Why Work With Robin Patel?
Ontario has a great many registered real estate professionals, so the useful question is not whether you need a real estate agent — it is what value that real estate agent brings to one of the largest transactions of your life. Including the questions to ask before you hire anyone.
The short answer
Choosing a real estate agent in Ontario should turn on the answers rather than the pitch. Ask how price is evaluated, what happens in a multiple-offer situation, what due diligence is recommended and what training is held — questions Robin Patel answers from ABR®, SRS® and RENE® training, so a client understands the transaction rather than simply signs it.
Written forAnyone in the GTA choosing a real estate representative — buyers, sellers and families who want to know what to ask before they sign anything.
The short version
- The question to ask is not whether you need a real estate agent, but what value that real estate agent adds to the largest transaction you are likely to make.
- Negotiation covers price, deposit, conditions, closing date, inclusions, exclusions, repairs, representations, competing offers and timing — the best deal is not always the lowest price.
- Ontario is not one market. Brampton, Kitchener, Toronto, Milton and Oshawa differ in property type, buyer profile, employment, supply and development.
- The real cost of ownership is the mortgage payment plus property tax, insurance, utilities, condo fees, maintenance, transportation and future repairs.
- Ask any real estate agent how they evaluate price, how they handle multiple offers, what due diligence they recommend and what training they have — then choose on the answers.
The question is not “do I need a real estate agent”
There are a great many real estate professionals registered in Ontario. So the important question should not simply be: do I need a real estate agent?
It should be: what value will my real estate agent bring to one of the biggest financial transactions of my life?
Robin Patel is a REALTOR® with The Agency Toronto. His answer starts with education, because a client who understands the transaction can judge the advice being given to them.
What should a first-time buyer expect to have explained?
First-time buyers need something different from experienced buyers. You do not need someone who assumes you already understand everything. You need someone willing to explain it.
Robin’s aim is that a client understands the transaction rather than simply signs the documents.
- Mortgage pre-approval
- Down payment
- Deposits
- Closing costs
- Property taxes
- Home inspections
- Status certificates
- Comparable sales
- Offer conditions
- Negotiations
- Closing
- What happens after closing
What does ABR®, SRS® and RENE® training actually cover?
Robin’s designations cover three different sides of a real estate transaction: ABR® for buyer representation, SRS® for seller representation, and RENE® for negotiation.
They are not a substitute for experience. What they represent is that each of those three areas has been studied deliberately rather than picked up incidentally.
Negotiation is more than price
People often think negotiation means asking whether the other side will come down another ten thousand dollars.
A real estate negotiation can involve price, deposit, conditions, closing date, inclusions, exclusions, repairs, representations, competing offers and timing — usually several of them at once, and often trading one against another.
Sometimes the best transaction is not the lowest purchase price or the highest selling price. The overall terms matter.
Why are Brampton, Toronto and Kitchener treated as separate markets?
Brampton, Kitchener, Toronto, Milton and Oshawa are five separate markets, and a price or a pace of sale in one tells you very little about another.
They differ in which property types dominate, in who is buying them, in where the employment is, and in how much new supply is coming.
Robin works each of them as its own market rather than treating “the GTA market” as one identical market with one price.
How does a Gujarati or Indian family decision change the search?
Many of the families Robin works with are Gujarati or Indian, and a real estate decision there may involve parents, children and extended family at the same table.
The right property should work for the people who will actually live there — which is a different test from whether it looks like a good buy.
- Multigenerational layouts
- Separate entrances
- Basement potential
- Places of worship
- Indian grocery stores
- Community connections
- Schools
- Transit
- Highway access
- Future family needs
The numbers, not the kitchen
A beautiful kitchen should not cause you to forget the numbers.
The real cost of ownership is the purchase price plus the mortgage payment, property tax, insurance, utilities, condo fees where applicable, maintenance, transportation and future repairs. Any one of those left out of the budget is the one that causes trouble later.
A beautiful kitchen should not cause you to forget the numbers.
Does the relationship end at closing?
Closing day should not have to be the end of the relationship. Real estate needs change.
A first-time buyer can become a move-up buyer. A homeowner can become an investor. Parents may eventually help children buy. An investor may eventually sell.
Robin’s objective is to be a long-term real estate resource rather than to complete one transaction.
Questions to ask any real estate agent before hiring them
Ask these of anyone you are considering, including Robin. Choose on the quality of the answers rather than on the sales pitch.
- Who do you typically represent?
- What areas do you regularly work in?
- How will you help me evaluate price?
- How do you approach negotiations?
- What happens if there are multiple offers?
- What due diligence should I consider?
- How will we communicate?
- What professional training do you have?
- What happens after my offer is accepted?
Written by
Robin PatelSalesperson · The Agency Toronto
Updated
Published
Read in your language
A machine translation, not Robin’s words. For anything that decides money, ask him in Gujarati or Hindi directly.
