BUYERS • THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP

What working with a realtor looks like?

What happens on a first call, what you'd sign and when, what it does and doesn't commit you to, and how to end it if you want out. All of it up front rather than in a lobby before a showing.

The house always wins. Let’s make sure it's yours

Getting Started

Here’s the process we would follow, so that you know what to expect.

Conversation

Fifteen minutes. Nothing signed, nothing owed. You're interviewing me.

Paperwork

RECO Information Guide, then a Buyer Representation Agreement if you want to proceed as my client.

Mortgage pre-approval

Mortgage pre-qualification to determine how much you can comfortably carry.

Search

Numbers first, buildings second, showings third. In that order.

Offer to keys

Conditions, lawyer, financing, closing. I'm the one chasing people and making sure you’re protected.

Do I have to sign a Buyer Representation Agreement?

To have me represent you as a client — yes. My brokerage requires it in writing, and that's the right way to do it for both of us. Under TRESA you're either a client, with full duties owed to you, or a self-represented party, who receives limited assistance but no advice on price or strategy. There's no middle option any more, so it's a real choice about what you're getting.

Signing it doesn't commit you to buying anything — It defines a working relationship, not a purchase.

Learn more about the buyer Representation Agreement

View the Agreement ►

Common Questions Answered

About what the actual process looks like.

Do I have to sign anything just to talk to you?

No. A first conversation costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.

We can talk through your numbers, what you'd qualify for, whether the timing makes sense, and what you'd be looking at in your price range. If at the end of it you decide to work with someone else — or with nobody — that's a perfectly normal outcome and you owe me nothing.

What if I'm not buying for another two years?

Then that's a good time to talk, and there's nothing to sign.

The useful things at that stage are opening an FHSA — contribution room starts the year you open it, not the year you fund it — and knowing roughly what you'd qualify for so you're aiming at a realistic number rather than saving toward a guess.

I'd rather have a useful conversation now and hear from you in two years than push you toward something premature.

What actually happens on the first call?

Mostly questions from me because I need to get to know you.

Where you're at with savings and pre-approval, what your timeline looks like, whether you've been through this before, and what's making you hesitate. Then I'll tell you plainly whether I think you're ready, and if not, what would need to change.

What I won't do is send you listings before we've had that conversation. Showing property to someone who hasn't settled their numbers is how people fall in love with something they can't buy.

What do you do that I can't do myself?

Listings are public, so it isn't access. It's the building-level work: fee history and trajectory, reserve fund adequacy, past special assessments, what units actually closed at versus asked, and how long they sat before selling.

Then the judgment calls — which conditions to keep, what to offer, and which units in a building are hard to resell later. The longer version is here, including where I think the case for an agent is weaker than agents usually claim.

How often will I hear from you?

As often as there's something worth saying, and not more.

You won't get a "just checking in" message every Friday. When something relevant comes up — new properties that match your criteria, a new condo release, a price change on something we've discussed, you'll hear from me. Otherwise you're free to get on with your life.

If you want more contact, say so and you'll get it.

Do I pay you?

In most cases you don't write me a cheque. For resale the seller's brokerage typically offers compensation covering both sides; on pre-construction the builder pays.

Two honest qualifications. First, commission is paid out of the transaction, so it's embedded in the price somewhere — "you don't write a cheque" is accurate, "it's free" isn't. Second, the agreement sets out what happens in the uncommon case where offered compensation falls short of what's agreed. You'll see that number before you sign it, and I'll walk you through it.

What if I decide not to buy at all?

That's a legitimate outcome and it happens. Sometimes it's the right one. If the math doesn't work — you're moving within three years, your income isn't stable, you'd have no cushion after closing — I'd rather tell you that than sell you something. Those situations are set out here. You won't owe me anything, and I won't put you on a drip campaign about it.

What happens after closing?

You'll hear from me, and not to ask for referrals.

The first year of condo ownership has some predictable moments but also some unexpected one and I’m here for anything you need. I'd rather be useful then than reappear in three years asking whether you're thinking of selling.

What if I want to see something you didn't suggest?

Send it and we'll look. You're not restricted to what I put in front of you.

I'll give you the honest read on it — including if I think the building has a problem or the unit won't resell well. You can disagree with me and buy it anyway. It's your choice and your home, and my job is making sure you're using all of the information available to make an informed decision.

What if I'm already working with another agent?

Then I won't try to poach you, and you shouldn't sign anything with me while you're under an agreement with someone else.

If that relationship isn't working, resolve it with them first — end the agreement properly, in writing. Once that's done, we can talk.

Overlapping agreements create genuine problems about who's owed compensation on which property, and you're the one who ends up in the middle of it.

What if I want out?

Tell me and we'll end it.

Agreements can be terminated by mutual agreement, and I'm not interested in holding someone to a document when the relationship isn't working. There can be terms around properties I introduced you to — that's standard and it's in the agreement — so read that part and ask about it up front rather than discovering it later.

If you have to be trapped into working with someone, they weren't the right someone.

What if you end up representing the seller too?

That's multiple representation, and under TRESA it requires your written consent in advance. You can decline it.

Practically, it means I can't advise either side on price or strategy, because doing so would disadvantage the other. Both parties lose the advocacy they signed up for.

My preference is to avoid it. If it comes up — usually because you want a property my brokerage has listed — I'll explain the options, including bringing in another agent so you keep full representation.

Disclaimer: General information, not legal advice. Representation agreements, disclosure obligations and compensation arrangements are governed by Ontario legislation and individual brokerage policy, and both can change. Specific terms vary between brokerages. Read any agreement carefully and seek independent legal advice if anything is unclear.