ERIKA’S ROAD HOME – A FIRST TIME BUYER’S TRYING JOURNEY
When Erika and her mom found their dream condo in December 2019, they were elated. It was just what they’d been looking for: an open space, fairly priced, and freshly renovated place to call home! It had been almost a year since Erika had kicked-off the process to purchase her first home, and this condo, conveniently located near her current residence in LaSalle, was perfect.
She was looking forward to sealing the deal in the New Year, but just as she was preparing to sign the papers, unlucky 2020 rained on her parade. Her notary called with the news that some legal issues on the seller’s end might complicate the buy. Faced with the decision of waiting for this situation to pan out or opting out of the transaction, Erika heavy heartedly decided to pull-out. “At the time, we had a lease that was ending and we had to tell our landlords whether we’d be renewing. This was 6 months before renewal, so it was kind of against the gun and I couldn’t deal with the pressure” she recalls about this stressful time.
After visiting homes for a year and being so close to the finish line, it was back to square one for the mother and daughter pair. Erika put in offers on a few more of the condos suggested by her broker, Audrey-Maude Pitre, but they were all outbid by large amounts. These setbacks combined with the uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 made it difficult to remain motivated. “At one point I told Audrey, ‘okay, I’m over this. I don’t know that I even want to this anymore.’ It’s all scary and the pandemic hit, and it was just a cocktail of disaster!” she remembers. As for Audrey-Maude, Erika never felt pressured by her to continue on “She was also very supportive about the whole thing. When I said I didn’t want to look anymore she said: ‘I totally get it!’”.
As Victoria Day weekend rolled in and the province began to slowly re-open, Erika wandered on Groupe Lamarre’s real estate portal where a lovely condo in Lachine grabbed her attention. She texted Audrey-Maude who set up a visit right away. ”Right as we were going to go take a look, they had lifted the ban of inspections and viewing so we didn’t have to do anything remotely and that was great. I loved the location. It wasn’t in LaSalle so that was a compromise that I had to make, but when I walked in, I knew this was really a place where I could see myself living.” she says, remembering the first time she walked into her future condo. “There’s one thing about me, and I think Audrey would say the same thing, if I like a place, she’ll know ’cause I’ll say “ok, let’s put an offer in right away”. If I’m really weary or really uncertain, I’ll just stay quiet. When I walked into this place, I was smiling, just overall happy. I felt good.” And just like that, she was home!
When asked if she could have done it without Audrey-Maude, Erika’s answer is a resounding “absolutely not, there’s no way!” As a first time buyer, she counted on her broker to answer her many questions and guide her through the process. While her journey to find a home was filled with challenges and obstacles, she loved how well Audrey-Maude understood her style and needs. “There are many times where she texted me and said ‘look at the portal right now, there’s a great place’, and every time she did that, I actually put down offers on the place.”
Buying a home can be an overwhelming experience, especially when it’s your first time. Add in a failed transaction and a global pandemic and it may seem nearly impossible! But with patience, determination and the help of a qualified broker, even this treacherous path lead Erika to a place to call her own.