Here at Realty Executives Gateway, we value our clients and we are always looking for ways to show our appreciation to our REX family. This year is our first annual Gift Tree giveaway. During the year of 2020, if you bought, sold, referred us to someone who bought or sold with us or you left us a review, your name got put into the draw x amount of times to win the tree. The Gift Tree this year has the value of $900 worth of gift cards in local Melfort businesses. Every time someone’s name was entered, we added a $10 gift card of one of the ten businesses that we selected onto the tree. The businesses that we chose to go on the tree this year include $100 at Home Hardware, $100 at Catz N Jammers, $100 at Tj’s Pizza, $100 Mel-City Florists, $100 at Golden Grain Bakery, $100 at Back Stage, $100 at  RJ’s Urban Garden Cafe, $100 at Daisies Dreams and Decor, $40 at Smitty’s, and $100 at Rola Fashion Wears.

We’ll be announcing the winner of this year's tree on the 31st of December. Due to COVID 19, we sadly cannot host an event to announce the winner. So, instead we will be hosting a Facebook Live event that you can find advertised on our Facebook page. On December 31st join Richelle and Eleah Live, and find out who wins! 

The easiest way for you to get your name in the draw right now is if you’ve worked with us in the past, you can write a review on Facebook or Google, or even email us a review that we can post, and your name will be entered in! You don’t even need to have worked with us recently, if you worked with us at some point, and you thought you received great service, then write it! If you do, you could be the one to win the $900 prize!!

1. Choose a Colour Scheme that Ties Your Room Together

Keep everything in one colour scheme and it’ll help keep things in a cohesive look.

2. Pick the Right Tree

Artificial, real, skinny, fat, tall, short, Christmas trees come in all shapes and sizes, and depending on the size of your space at home and how much time and money you want to spend on a tree, will all help decide which tree is the best one for you.

3. Update Your Shelves with Holiday Apparel

Shelves are perfect little spaces to put candles, garland, figurines etc. 

4. Get Rustic with Buffalo Plaid

Get a space looking more cozy and festive with plaid. Throw pillows, throw blankets, ornaments, stockings… whatever!

5. Get Creative With Your Wreaths

Wreaths don’t just have to hang on the front door, add them to center pieces or as decor around your home.

6. Make Your Home Merry & Bright with Christmas Lights

Candles and string lights are also good additions in a space to keep it light and merry. Don’t forget about the outside though!

From everyone here at Gateway Realty, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Making an Offer

When you’ve found a home that you’re interested in, it’s time to make an offer. As your buyer agent, we will draw up a contract with your offering price and necessary contingencies into a formal contract.

You will want to review this document carefully and make sure it states your terms exactly. If the offer is accepted by a seller, this contract will become a legally binding agreement.

In addition to an offer contract, you will need to provide an earnest deposit.

The deposit typically equals roughly 1-3% of the property purchase price. You will not be at risk of losing earnest money as long as you do not default on your contract. The amount will be credited towards the purchase price of the house at closing.

After you’ve made your offer, the seller will be able to:

1. Accept your offer

2. Reject your offer

3. Counter your offer

In most cases, a seller will not accept your initial offer outright. Typical counter offers include modifications to:

• Purchase Price

• Closing date

• Possession date

• Inclusions

When you make an offer on a house, you should be prepared for the negotiations to go back and forth several times before both parties agree to the terms. You might also have to compete with other interested buyers in certain market conditions.

When an agreement is reached on all issues, and both the seller and you the buyer have signed the offer, you are both under a legally binding contract.

As a buyer, you will be in a better negotiating position if:

• You have been pre-approved for a mortgage

• You are not selling a house at the same time

• You have not loaded your offer with other contingencies

It would be great if closing a real estate transaction was like buying a new bike or TV, just a cruise through the aisles, pick your favourite model and head for the register. But this just isn’t the case. Real estate brokers, buyers, sellers, attorneys, inspectors, appraisers, lenders and sometimes contractors. Because of this, even the simplest transaction today typically takes between 30-45 days to close.

Here’s an overview of how the process will typically work once an interested buyer has submitted an offer.

Dealing with Offers

When a buyer or a buyer’s agent makes a formal offer, we will review the offer in its entirety together. It will include the offer price, as well as the terms and conditions to the offer.

Offers will come on a legal form, and if accepted, you will be entering into a legal contract with the buyer.

When we evaluate offers, we’ll of course consider the offer price, but also need to review:

• All of the terms and conditions of the offer. Home buying offers regularly include terms such as what should be included in the sale of the home, possession date, financing, and scheduling a home inspection.

• Anything that is an unusual request or requirement of the purchase offer. We’ll want to explore the full implications of anything odd that the buyer is including in a purchase offer.

• Whether or not there are other offers on the table that are a better fit for you.

After a buyer submits an offer you can accept, reject, or counter the offer. We will prepare any counter offers together, and I will submit that to the buyer’s agent or the buyer and guide you through the negotiations.

On a typical home sale, here’s how things will run:

Once we’ve received an acceptable offer and entered into a buying contract, there are several steps that will need to be completed before the transaction and transfer of your property is complete.

1. The buyer submits “earnest money” that is deposited into your real estate broker’s account.

2. We will set a closing date with the buyer.

3. The buyer will order an appraisal and an independent home inspection.

4. The buyer will remove the “conditions of sale” after the appraisal and home inspection

5. You will need to complete any agreed upon requests for repair that were submitted by the buyer before the closing date.

6. Closing is scheduled and complete. Your house is sold!

Understanding Property Disclosures

You will be asked to fill out a property disclosure statement during the listing appointment on your home. This statement will list “material facts” about problems you are aware of regarding the condition and history of your home. By law, your real estate agent cannot complete these forms for you.

The general rule of thumb is that you must disclose anything that would:

• Lower the perceived value of the property

• Affect the buyer’s decision to purchase

• Change the price and/or terms the buyer offers

As you fill out these forms, just remember that you should strive to answer all of the questions to the best of your ability. Don’t sweat the small stuff, but make sure you disclose everything that you’d want disclosed to you if you were the buyer. If you don’t know the answer to  a question (such as the exact age of the roof if you’re not the original owner or the like ), answer “Do not know.” But not having precise facts about defects you know exist does not permit you to answer “Do not know” to every question. This will always raise a red flag.

If you feel like you don’t properly understand the disclosure requirement, just ask us, we’ll be more than happy to explain anything for you.

Prepare for Closing

Understanding the steps and terminology used for the closing procedures are key, and we are happy to help you with a quick rundown of the process in our local area. There are a few things you will need to do to prepare.

Facebook, Zoom, Youtube, Instagram, and many social media apps are very viable options to help agents and clients stay in touch. During these pandemic times, it’s not all that difficult to buy or sell a house completely online.  

Join us online for our virtual open houses that we host on Facebook Live. You can comment and ask questions at any time during the time when we are touring the home. You can book a showing of a property with us on FaceTime or Zoom. We can send multiple photos of the property to you as well for more detail. 

If there is a will there's a way! If you are motivated to buy or sell a home, we can help you get there, no matter the obstacles these times throw at us!