REALTOR® HOWEVER. We do recommend that you do have one representing your interests.
WHAT IS A BUILDER’S AGENT?When you go to a show home, you're often met with a sales representative or builders agent, this is either an employee, or an agent who is contracted to represent the interests of the builders or developers in new construction, and it's important to note that their responsibility is to represent the best interests of their clients / employers.
Why is it a good idea to have an independent agent represent you?
Having a Chestermere REALTOR® assist with your home purchase, provides you a few distinct advantages in your purchase of a new home and it also protects you and your interests by ensuring you have an independent party that is invested and obligated to look out for your best interests and to ensure that you're not being taken advantage of.
There's one major thing to watch out for and to consider, some builders have a registration policy that essentially dictates your inability to have an agent represent you, and for that agent to not be compensated if they're not present with you, at the initial visit. The question you have to ask as a new home buyer in Chestermere is why that's a policy, and is that a possible option you want removed simply because you wanted to stop by in a show home?
The answer is simple, connect with our customer care team and let them know what you're looking for by calling us at 587.578.7653 - to book a showing. We are 100% committed to demonstrating value, knowledge, and being a resource and partner to our clients, we don't believe in pressure, and disclosure (Good or Bad) is why we are so highly rated across multiple platforms where we have over one hundred 5 star real estate reviews.
One of the biggest misconceptions from consumers in the real estate industry is the belief that if you, a home buyer, don't utilize a REALTOR® to help you purchase a new home with a builder, you'll end up getting a better deal as the builder won't have to pay your real estate agent a commission. This is false. Builders cannot offer prices that are discounted when you're not utilizing a real estate agent.
What can a Chestermere REALTOR® do to help you in your purchase?
The negotiation process can sometimes be complicated with builders, buyers often visit show homes in Chestermere and have preset expectations that simply won't be included in the home they're interested in. For example, we had a client who went to a builder before working with one of our agents. They were recommended and put in contact with one of our agents and as they were somewhat getting cold feet and asked the agent to look into the offer even though he wasn't apart of it initially.
Upon review our agent noticed that the goods included, in particular, the appliances, didn't include a washer and dryer. Knowing these clients needs, the agent recommended they discuss this with the builder as the clients believe they were told those were included and assumed they were. After a few other minor notes, the clients quickly realized that they weren't being represented ideally with the builder (this may have been through miscommunications from either party) however, they sought for more assistance with our agent. It isn't just this part of negotiations where disadvantages can occur, for example agents on our team are trained to understand and know what each builder is offering in new communities, and with any recent sold data, along with market knowledge and information, we can help negotiate extras which can include; appliances or counter tops, flooring, finishes, or other various upgrades.
Valuable foresight on lot location, and the value on upgrades or improvements. Lets face it, most of our new home buyers often don't consider things like resale value, after all, this is potentially their dream home they're moving into, the one they plan on growing their family in! The fact is, people are more prone to moving than they might think, whether it's upgrading, moving closer to work, finding a community that is better suited to your lifestyle, as a buyer you need to me nimble and have options in the event that you might need to move sooner than expected. Our team will give you information on a variety of things to consider when purchasing a home in the town of Chestermere.
Financing - Builders will typically push or suggest their own financing options, it's another way for them to cash in on a deal, we'll provide you with at least three different mortgage providers that we trust who will allow you to shop the market and ensure you're receiving the absolute best product and interest rate for your situation.
Upgrades and Extras - Depending on who you purchase a home with and the type of home, there's a good chance that upgrades may be on the menu for you. Whether it's the appliances, counters, basement development, it's all part of the negotiations. Backed by market data, and advanced market knowledge of other builders offerings and specific individual builder policies, we provide comprehensive advice for our clients about which upgrades they should pursue in negotiations, which they should consider taking on from their want / needs list, and what impact those upgrades may or may not have on the resale value. We can also give guidance on examples of where upgrades done through the builder vs doing it yourself may save you thousands of dollars which positions you better in the event of you having to resell the home in the future.
Working with Trusted Builders - It's an unfortunate reality in the industry, not all are created (Or built) equally. We don't withhold information from our new home buyers, it's our duty to provide you with the necessary tools and information to make an informed decision and purchase. When you know, you know, being in this industry there is tons of information disseminated every day, and being apart of hundreds of transactions every year we are equipped with market knowledge and information to help assist you avoid builders that you may potentially not want to do business with.
Greenspaces, Golf Courses, Future LRT Developments - These are all highly desirable amenities to have nearby for most home buyers, but they're not always permanent. For example, in Calgary recently we've seen communities such as Shawnee Slopes have the neighboring golf courses sold off for development purposes, and properties that once backed on to the golf course, or green space, may now have views of a newly built homes backyard.
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