Realty Complete Buying a Home |
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Everything a
Buyer Should Know A GOOD AGENT CAN
GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE ENTIRE PROCESS You might
be thinking early on that if you
bought a house For Sale By Owner, you could save the money that would be paid
to an agent. How many sellers out there
do you think are saying to themselves, “If I do all the work myself, I can
save that buyer some money!”? Sellers
that don’t use an agent are trying to save themselves money, not you. Plus there are a lot of things that can go
wrong without using an agent. You
have to ask yourself some important questions. For example, is everything being disclosed to you? An agent can help you get most For Sale By
Owners and most new home developers will also cooperate with agents. You may also be thinking that you’ll scan the papers and
drive around looking for open house signs, and then get an agent when you
find the right house. This will cost
you money, waste a lot of time unnecessarily and make it much less likely
that you will find the house that is most suitable to your needs. You can’t drive down every street or look
at every ad. You might miss out on
the perfect house! The smartest move
you can make is to find a real estate agent before you do anything else. One other common mistake is to buy a house from the listing
agent. Buyers think the listing agent
will know more about the house. What
do you think they are going to tell you that they wouldn’t tell an agent you
are working with? Also, in most
states the listing agent is obligated to pass on information concerning any
material defect with the property, and under fair housing laws, they are not
allowed to discuss information about people or certain things about the
neighborhood, whether they are working with you or not. In other words, you have nothing to gain
by working with the listing agent. You do, however, have a lot to lose. The listing agent is representing the
seller! Their job is to look out for
the seller’s financial best interest, not yours. Working with the listing agent might cost you thousands of
dollars! Most states have some form
of buyer agency available. A buyer’s
agent can negotiate on your behalf and get you a much better deal. If a buyer’s agent is not representing
you, you are on your own. Even if you
think you are a skilled negotiator, it is highly unlikely that you are
prepared to negotiate against a real estate agent that is doing this for a
living. The buyer’s agent will be
aware of negotiating tools that may never occur to you. continued |