Let’s set the scene.

You are scrolling listings. You find the one.
Open concept. Big backyard. Dream kitchen.
Your heart says yes.

And your bank account says… you are not even pre-approved yet.

Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is one of the most important first steps in buying a home. Yet so many buyers skip this part. They head out to showings, fall in love with a house, then scramble to figure out if they can actually afford it.

That is backwards. Like packing for the airport after you have already boarded the plane.

So, how does pre-approval work? Let’s talk about it.

What Is Mortgage Pre-Approval?

First, this is not scary, permanent, or some life-altering commitment.

Pre-approval is simply a letter from a lender or mortgage broker saying, based on your income, debt, down payment, and credit score, here is how much you could borrow to buy a home right now.

That is it. It gives you a clear picture of what is realistic before you start house hunting.

How Do You Get Pre-Approved?

You contact a mortgage broker or your bank. Someone who does this for a living.

They will ask for:
✅ Income details (pay stubs, T4s, employment letter)
✅ Debt info (car loans, credit cards, student loans)
✅ Proof of your down payment (savings, RRSPs, gift letters)
✅ They will check your credit score

And yes, they will look at your bank statements. And maybe your Starbucks bill. No judgement. Well, maybe a little.

Why You Need Pre-Approval Before House Hunting

A lot of buyers think they can just look around first and worry about pre-approval later.

Bad idea.

Without pre-approval, you are guessing at your price range. You risk falling in love with homes you cannot afford, wasting time, and potentially missing out on homes you can buy because you were not ready.

Even worse, you might write an offer and then discover your financing will not come through.

Bottom Line:

Get pre-approved first. House hunt second. Regret, ideally never.

If you want a little more info on how to get started, or need a great mortgage broker, DM me any time. I will point you in the right direction.

Tabitha Baete
Tabitha Lynne Baete Personal Real Estate Corporation
Real Broker
204-330-1103

You ever try selling a house with your ex while you are both still living in it?

It is... an experience.

Think about it. You are listing the home, and the emotional baggage, at the same time. You are staging your living room, but no one is really speaking. You are arranging throw pillows, but every single one feels like a battle for control.

And do not get me started on the thermostat settings.

Here is what most people do not tell you. The house is not the only thing being sold. It is the last shared thing. And suddenly, every lightbulb, every curtain rod, every stray toaster becomes a symbol of something much bigger.

It is emotional warfare, disguised as home prep.

So how do you actually get through it?
Here is my advice.

1. Pick your battles and lose most of them, strategically.
You are selling peace as much as you are selling square footage. The fewer skirmishes, the better your home will show.

2. Keep the focus on the goal.
The sooner you sell, the sooner everyone moves forward. Lingering on minor details will only stall progress.

3. Bring in neutral third parties, starting with your Realtor.
When no one can agree on what stays, what goes, or what gets packed away for staging, I step in. My job is to guide both parties toward a result everyone can live with. Literally.

Because here is the thing. Peaceful listings sell.

If you are in this situation and need expert help to navigate the sale, with less drama and more results, reach out anytime.

Tabitha Baete
Tabitha Lynne Baete Personal Real Estate Corporation
Real Broker
204-330-1103

Let’s clear something up right out of the gate. The number one mistake sellers make before their home even hits the market?
It’s not forgetting to vacuum the baseboards.
It’s not leaving up the glittery “Live, Laugh, Love” decals.
And it’s definitely not your kitchen’s questionable paint colour, although we should probably talk about that at some point.

It’s price.
Just price.

This is the moment where sellers everywhere collectively sigh and say, “Well yeah, but my house is different.”

Spoiler alert. It’s probably not.

Here’s the thing. Pricing a home isn’t about choosing a number that feels right or matches what your neighbour got two summers ago. It’s not about what you need to get out of it, or how much you’ve spent on upgrades, or what your cousin’s coworker thinks it’s worth.

It’s strategy.
Not wishful thinking.

When sellers get emotionally attached to a number, it stops being a plan and starts becoming a gamble. And not the fun kind with poker chips and tiny umbrellas in your drink. The kind where the stakes are your time on market, your negotiating leverage, and in many cases, tens of thousands of dollars.

Why overpricing hurts more than you think

Let’s say you list high.
Buyers scroll past.
Showings are quiet.
Weeks pass.
You adjust the price.
But now the listing feels stale. The excitement is gone and you’re playing catch-up instead of creating momentum.

Buyers assume something is wrong. Other agents start saying, “That one’s been sitting a while.” Offers, if they come at all, are below asking and full of conditions. You might end up with less than if you had just priced it right in the first place.

This isn’t because your home isn’t beautiful or worthy.
It’s because the market rewards accuracy, not optimism.

The right price creates demand.
The wrong price chokes it.

The market moves fast

Once your home is live, you don’t get a redo on first impressions.
You can’t explain your pricing logic after buyers have already moved on.
That window of peak interest? It’s short.

The longer your home sits, the more questions people ask.
Why hasn’t it sold?
What’s wrong with it?
Should we wait for another price drop?

Buyers aren’t waiting around. They’re comparing your home to every other one they’ve seen. If it doesn’t make sense on paper, they scroll on without a second thought.

So what’s the fix?

Work with a professional who’s not afraid to tell you the truth about where your home fits in the current landscape. Look at what’s sold, what’s sitting, and what today’s buyers are actually willing to pay.

Because pricing isn’t just about the number you want.
It’s about the result you need.

And the right number?
It sets everything in motion.