My husband and I have bought two homes now and both times we hired a real estate agent to help us. Many people know that a real estate agent can help you to sell your home, but not everyone knows that real estate agents also offer the service of helping you to find your home as well. When an agent helps you buy a home, they are considered a “Buyer’s Agent”.
Below are three reasons why I recommend that you hire a Buyer’s Agent to help you while looking for a new home:
1. Agents do all the leg work
They will help you find the home you want. They have access to MLS and other listings and can provide you with indepth details on the homes you are looking at. A thorough agent will also research homes that were sold in that area in the past, so you have a good idea as to what homes are worth in the specific area that you are interested in.
They will make all the arrangements for you – they will contact the seller’s agent to arrange a time for you to see the home, and they will walk you through the homes.
2. Agents can point out flaws and advantages of the homes you look at.
Select an agent with a lot of experience who will be able to help pinpoint various potential issues with the properties you look at. You want someone who will give you their honest opinion of the home. One of the best agents we worked with treated our home purchase as if it was his own, meaning that every house he took us to he pointed out all the flaws in addition to the good points. Please note that it is still a good idea to hire a home inspector, and to make sure that you put that condition on your offer to purchase. Even the most experienced real estate agents may miss something that an experienced inspector would notice, so don’t skip the inspector and rely entirely on your real estate agent’s opinion.
3. Agents help you do the deal
A good agent will give you solid advice on the amount of money you should offer for a particular home. They will also be able to help you negotiate the deal and will fill out the offer to purchase with you. They will tell you of the standard conditions you need to include and a good agent will also recommend that you include a condition for a home inspection. That way if the inspector tells you the house has a major problem, you can cancel your offer without any penalty.
Be selective and hire an agent that makes you feel comfortable.
Not all agents are created equal. A good buyer’s agent will provide you with written material outlining expected costs of home ownership, as well as maps and information on houses recently sold in the area you are looking to buy in. Ask good questions before hiring an agent, and remember, if you don’t feel that they have your best interests at heart, then find someone else to help you. Never stick with one that gives you a bad gut feeling.
How are Buyer’s Agents compensated?
Using a buyer’s agent has not only made our home purchases easier, they have also helped us to reduce our costs. The nice thing about having a buyer’s agent is that you do not have to pay any commission for the service. The agent will receive their commission from the seller. It is important to note, however, that many buyer’s agents will not take you to look at homes that are sold privately as this would result in you, the buyer, having to pay your agent’s commission. So, if you prefer to buy privately, then you must take this into consideration when hiring a buyer’s agent.
2 Comments
It’s important that the buyer/seller and the agent have good relationship. You rely on the information provided by the agent and if you don’t have a good business relationship, chances are your agent may not present all the facts to you. Choose an agent that you are comfortable with and you can trust your instinct in finding the best buyer agent for you.