Ask Kyle First-time buyers
Buying your first home isn’t supposed to feel dramatic. Done step by step, it actually gets pretty boring, and boring is exactly what you want with this much money on the line.
9 answers from 5 of my videos
Talk to at least three agents before you pick one. Everyone runs their business differently and brings different life experience, so ask what’s on their resume that helps you. I’d also be careful about using a friend or family member just because you feel pressured, because I’ve seen that go south quickly and hurt relationships.
Go deeperBuyer Blueprint
I always advise a client relationship. As a client you get full confidentiality, loyalty and an agent with a duty to avoid conflicts of interest, and as a non-client you don’t get those things. Those disclosure forms should come to you right at the start, because they spell out your rights in the deal.
Yes. If you shop before your pre-approval, you’re wasting everybody’s time, and a generic online approval is usually much higher than what you can actually afford. A real one from a mortgage broker costs you nothing but your time, tells you which segment you can buy in, and lasts roughly 90 to 120 days depending on the lender.
5:59Hear me say it at 5:59How To Buy Your First Home In Vancouver 🇨🇦 A Step By Step GuideFebruary 2026 · 30:52 long6:08Hear me say it at 6:08How To Buy Your First Home In Vancouver 🇨🇦 A Step By Step GuideFebruary 2026 · 30:52 longGo deeperHow much house can I afford?
Three to four, max. Past four in a day it gets overwhelming and you start forgetting what you just saw. And if the homework is done up front, you shouldn’t need many: my last six buyer clients saw only nine homes between them.
As little as possible. A lot of homes have cameras and recording devices, so don’t hand the other side any ammunition that hurts your negotiation. Keep it light if the sellers are there, let your agent ask the questions, and save the real conversation for the sidewalk or the car.
Buying?The Buyer BlueprintEvery step of buying in Vancouver and Burnaby, from financing to subject removal.Read the Buyer Blueprint →A notary is cheaper and a lawyer costs a little more, because a lawyer does more. A lawyer can give you a legal opinion on title and stand in your corner if something goes sideways with the seller, which a notary can’t. I used a lawyer on my own home and was glad I did.
Completion is when the money changes hands and title moves to you, possession is when you get the keys, and the adjustment date settles who owes what for property taxes and strata fees. Start your home insurance on the completion date, not possession, because that’s when it becomes yours. Your lawyer or notary handles the adjustments on the closing statement.
I’d be careful. Buyers no longer want shoe boxes, and I don’t suggest anything under 900 square feet anymore just for resale. A small unit with no patio space has been very hard to sell. And if you plan to renovate, buy one that’s dated but cared for, because you don’t want to pay for someone else’s renovation.
7:38Hear me say it at 7:38What $5,000/Month Will Buy You In VancouverMarch 2026 · 11:32 long
2:47Hear me say it at 2:47You WON'T Believe What $590,000 Buy's You In Vancouver NowFebruary 2026 · 9:28 long
12:46Hear me say it at 12:46What $800,000 Gets You In Vancouver 2024 | Vancouver Condo | Vancouver Real EstateJuly 2024 · 16:59 longLook past the monthly payment. If the home leaves you over an hour from work and family, or you haven’t thought about the lawn, the paint and the fence that come with a detached house, those are red flags even when the math matches your rent. Sometimes a condo closer to your life is the better first home.
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If your question is about your own home or your own contract, the honest answer depends on the paperwork. Bring it to me and I’ll tell you what I see.
