There is a common misconception that you need to have everything figured out before calling a REALTOR®. Sellers think the house should already be decluttered and painted. Buyers think they need to know exactly where they want to live and what type of home they want.
You don’t.
In fact, calling your REALTOR® too late can mean you’ve already made decisions that might not be the best use of your time or money. You don’t need a finished plan before reaching out, but a little preparation can make that first conversation much more productive.
If you’re thinking about buying, start by getting a general sense of your finances, identifying your priorities, and thinking about your timeline. If you’re thinking about selling, consider where you’re going next, make a list of known issues with the home, and resist the urge to start renovating.
Here are a few things worth doing before you make that call, and a few things we’d actually prefer you leave for us to help with.
Have real estate quesitons? We’re here to help! Book a meeting with our team.
Before Buying: Get a General Picture of Your Finances
You don’t necessarily need a mortgage pre-approval before your first conversation with a REALTOR®, but you should have a basic understanding of your financial position.
Think about how much you have available for a down payment, what you’re comfortable spending each month, and whether you have additional funds set aside for closing costs.
Notice the emphasis on comfortable.
A lender may ultimately approve you for a certain amount, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend it. Your housing budget still needs to leave room for travel, hobbies, childcare, retirement savings, or whatever else matters to you.
Once you speak with your REALTOR®, they can connect you with a trusted mortgage professional who can help establish a more accurate budget.
Knowing roughly where you stand financially makes the next steps much easier. It helps narrow your search and prevents you from falling in love with homes that don’t make sense for your overall financial picture.
Buying a house in Toronto? The related blog posts have other helpful advice.
- Best Neighbourhoods in Etobicoke for First-Time Buyers
- 5 Things to Consider Before Buying a New Build House
- The Hidden Costs of Buying a House
Before Buying: Figure Out Your Priorities, Not Your Perfect House
You don’t need to arrive with a specific neighbourhood, architectural style, and list of 25 must-haves.
Instead, think about what would actually change your day-to-day life.
Maybe being able to walk to the subway is more important than having a garage. Perhaps you need a backyard for the kids, but don’t care whether the kitchen has been renovated. You might be willing to buy a smaller home to get into The Kingsway, or prefer more space farther west in Etobicoke or Mississauga.
Try dividing your priorities into three categories: must-haves, nice-to-haves, and things you’re willing to compromise on.
Don’t worry if that list changes once you start viewing homes. It probably will.
Seeing properties in person is often what helps buyers understand what they truly value. Your REALTOR® can then use that feedback to refine the search rather than simply sending you every property that meets a generic set of criteria.
Before Buying: Think About When You’d Actually Like to Move
“We’re just starting to look” can mean very different things.
Are you hoping to move within three months? Before the next school year? Sometime next spring? Or are you simply trying to understand what your budget could buy?
There is no wrong answer, and you don’t need to be ready to make an offer tomorrow to speak with a REALTOR®.
Knowing your approximate timeline helps determine what should happen next.
If you’re six months away, the focus might be on financing, neighbourhood research, and watching the market. If you’re hoping to purchase within the next month or two, you’ll want your mortgage pre-approval in place and a much more defined search. The earlier we understand the goal, the easier it is to build a buying strategy around it.
Before Selling: Think About Where You’re Going Next
Before worrying about paint colours or staging, ask yourself a bigger question:
What happens after I sell?
For some sellers, the answer is straightforward. They’re relocating, downsizing, or have already purchased another property.
For others, selling is only one part of a much larger decision.
Do you need to buy before you sell? Would you be comfortable selling first? Do you need a particular closing date? Are you downsizing and unsure which type of property comes next?
These questions can affect your entire selling strategy.
This is particularly important in Etobicoke, where someone selling a longtime family home may be considering a condo in The Kingsway or Old Mill, a bungalow nearby, or an entirely different lifestyle outside Toronto.
You don’t need to have the answer before calling us. You simply need to start thinking about it.
Often, determining where you’re going is just as important as determining how you’re going to sell your current home.
Before Selling: Make a List of the Things You Know Need Attention
You’ve probably lived with certain quirks in your home for so long that you barely notice them.
The dripping faucet. The bedroom door that sticks. The chipped baseboard. The light fixture that stopped working six months ago.
Before meeting with your REALTOR®, take a quick walk through the property and make a list.
But don’t start fixing everything yet.
This list simply gives us a starting point. Some items may be worth addressing before the home goes to market. Others won’t have enough impact on the sale to justify the expense.
The same applies to bigger projects.
If you’re thinking, “We should probably redo the bathroom before we sell,” put it on the list rather than calling the contractor.
A REALTOR® who understands your local market can help you distinguish between an improvement that could strengthen your sale and one you’re unlikely to recover financially.
Before Selling: Don’t Renovate or Declutter Everything Yet
This might be the most important one.
Sellers frequently think they need to get the house “ready” before they invite us over.
You don’t need to apologize for the toys, laundry, basement storage, dated bathroom, or overflowing garage. We need to see how you actually live in the home before we can recommend what should change.
That can save you a surprising amount of work.
You may think an entire room needs to be emptied when a stager would simply rearrange the furniture. You may plan to replace flooring that could be professionally cleaned or refinished. You might be ready to spend thousands renovating a kitchen when paint, hardware, lighting, and staging would be enough.
Let us see the house first.
A pre-listing consultation isn’t an inspection of how tidy your home is. It’s an opportunity to create a plan.
About to sell your home? Explore these related blog posts for more insights.
- Why Is My House Not Selling?
- How Long Does It Take to List a House?
- Is Staging Worth It?
- How To Prepare Your Home For Sale
Call the Ambler Real Estate Team Before You Think You’re Ready
You don’t need to have your finances perfectly organized, know exactly where you want to move, or have your house looking like it’s ready for listing photos before reaching out.
That’s part of what we’re here to help with.
For buyers, the Ambler Real Estate Team can help you establish realistic priorities, connect you with trusted mortgage professionals, compare neighbourhoods, and build a search around both your budget and lifestyle.
For sellers, we can walk through your home before you spend money, identify the improvements worth making, recommend trusted professionals where needed, and build a realistic timeline for preparing and listing the property.
Sometimes the most valuable advice we give is what not to do.
If buying or selling is somewhere on your horizon, call us before you feel completely ready. A conversation early in the process can help you avoid unnecessary work, make smarter decisions, and give you a much clearer path from “we’re thinking about moving” to actually making it happen.
Buying or selling in Toronto? Get in touch! Call 416-884-8027 or email team@amblerhomes.com.
Connect With a Top RE/MAX Realtor ®
Thinking about buying or selling? Get expert advice from our team of top Toronto RE/MAX agents.
