{"id":504874,"date":"2026-07-15T15:12:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\/?p=504874"},"modified":"2026-07-31T15:15:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T15:15:16","slug":"buying-your-first-home-in-montreal-my-tips-as-a-real-estate-agent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\/en\/buying-your-first-home-in-montreal-my-tips-as-a-real-estate-agent\/","title":{"rendered":"First home purchase in Montreal: My tips as a Southwest Montreal Broker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the questions I get asked most often is: what advice do you have for a first home purchase? After 16 years working in Southwest Montreal, across Saint-Henri, Griffintown, Pointe-Saint-Charles, and Little Burgundy, here is what I wish someone had told me from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Start with your pre-approval, not with visits<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most common mistake I see first-time buyers make is falling in love with a property before knowing what they can actually afford. Get your mortgage pre-approval first. You will know exactly what price range to focus on, and you will be ready to act when the right property comes along.<br><br><em>(See also: <a href=\"https:\/\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\/en\/buy-a-property-in-montreal-when-is-the-right-time-southwest-montreal-real-estate-broker\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"504741\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy a Property in Montreal: When Is the Right Time?<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Choose your neighbourhood before you choose your property<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Southwest Montreal, every neighbourhood has its own personality. Saint-Henri draws young families and creative professionals. Griffintown appeals to urban buyers who want everything within walking distance. Pointe-Saint-Charles offers more space for the price. Little Burgundy combines character with accessibility.<br><br>I always recommend visiting these areas at different times of day before committing. The right neighbourhood matters just as much as the right property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Do not rely only on the listing price<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The asking price is a starting point, not an absolute truth. When I work with a buyer, I can tell them whether a property is fairly priced, overvalued, or a genuine opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Budget beyond the down payment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your first home purchase in Montreal comes with costs many buyers overlook: welcome tax, notary fees, building inspection, and tax adjustments. I always advise budgeting an additional 3 to 5 percent of the purchase price for closing costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Work with someone who knows your area<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the most important advice I can give you. Local knowledge of streets, buildings, and neighbourhood price trends makes a real difference when it is time to negotiate. I have been working in Southwest Montreal for 16 years, and that expertise shows up in every transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Your first home purchase in Montreal starts here<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you are eyeing a condo in Griffintown, a plex in Pointe-Saint-Charles, or a house in Saint-Henri, I can guide you through every step of the process, with no pressure and no agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ready to buy your first home in Montreal? Let&#8217;s talk for free<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\/en\/your-broker-for-todays-market\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\/en\/your-broker-for-todays-market\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YOUR BROKER FOR TODAY&#8217;S MARKET<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the questions I get asked most often is: what advice do you have for a first home purchase? After 16 years working in Southwest Montreal, across Saint-Henri, Griffintown, Pointe-Saint-Charles, and Little Burgundy, here is what I wish someone had told me from the start. Start with your pre-approval, not with visits The most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-504874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-greenprint-guides"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>First home purchase in Montreal: My tips as a Southwest Montreal Broker - \u00c9quipe Mark-Andr\u00e9 Martel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Buying your first home in Montreal: My advice as a real estate agent active in Saint-Henri, Griffintown, and Pointe-Saint-Charles.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First home purchase in Montreal: My tips as a Southwest Montreal Broker - \u00c9quipe Mark-Andr\u00e9 Martel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Buying your first home in Montreal: My advice as a real estate agent active in Saint-Henri, Griffintown, and Pointe-Saint-Charles.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\/en\/buying-your-first-home-in-montreal-my-tips-as-a-real-estate-agent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u00c9quipe Mark-Andr\u00e9 Martel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-15T15:12:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-31T15:15:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Grace Chumfong\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Grace Chumfong\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\\\/en\\\/buying-your-first-home-in-montreal-my-tips-as-a-real-estate-agent\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\\\/en\\\/buying-your-first-home-in-montreal-my-tips-as-a-real-estate-agent\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Grace Chumfong\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9cbe76f6c80fe9068bbfc27ebe8a9a51\"},\"headline\":\"First home purchase in Montreal: My tips as a Southwest Montreal Broker\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-15T15:12:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-31T15:15:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\\\/en\\\/buying-your-first-home-in-montreal-my-tips-as-a-real-estate-agent\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":393,\"articleSection\":[\"Our answers to your questions\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\\\/en\\\/buying-your-first-home-in-montreal-my-tips-as-a-real-estate-agent\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/marc-andre-martel-staging.jurassicodes.com\\\/en\\\/buying-your-first-home-in-montreal-my-tips-as-a-real-estate-agent\\\/\",\"name\":\"First home purchase in Montreal: My tips as a Southwest Montreal Broker - 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