Planting the real estate seed...

I'm not going to say that real estate is easy, but getting the word out that I'm going to be a real estate agent is pretty easy. It's a good introduction for people. It allows me to let them know that if they ever need someone to buy or sell a home that I would be available to them. The person may not be ready to buy or sell right away, but at least they know that I will soon be able to help them out.

So, when do I get my licence? Well, that isn't for certain yet. There are three courses that I need to pass first to be eligible. Typically, as I understand, it should take about 6 months to complete. Unfortunately, I don't think I want to spend that much time waiting for the exams to occur. I'm going to push myself to write right away, so that I can begin selling in 2009. I'm not sure if it's even possible with the way the exams are scheduled, but I will push for that.

So, if you're sitting there thinking, I think I would like to help Chad out with getting started in real estate, well, here's something I can do for you now. I'm going to give you a little bit of planning advice. If you're seriously thinking about buying a house in the near future, begin by putting money into an RRSP. You're going to need a downpayment for the house, so you might as well do this. Under a program called the Home Buyer's Plan (HBP), you can withdraw up to $20,000 from your RRSP for your first home. The only catch is that the money has to have been in your RRSP for 90 days. Therefore, before you go and start looking for your home, you should be putting your downpayment into an RRSP, so that you will be able to save on your taxes next year, and have a decent downpayment for your home.

So, how does this help me? Well, first, it gets me 90 days closer to my real estate licence. :P Next, it will also give you a natural buffer for giving yourself enough time to make the right decision on likely your biggest investment decision of your life. That way, I can ensure that you will be a very satisfied customer and that you will refer me to anyone else you know that may be looking at purchasing a home.