My accountant is great. We’ve been together since the beginning of Advocate Realty – over 20 years now. I planned on interviewing a few accountants and then choosing the one I liked best, but sometimes you just know. It took 10 minutes with Laurie to know I had found the right guy because it was obvious that he treated HIS clients the way I like to treat MY clients. I even remember thinking to myself “This guy is me with a C.A.”.

Last week, Laurie and I got together to talk about accounting stuff, but he started our meeting by saying “Meltzer, I have to thank you again for finding us the perfect home. We still love it and it’s still perfect.” When I reminded him that, although we had looked at a lot of homes together, it was he who had first seen his home while driving through the neighbourhood, he said “That doesn’t matter. If you hadn’t taken us through so many homes and spent the time clarifying our needs and educating us about the market, we wouldn’t have had any idea that this was the perfect home for us when we saw it. It’s THE PROCESS that matters.”

He’s right, which isn’t surprising because he’s a sharp guy. It IS indeed THE PROCESS that matters. Yes, you can drive around on your own and look at homes. You can also work with an agent who makes appointments to show you homes, but doesn’t help you analyze what you’re seeing or put it into context. And you may even end up finding the perfect home if you take one of these routes. I’m not saying it’s not possible, but you’re much more likely to find the perfect home if you go through THE PROCESS. So what is THE PROCESS exactly?

It’s not a trademarked system. It’s really just a logical way of doing things that increases your chances of success when you’re looking for a new home.  It starts with you creating a mental image of your perfect home. In which part of the city would you like to live? How do you want your neighbourhood to feel (urban, family, hip, diverse…)? What amenities would you like it to have (subway, schools, shopping, close to downtown…)? What kind of street do you prefer (busy, quiet, cul de sac, parking…)? And then, finally, what does your perfect home look like (old, new, modern, traditional, bedrooms, washrooms, special features….)?

It’s only after you can visualize your perfect home that you should start to look at actual homes because what’s the point of looking if you don’t know what you’re looking for? Your agent will let you know if you’re being realistic because there’s no point in looking for a home that just doesn’t exist (for example, a bungalow in a neighourhood full of townhomes) or for a home that’s beyond your price range. As you look at homes, your agent will tell you about the different neighbourhoods and streets, point out the pros and cons of each home, show you the features you’re likely to find in homes that are in your price range, update you on sale prices and, most importantly, help you understand how the market works and what you’ll get for your money.

Buying a home in central Toronto is very different from buying something in a store. When you walk into a store, you can see the entire inventory. In central Toronto, there may only be 3 homes on the market this week that are in your price range and in your favourite neighbourhood. Next week, there may be another 3 homes. You have to learn to deal with this rotating inventory. As you look at these homes, you’ll take your favourite features from each and form a composite in your mind of what your perfect home looks like. Your agent will be familiar not only with the homes that are on the market at any given moment, but with all the home styles that may become available in that particular neighbourhood because he or she saw them when they were last listed. He or she will be able to tell you how frequently you can expect your perfect home to come on the market (once a week, once a month, only once a year if it’s somewhat unique…) so that you’ll be able to decide how long you’re prepared to wait for your perfect home. Going through THE  PROCESS ensures that you understand your options so you can choose the home that best suits your needs.

So yes, you can look at homes on your own or with an agent who doesn’t help you through THE PROCESS. But you’ll be spending a lot of money on your new home and I’ve never heard of a home that comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. We’re not talking about a pair of shoes here. Doesn’t it make sense to go through THE PROCESS to make sure you buy the best home possible and avoid making a costly mistake so you can be as happy as Laurie?