Realtors can help you find the perfect house

Realtors can help you find the perfect house - saving you time and money!

When you have decided that you are ready to buy a house, and have determined what features are “must have” and what are “wish list”, and have done some research into communities or neighborhoods that appeal to you, the hard work really begins.

You scour the newspapers looking for the perfect home to buy. You spend endless hours racing to get to an open house in time, just to be disappointed that it doesn’t really meet your expectations. Every weekend is filled with househunting and the frustration increases daily. You see, having made the decision to buy a house, you want to do it quickly… you want to be able to get the perfect house at the lowest possible price… and when that doesn’t happen in a week… or three weeks… or two months… it becomes very stressful to continue searching.

But, let's say that you actually find the right house… and the selling agent or owner asks for proof of your ability to purchase (a prequalification letter). Hmmm… what is that? The seller has another potential purchaser who DOES have a prequalification letter that tells the seller that the potential purchaser already has been approved for the finance needed to purchase this house. The seller accepts the offer from another buyer (or possibly has little experience in handling multiple offers)… and you miss out on the perfect house.

Your plan is simple… do it all yourself, scour the papers, negotiate the best deal and buy your new home.

It doesn’t have to be this way!

Kent sez: “Save yourself time and money by using a professional real estate agent to help you buy your new house!”

Buying a house CAN be a stress free, exciting and thoroughly enjoyable time. In fact… it SHOULD be all of this and more.

Using a professional realtor or home consultant as your buying agent will help the entire process to be easier, stress free and enjoyable.

It works like this. You contact a realtor and tell him what you are looking for. A good realtor will listen carefully to what you want, will talk with you about your lifestyle, family needs and other pertinent information. He will also ensure that you are a capable buyer. By this I mean that you have already put in place the needed finance… and if you haven’t, he will help you to find it. He will ask for your list of “must haves” and also your “wish list”. When he is completely sure he knows what you want, he will start the search for the perfect house for you to buy.

If he is any good, he will generate a list of available properties that meet all of your “must haves” and fall into the price range you can afford. He will arrange for private viewings of these houses at a time that suits you. No more driving around looking at unsuitable houses. No more “open houses” where you try to look around while several other potential buyers are there. A good agent will only show you those houses that meet your needs.

A good professional realtor also has experience in the local area. He will have worked in the property market for several years, and has an intimate knowledge of the local areas and the housing availability. More importantly, he has intimate knowledge of property values… what similar houses have sold for recently, what is happening in the local property market and how many similar properties are currently available. All this knowledge adds up to his being able to guide you on the true market values of the properties you are considering. He will be able to advise you if the sell price is too high… or if the house is a true bargain.

He also has easy access to listings of nearly every house that is on the market. You can access this information without appointing a buyers agent… but your agent can do it quicker, easier and more effectively due to his local property knowledge.

Appointing a professional realtor as your “buyers agent” will save more time than you can imagine… not to mention reducing the emotional stresses you would otherwise endure.

Now, it gets even better. Because the professional real estate agent is always “in the market” he will have an intimate knowledge of the best lenders available, and what the current mortgage rates are. He will be able to put you in touch with a trusted lender to get you prequalified (remember the prequalification letter?) and the lowest interest rate available.

Now… when you have found the perfect house, your professional realtor will conduct all the purchase negotiations for you on your behalf. He will work with you to secure the house at the lowest possible price.

Appointing a professional real estate agent as your “buyers agent” will save more money than you can imagine… not to mention reducing the emotional stresses you would otherwise endure.

What does it cost for all of this?

Nothing! Nada! Zip!

This is a free service to the buyer.

It is free to the buyer because the agent will receive a fee from the seller’s commission when the property is sold. In other words, the selling agent is prepared to split his commission with another agent who brings him a buyer.

We need a reality check here.

A cynic would say that if the selling agent is PAYING for a buyer, then it is in the best interests of the buyer’s agent to make sure you buy the house. This is indeed absolutely correct… and is exactly what you have appointed the agent to do. Find you a house to buy. There is no conflict of interest here… you want to buy the right house, and when your agent finds a house you want, he gets paid by the seller. Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Now for another reality check.

According to national statistics, in 1999 “sale by owners” accounted for only 16% of all houses sold in the nation. This means that a whopping 84% of all home sales were handled through selling agents.

Now, if you do not wish to appoint an independent agent as your buyer’s agent, chances are that you will appoint the sellers agent as your buyers agent when you find the perfect house. There is nothing wrong with this, but you must know that the first duty of a selling agent is to his client (the seller). Now, an honest realtor will have no difficulty in representing both parties fairly, but think about this for a minute. You have done ALL the hard work yourself… and the Sellers agent gets to keep ALL the commission. It seems that you would be far better off allowing someone else to do ALL the hard work for you… especially when it costs you nothing!

There is one more good reason for using a professional realtor as your buyer’s agent. He has done this many, many times before, and can coach you in the steps necessary to make it a quite painless and very enjoyable event for you. He will be able to walk you through each step of the escrow process, make recommendations for pre-purchase house inspections, help you in the search for the lowest possible finance, and help you in any way you need.

And it doesn’t cost you one red cent!

Why would anyone want to buy a house without utilizing the services of a local real estate professional as their buyer’s agent?

We hope this information has been helpful to you. If you are ready to start looking to buy a home, why not check out “Petersens Picks” which is a selection of Kent’s more interesting properties currently for sale in the Antelope Valley. If you would like to know more about the Antelope Valley, click here. You may discover what we already know - the Antelope Valley is an excellent place to live!

If you are looking for a house in the Antelope Valley, our team at AV HomeConsultants would love the opportunity to discuss your needs. For more information on our particular skills and services check out our “meet the team” page.

If you want to buy outside of the Antelope Valley, we can put you in touch with a realtor who will be happy to help you find just the right house. Just send us some details and let us take it from there. It IS that easy!