How Working With Me Goes

Most people ask some version of the same question before we've even met: what does this actually take, and how long. Here's how it goes, first call to keys.

The first call

It runs about fifteen to twenty minutes, usually by phone. I'll ask where you're looking and when you want to move. If you haven't talked to a mortgage broker yet, we'll cover that too. You ask whatever's actually on your mind. By the end, you'll know if we're ready to start looking at homes or if a conversation with a broker comes first, and you'll know what happens next before we hang up.

First call to keys

1. Getting financing ready. A mortgage broker gets you a formal pre-approval, usually within a few days once your documents are in, so you've got a real number before you start touring. Your broker will confirm how long it holds, usually a few months.

2. Search and showings. We narrow down the area and the must-haves, then start touring. Some buyers find the right place the first weekend. Others take a couple of months, especially with a specific list. Both are normal.

3. Offer and subjects. Once we find it, I draft the offer and handle the negotiation with the other side. If it's accepted, you'll have a subject period, usually one to two weeks, to finalize financing and get the inspection done. For a strata condo or townhome, that's also when the strata documents get reviewed.

4. Subject removal. If everything checks out, the conditions come off and the deal is firm. If something didn't check out, this is where we renegotiate, or the deal doesn't move forward.

5. Completion and possession. Completion, the legal transfer, often lands thirty to sixty days after subject removal, though the exact date gets negotiated inside the offer itself. Possession, when you actually get keys, is typically a day or two after that.

Who else you'll work with

I coordinate the file. Some of these calls aren't mine to make.

Your mortgage broker decides what you're approved for and at what rate. The inspector walks the property and writes up the condition, and while we'll talk through what it means for your offer together, the finding itself is theirs. Your notary or lawyer handles the legal transfer, including the property transfer tax return and any exemption you qualify for. For a strata condo or townhome, I'll go through the strata minutes, financials, bylaws, and any engineering reports with you and flag anything that stands out. If something needs a legal read, that goes to your notary or lawyer too.

How to start

Call or text 604-356-8929, or email do@dobaerealestate.com. Tell me roughly where you're looking and when you'd like to move, and we'll set up that first call.