|
|
|
|
|
|
Why Do You Need A Realtor? With a family and trying to pay the bills we did not have the time to drive around looking at houses for sale. And we definitely did not have the time to do the research. And even if I would of had the time, I would not have known what I was researching. Plus the internet, one of your best tools when doing your initial research right now, was nothing more than a general purpose toy for us geeks to play with. Yep I fall into that category as my education is in computer software engineering, not real estate.
At that time the way you found real estate and homes that were for sale was the newspaper classifieds, the free newspapers outside the convince stores, signs in yards, word of mouth, and realtors. And the realtors had all the information that we wanted, even when at the time we did not know we wanted it. They could pull up tax appraisal info, square footage, owner occupied or not, school district, how long on the market, and possible current leins on the property. And of course what the asking price was and if there were any terms being offered. Now a days most of this information can be found on line. So if that is not an issue anymore why would you still want or need a realtor? If you have never gone through the full process of purchasing a home or any real estate transaction it would probably be a good idea to use a professional for your first couple transactions. Another reason would be that if the home your interested in is listed. When I am interested in a property that is listed I like to use my own realtor that knows me and knows what I am typically interested in when looking at or purchasing a property. My realtor knows I can be creative in my offers, and knows that I will structure the offer in such a way that it works for me while still trying to be an offer the seller will consider or counter. Where as the sellers realtor may not even be willing to write the offer, or in some cases not understand what I am trying to do. In another article I will write about my support people that save me time and money which includes my realtor. If or when the offer is accepted the realtor will do a lot of the paper shuffling and get a lot of the contingencies that may be part of the offer taken care of and removed, and since he doesn't get paid until the purchase is completed he will be helping to get it closed as quickly as possible, as my realtor knows that once I have an accepted offer, I am going to want the transaction completed. I am looking to get into the property, make what ever repairs or alterations to it for the purpose I plan on using it for (probably a rental as that is what I am usually looking for) and then start looking for my next one. Your realtor is also a great source of information in what and where the market is going and what is hot and what is not in the current market. And believe it or not I am more interested in what is not hot than what is. Even today with all the sources of information at our disposal your realtor is still a source for leads on property. If he or she knows what your interested in and hears about a newly listed property or maybe one that has just been listed for a while and knows the seller is starting to get a little more motivated, I am probably the first person he calls.
Now keep in mind your realtor is a realtor to pay his bills. So if he or she is not making money off you, or your not making any offers through them, they are going to stop taking your calls. My realtor usually make most of his money off from me when I sell rather than when I am buying. I list most of the properties that I am selling as I do not like to meet prospective buyers, and do not enjoy the selling as much as I enjoy the buying. The exception to this is when I am selling a property on terms rather than for cash. The reason being that there usually is not enough room to pay the realtor his deserved commission. And finally one of the best reasons to use a realtor in some transactions is that they are considered an expert and are held accountable to a licensing board as well as the Realtors Association. This makes them accountable for certain business practices and to follow local, state and federal guidelines in the purchase and sale of homes and other real estate properties. |
Related Articles How Do I Structure The Offer To Purchase A Home Do You Need A Real Estate Attorney Why An Owner Will Finance A Home - Seller Financed Properties |
How To Buy A Home