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For buyers
Buying a home in Kelowna — pulling back the curtain.
Start to finish, in plain English — the process, and what I do differently to get my buyers great results.
The process
01Seven steps, in order.
Nothing here is a secret. If you read this page and buy a house without me, that's a fine outcome too.
Game plan meeting
Twenty minutes, no obligation. I want to understand what you're trying to accomplish and what the right purchase actually looks like for you — or whether buying makes sense at all right now. You'll leave knowing what your next step is, even if that step is to wait six months.
Market education
This is where I work differently from anyone else you'll talk to. Rather than telling you what the market is doing, I build you a snapshot of the last six months of actual sales in the areas you're considering — so you don't have to take my word for anything. You'll know what a good deal looks like before you're asked to recognise one.
It's also where most first-time buyers get surprised. Your budget usually buys a different kind of home in each part of the valley — a townhouse in one area, a detached place with a yard twenty minutes away. We work out which trade-off you'd actually be happy living with, and we keep iterating your search criteria as the picture sharpens.
Financing and what you actually qualify for
Before we look at a single house, you talk to a mortgage broker and get a real pre-approval — not an online calculator. It tells you your ceiling, your rate hold, and your monthly payment at that price. I'll introduce you to brokers I trust, and you're free to use your own.
Showings
I'll show you anything on the market, and I'll tell you what I'd be worried about in each one. Age of the roof, the furnace, the windows. Drainage. What the strata's been arguing about. The listing photos won't mention any of it.
Offer time
Price is one term out of several. Deposit, completion and possession dates, what's included, and which subjects you keep all matter — sometimes more than the number. I'll walk you through the contract line by line before you sign anything.
Then I present your offer in person wherever I can. Almost nobody does this any more — offers get emailed over and negotiated through a screen. Sitting across from the listing agent and their seller means your offer gets explained rather than skimmed, I can read the room, and I can respond to an objection in the moment instead of two hours later. It wins deals that email loses.
Due diligence
Usually a week or two where you confirm everything you assumed. An inspection on the building, the strata documents if there are any, and your lender's final approval on this specific property. If something turns up, we renegotiate or walk. That's what the subjects are for.
Final walkthrough, completion and the part after
Before any money changes hands, we walk through the house together — every contractual obligation verified, the property in the condition it was agreed to be in, nothing quietly removed or left behind. It's a step a lot of agents skip, and it's the last moment where a problem is still someone else's to fix.
Then your lawyer or notary handles the transfer, and the keys are yours on possession day. After that you have my number for as long as you own the place — for contractors, property lines, tax notices, or whether now's the time to move again.
Free · 90 minutes · Watch anytime
The First-Time Buyer Webinar — full replay
Down payments, what you actually qualify for, closing costs nobody warns you about, and how the offer process works in BC. Recorded live, no fluff, no sales pitch.
The money
02What it costs to buy in BC.
Beyond the purchase price and the down payment. These are the ones people don't budget for.
- Deposit — paid on acceptance, credited toward your down paymentTypically 5%
- Property transfer tax — exemptions may apply for first-time buyers and new buildsVaries by price
- Home inspection$300 – $900
- Legal or notary fees and disbursements$1,800 – $2,500
- Adjustments — property tax and strata fees the seller has prepaidProrated
- Mortgage default insurance, if your down payment is under 20%Added to mortgage
- Moving, utility hookups, and the first round of things you didn't know you neededBudget for it
Typical Kelowna ranges, not quotes. Property transfer tax rules and first-time buyer exemptions change — confirm the current thresholds before you budget around them.
Questions I get every week
03The ones nobody wants to ask out loud.
How much do I need for a down payment?
In Canada the minimum is five per cent on the first portion of the purchase price, with a higher percentage required above that, and twenty per cent avoids mortgage default insurance altogether. The exact thresholds change, so confirm the current figures with your mortgage broker before you budget around them.
What does it cost to buy, on top of the price?
Budget for the deposit, property transfer tax, an inspection, legal or notary fees, and adjustments for property tax and strata fees already paid by the seller. On a typical Kelowna purchase the closing costs land in the low thousands, but property transfer tax is the big variable and depends on the price.
First-time buyers and newly built homes may qualify for exemptions from property transfer tax. The thresholds are adjusted periodically — check the current BC rules or ask me and I'll pull them up.
Does it cost me anything to work with you as a buyer?
In most cases the seller's side pays the commission, so there's no direct cost to you. Where that isn't the case, I'll tell you before we go any further. BC now requires a written agreement between a buyer and their agent, and we'll go through it together so you know exactly what you're signing.
What's a subject, and which ones should I keep?
Subjects are conditions that let you back out without penalty if something doesn't check out — typically financing, inspection, and strata document review. In a competitive moment there's pressure to drop them. Sometimes that's a reasonable risk and sometimes it's a terrible one, and the difference depends on your situation, not on the market.
How long does the whole thing take?
From first conversation to keys, most first-time buyers take three to six months. Finding the right place is the unpredictable part. Once an offer is accepted, expect a week or two of subject removal and then anywhere from two weeks to two months to completion, depending on the dates you negotiate.
Should I buy now or wait?
Honest answer: it depends on you, not the market. If your income is stable, you plan to stay put for at least five years, and the payment fits comfortably, timing matters less than people think. If any of those three are shaky, waiting is usually the right call. I'll tell you which one I think you are.
What's the difference between a townhouse, a strata, and a detached home here?
Strata simply means shared ownership of common property — most townhouses and all condos are strata, and some detached homes are too. You pay monthly fees, you follow bylaws, and the strata handles the roof and the exterior. It's less freedom and less maintenance. Which one suits you is worth an hour of conversation before you start looking.
Can you help if I'm moving here from another province?
Yes, and a good portion of my clients are. We'll usually do the neighbourhood work over video first, then compress the viewings into a focused trip. The neighbourhood guides on this site exist mostly for you.
General information for BC buyers, not legal, tax or mortgage advice. Reviewed annually — last reviewed: [date].
No pressure, no pitch. Just a conversation.
Twenty minutes, on your schedule. Even if you're twelve months out.