kevinm

When I do my recie trip and ill be wanting to view some properties.
Im going to Vancouver, Kelowna and Halifax area.

Can anyone recommend any realtors who wont mind showing me round some property.
Should I be upfront and say our position as we wont be buying but need to get a idea of what we can for our money in different areas.
Thanks
Kevin

Aviator

Probably not worded like that. Realtors are out to make money not be tour guides. You might tell them you are moving to Canada and are looking at a property. Start with one and if you choose a different area, they may be able to put you on to someone they know. That way they all share the commission if you buy.

el_richo

www.mls.ca will save yourself and a realtor lots of time.

kevinm

Ive been on mls all day which gives you a idea now if you use street view but
I wasnt sure if a realtor would show you round if they know your not buying but will use them if you move to that area.

Aviator

Don't expect a lot of interest or enthusiasm from them. There are a few Realtors on this site, ask them what they would do.

el_richo

But if you're not interested in buying, why not just check out the areas you can afford, by using the site, and when you're out there on your reccie, check out the areas in person to see what you think.

JonboyE

Some will, and some not so keen. Some realtors do the job because they like helping people and making a living at the same time, some are very commission focused. It can also depend on how busy they are. If they have a few "ready to buy" clients and deals on the go they might not want to take a day showing someone around. If they haven't got much on at the moment they might think a day of prospecting worth their time.

In other words, it just depends.

In my view you have to be reasonably honest with people if you want honest service in return.

A few things you can do:

1) new developments usually have show homes that you can visit.
2) many realtors host open houses on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. They are listed in the local papers but you can often see them by driving around residential neighbourhoods.
3) Call into a Realtor's office. Tell them you are on a recce and are thinking of moving to the area. Ask them if they have any open houses on the coming weekend. Tell them your budget and ask if they have anything in that price range you can see while you are here.

Ian_sea

Hi,

I am a realtor in Nanaimo and personally I would show you some properties if you were looking here but it does depend on the realtor. I see it as an investment in time and if a prospective buyer decided to move to my area then the investment would hopefully pay off.

However, you will get quite a good idea of what you can get for your buck from the mols site but what you will not get is what the different areas are like within each location. Although I am a realtor I would recommend anyone moving out from the UK to rent for at least 3 months as you just cannot beat living in an area to find out about it. A realtor will be able to give you advice/guidance on the different areas within a town/city and also about the house buying process which is quite different here to the uk.

You can also visit open houses, most weekend there are a number on show. Some are listed on the mls site but there are also quite a few that just have signs up in the area of the house.

I would recommend that you are fairly open with any realtors you approach and explain it is a recce trip at the moment, if they do not want to help then move onto another realtor as there are enough in every area that you will find one that will help you.

Good luck
Ian

Sam-in-Okotoks

I'm a Realtor and I have shown lots of houses to people who are on research trips. If I know somebody is on a research trip I try to spend a few days showing them the area, view some houses and explain the different things I can do to help. I also show them the temporary accommodation that is available for when they first arrive. I don't see it as a waste of my time and I really enjoy helping these people - Sam

Aviator

So long as they find an expat Realtor they may be OK as perhaps they are more sympathetic to an immigrants plight. I am not so sure other Realtors would be so understanding.

JSHalifax

my hubbie is a Realtor here in Halifax and is also an expat so would be able to give good advice regarding different areas etc., from the perspective of someone coming from the UK and would probably send you off to take a look around , when you have made up your mind to move here he would expect to continue the relationship he may have had with you regarding your preferences etc and expect you to use his services, having said that we do have a lot of info for first time buyers in Canada what to look out for and to completely understand how a Realtor can also help you by working with a mortgage broker etc..our fact sheets are free and the more information you have the better.