Competing with Claude….
I'm not going to pretend I can out-inform a chatbot. Ask Claude what happened to Kingston prices last month, how months-of-inventory works, or what the land transfer tax runs on a $600,000 house, and you'll get a clear, accurate answer in four seconds — faster than I could type it, and without the sales pitch stapled to the end. Raw information stopped being scarce. What I actually have is narrower and harder to copy: I've stood in the basement of the house you're about to bid on, I know which street floods and which listing agent moves on a firm offer, and I'll tell you when the deal in front of you is a bad one even though saying so costs me a commission. That's judgment applied to your specific situation, with something at stake for me if I get it wrong — which is the one thing you can't get from asking Claude.
What’s Buyer Agency and
Do you need a Realtor® ?
Need is loaded word. There are days I need chocolate, or sunshine. Would you be better suited to buy a house with a realtor, that answer is yes. Buying a house with a Realtor® does not cost the buyer. Selling a house with a realtor, does. That may change one day, but not today.
The advantages are numerous including such items as:
1) what has sold in the neighbourhood and how much? How close to the listing price did it sell for? How long was it on the market?
2) what conditions would an offer require to protect the buyer, what is the correct offer structure, best closing dates, what conditions do I waive or not waive?
3) when is the offer binding, what happens to the deposit, what if a clause is not specific?
4) how will I know about new listings, or coming soon listings that might suit me?
5) do I need a home inspector, septic inspection, water test? Who gets the status certificate?
6) what happens on closing? Do I need a lawyer? How do I get my keys.
You can represent yourself but remember, the person or agent showing you the house owes you no duty of care beyond honesty. They cannot advise you on any details related to an offer. Just think about that for a minute.
Signing a buyer representation agreement with a Realtor® to protect your interests is probably a smart thing to do. Make sure you understand the contract - as with every contract, there are parts that are negotiable.
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know
There's a sense of loss in all of this — not from the move to the retirement home, but from the sudden absence of purpose. That was my mom's quiet, constant lament. She still wanted to be useful. But she could no longer drive (thank goodness), and she couldn't remember where the remote was, or what to do with it once she found it.
When you're new to a parent with dementia, it's hard to watch a mind that capable begin to dim — like a lantern slowly running out of fuel. Each plateau burns a little less bright than the one before.
The most important thing I've learned is that my mom's reality is real to her. It isn't my version, but that doesn't make it any less true. I stopped needing to be right. I only needed to be there.
She still knows me most days. But there isn't much fuel left in that lantern that once burned so brightly.
(I’m still looking for the underwear on the lamp photo….stay tuned)