International Buyers

I live and work in Kitchener-Waterloo. In recent years the area has been booming with tech startups and touts itself as the Silicon Valley of the North.  We also have two highly regarded Universities and a large College.  Those factors attract people from all over the world to our community.

As a result I find myself working with international buyers more frequently. Here are some tips I find helpful: 

Communication:
Don’t communicate only via email. It’s very impersonal and messages can fall flat. Set up a time to meet either via skype, Face Time or even the phone. 

Time:
Be cognizant that international Buyers are usually in different time zones. No one wants to wait for hours and hours for replies to messages.  To facilitate things I always try to adapt to their schedule during correspondence, even if that means early mornings or late nights.  Further, don’t forget the holidays we observe here are different than elsewhere. I recently had an American client set up a conference call on our Canadian Thanksgiving

Trust:
Establishing trust is paramount. The international buyer doesn’t know you or the area. Meeting via video conferencing puts a face to a name and begins establishing the relationship. Being able to do simple things like recommend a restaurant or schools for the kids is also a big help. Further, be honest and lay out the advantages and disadvantages of neighbourhoods under consideration.