Buying a Home
Congratulations! You have made the decision to purchase a home! You have already spoken with a mortgage loan officer and they have qualified you for “X” amount to purchase a home. Most people that have made the decision to purchase a home start looking for homes online with Zillow or Trulia, for example. These are great sites to get started with because they will give you an idea of what homes are available on the real estate market.
Open Houses
Some people like to go to Open Houses. At an open house, you have an opportunity to view homes and this is a great way to give you ideas for finding what type of home you may want to buy. You decide to take a drive and check out some of the open houses in the neighborhood. Before you know it you’re walking through the door of a charming home, speaking to a real estate agent who’s telling you all the virtues of this wonderful home. The real estate agent will probably ask if you have spoken with a mortgage loan officer, which you reply yes. They may start asking a few questions. Is this home in your price range? How much did your loan officer “qualify” you for? What do you like about this home? Pretty harmless questions right? But what you do not realize, this real estate agent that is asking you these questions is not working for you! He or she is representing the seller, the individual whose home is for sale. Why would this matter you may ask? Let me explain.
Why you need a Buyer’s Agent
Not all real estate agents when you first met or speak with, are representing you! You will want to find a real estate agent to represent you on your purchase of a home. Your Buyer’s Agent will:
- Help you find the right property for you.
- They will help you determine the right price for purchasing your new home.
- Present your offer to the Seller and negotiate all terms of the agreement.
- Recommend other professional people to assist you with your purchase.
- Guide you through the negotiation process for your new home.
Once you agree to work with a real estate agent for help you buy your home, you will need to sign a contract called an Exclusive Buyer Agency Agreement which will outline the agent’s services and how they will be paid. This contract states that this agent will be your sole representative and that you won’t work with any other buyer’s agents. I will go into more more on Buyer Agency Agreements in another blog article.
As your Buyer’s Agent, I will use my 18 years of experience to help you make these important decisions and will work with you from the beginning to the end of your real estate purchase. I will help you through all the negotiation process from helping you find that just right home to when you sit down in the attorney’s office for final signatures! Put my real estate expertise to help you negotiate through the home-buying process!
