It is often said that buying your home will be the largest and most important purchase in your life. For most people this is true. Interestingly, many home buyers including some first time buyers believe that they cannot benefit from the services of an experienced Ottawa real estate agent. Another little known fact is that the vast majority of professional real estate investors with years of home buying and selling experience use competent Ottawa real estate agents to assist them. There are important services a great realtor can provide the home buyer. One of the most basic service buyers receive from real estate agents is an honest, straightforward and blunt opinion on what they can actually afford to purchase. A good agent will always sit down and analyse the financial situation of the buyer to give them proper advice about what areas they can afford to live in and what type of houses are available in their price range. Often Ottawa home buyers have little knowledge about owning a condo or a family home, property tax, home insurance and other costs of home ownership. Working with a real estate agent from the start of the home search process will ensure that the buyer will not waste their time looking for unaffordable properties to end up deeply disappointed when they cannot receive the financing for their dream home.