|
vendor reviews: real estate
|
Reviewing Isabel Pinheiro, Sales Representative, RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc.
Isabel Pinheiro is inspiring. When you talk to her you can't help but feel infused with hope that buying a home is not only possible, but realistic. This RE/MAX Sales Representative seems to understand exactly where brides and grooms are coming from. Isabel gets it - where you are in your lives and in your budgets. She doesn't talk too fast or assume that you should know 'the lingo', she doesn't judge your situation, but instead she seems to be truly happy to help you with such an important step. She makes it her job to help you turn your dream of owning a home into a real plan, a plan which she can walk you through from beginning to end.
Because not all of the staff at The Ring are homeowners, we asked a LOT of questions during our interview with Isabel. With her easy smile and years of experience helping couples buy homes, Isabel broke down every aspect of buying. In a surprisingly painless manner, we discussed variables such as square footage, number of bedrooms, inspections, extras such as hardwood floors or fireplaces, and then how these all related to mortgage rates and payments. We also talked about how and when to buy, and if you can't buy now, how to get to the point where you could...
Having personally walked away from the meeting wondering why we were still renting, we knew we had a lot to write about for you. Let us explain...
Personally speaking... Isabel Pinheiro is in her element when it comes to turning renters into buyers. Maybe it's because she's been doing it for years or because her own daughter is in almost the same age bracket as many newlyweds. But either way, Isabel treats couples how she would hope her daughter would be treated.
Let's face it, buying a home is huge - especially in the world of a couple who is either planning to marry or has just been married. This financial step is yet another marker of a new path towards the future. And for Isabel, that's what makes her job so rewarding. "The excitement level for buying their first home is never as high as it is when you're just marred or almost married," says Isabel ."I love being a part of that... of showing them that anything is possible."
Good Karma is good business From what we experienced, Isabel is neither aggressive nor pushy. And you'll hear the words 'comfort zone' repeatedly. "So many couples fight over money because it's a big source of stress. Why start a marriage like that?," Isabel told us. That's why she's more likely to suggest aiming for a lower priced home than to fill your budget with mortgage payments. "Just because you can afford a certain amount, doesn't mean you have to spend that much... You could spend a little bit less, leave more room for entertainment or surprise expenses, and have that much less stress." After all, she points out, you can always buy larger in a few years.
Isabel's laid-back sales approach has served her well. "What goes around comes around," she says. And she has the numbers to prove it. 85% of her travel clientele was repeat business. That's why, for both personal and profit reasons, Isabel believes that building trust really is better than building commissions. "It all works out in the end."
in other words...
Hands-on help: Seminars & support Isabel LOVES questions. No obligation attached. "Ask me anything!" she says. If she can help she will. Even if it means just getting you on the road to buying a home, she's happy to catch up with you in six months or two years when you're ready.
Isabel's eagerness to help is what pushed her to begin hosting homebuyers' seminars. These seminars are pain-free, judgment-free discussions that are very much Q&A in structure.
Often held on a Sunday afternoon, the seminars are one part teaching, five parts open discussion over coffee. Throughout the seminars, couples can determine if they can buy a home, and if so, what price range and type of home they should look at. Isabel brings a trusted mortgage broker in to answer specific questions and run numbers as accurately as possible, pretty much on the spot.
For first time home buyers, the information they walk away with are often things they've wondered about for years, and finally have an answer to.
Online help Isabel's interactive website, www.callisabel.ca is extremely helpful, offering mortgage calculating tools, downloads of useful articles such as 'buying your first hone', 'the right home at the right price' (teaches you how to become a savvy buyer), 'but do you need it', 'avoid common buyer errors' and more.
The website even has polls, links to home renovation companies (she's been known to 'flip a house' or two), and an 'Ask me a question' area, of course.
Walking you through it If you're not meeting her in one of her first time home buying seminars, you'll likely be meeting Isabel in your own home as she'll come to you. The first thing you discuss will be where you are now, financially... i.e. How much do you spend on your rent? What are your current expenses and student loan payments? What can you afford to spend on a mortgage? Then, most importantly to Isabel, what is most comfortable for you to spend? You don't necessarily have to spend your entire budget. Isabel can refer you to a mortgage broker or banker, or you can find your own. She has established relationships with brokers that she feels are most personal and who really understand where you're coming from, much like Isabel does.
The only shopping spree bigger than your wedding Then you get to go shopping - day or night, weekdays or evenings. That's the fun part. Isabel emails you listings that fit within your needs or wants, and you go from there. Shopping with Isabel must be a blast.
Dreaming of options: New home vs. previously owned, square feet, number of bedrooms, carpets vs. hardwood, extras such as a Jacuzzi tub, detached home or townhouse condo, fenced yard or island in your kitchen...
Paying for her services Having an expert in your corner is always a good thing, but having a one at no charge to you is even better. When you work with Isabel, you don't pay for her services. Instead she gets a percentage of the sale from the seller. "I fight on behalf of my buyers. I negotiate the absolute best price. I protect you. I simplify your transaction for you as much as possible," she explained.
detailsdetailsdetails • A home can be purchased in as little as two or three weeks or several months in advance, allowing time to prepare before moving in. • Isabel says most first time home buyers are looking at a house about 1200 to 1700 square feet in size, but there are options in the area for bigger and smaller purchases as well. • Homes can be purchased with no down payment, 5%, 10% or even 25% and up. A purchase with a down payment of 25% or more means that you don't need to purchase mortgage insurance.
Isabel Pinheiro is reachable
by email at
isabel@callisabel.ca, through the
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca *prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Isabel Pinheiro and/or RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc. |
When you're buying a home, Isabel Pinheiro believes good
Karma is good business
Getting help from
Isabel...