Buying in Penticton and the South Okanagan
I built houses for twenty-four years before I sold them, so when I show you one I'll tell you what's right with it and what's wrong with it.
Seven steps, in order
Talk to a lender or mortgage broker first
Before you look at a single house, find out what you can borrow and what you will need in hand. The down payment is only part of it. There is also property transfer tax, legal fees, an inspection, and moving. Your lender or broker is the right person for the numbers. I am not, and I will send you to one if you need a name.
Decide where
The South Okanagan is a lot of different places in a short drive. Lake, hillside, town, gated strata, leased land.
Decide what kind of house
Stairs, yard, garage, and whether this is the last move.
Look at houses the way a builder does
I start at the road, not the kitchen. The grade, the roofline, what the last owner spent money on. None of it replaces a home inspection. It tells you which houses are worth paying an inspector to look at.
If it is a strata, read the documents
The monthly fee is the least important number. The depreciation report, the minutes and the bylaws are where the surprises are.
Write the offer, and use the subject period
Price is one term of many. Subjects, dates and deposit matter as much. In BC you also have a short rescission period after an accepted offer on most residential property.
Completion and possession
Your lawyer or notary handles the transfer and the money. I stay on it until you have the keys, and I check that the house is left the way the contract says.
Nothing on this page is legal, tax or lending advice. Talk to your lawyer, accountant and lender about your own situation.
The house is only half of it.
On acreage, the things that cost real money are often outside the house. I look at them with the same eye I bring to the framing and the foundation, and I'll tell you which ones need a specialist before you remove subjects.
- Well flow and water quality
- Septic age and condition
- Barns, shops and outbuildings
- Fencing, gates and paddocks
- Access, grade and drainage
- Zoning and the Agricultural Land Reserve
Water, septic and land-use questions get answered by the right professional and the local government, in writing, during the subject period. My job is to make sure you ask them.
Tell me what you're looking for
Area, budget, bedrooms, acreage, a shop, room for horses. I'll send you new listings the day they hit the MLS®, including the ones I'd skip and why.
You can also browse everything on REALTOR.ca, then send me the ones you like. I'll tell you what I see in the photos.