In Britain the usual practice when buying a home is to trawl through newspaper and internet adverts then contact the agent who is advertising the particular property that interests you. If you then view the property and like what you see you will make an offer to that agent.
In Canada things work a little differently. There are buyers agents and sellers agents. When you want to buy a home, you just need to find one estate agent (realtor) that you like and get on well with. Spend some time chatting with them about your needs, budget etc so they really understand what you are looking for. That one agent is then able to show you ANY property currently on the market in your area, regardless of which agent is advertising and listing the property for sale. When you find a home that you like, you discuss the offer with YOUR realtor. They then present the offer to the other party and work as a negotiator on your behalf. They are working for YOU not the seller. The agent then receives commission from the seller and you do not incur any fees.
In some situations you may like a home that your own realtor has got listed for sale. In this case they are acting on behalf of both you (the buyer) and the seller. In this situation they have various obligations to maintain a good level of transparency and integrity in representing both parties. They will be obliged to explain all of this to you at the time so that you are aware they are acting for both parties.
You can find out all about how a real estate agent can help you and how they work by visiting the British Columbia Real Estate Agents web page at www.bcrea.bc.ca or check www.howrealtorshelp.ca – from here you can also find listings of agents in your area.
Don’t be surprised when your realtor goes above and beyond what we would normally consider the call of duty. They will drive you around on home tours in their own vehicle, often booking out an entire day to show you around the area and view properties. They will probably send you birthday cards or give you a Christmas gift. They will help you to buy furniture and find all the ameneties in your local area. Don’t feel that they are sucking up to you – this is what realtors do for their customers (their clients really are important to them!) and ultimately, this seems to be what nice friendly Canadians do!