Thursday, September 30, 2010

GET A REALTOR FOR YOUR “VERY OWN”

The fall market has kept many Realtors busy and there is plenty of inventory to keep buyers busy as well. Looking for just the right property can be a full time job for buyers whose busy lives leave limited time for their search. There are almost as many real estate sites as there are homes for sale and the process itself can be both confusing and overwhelming. What’s a buyer to do? Get yourself a professional Realtor to call your very own.
Realtors work with sellers when they list properties for sale and Realtors work with buyers who are looking to buy properties. Many buyers already understand the value and peace of mind that comes from working with one Realtor who knows what his/her client wants as well as he/she knows the market and how to find it.
Dan and Margo are renting presently and they spend every spare moment looking for just the right home to purchase. They are not working with a professional Realtor and they have not yet had a professional lender go over their finances in order to provide them with a pre approval letter that determines the price range that would work for them.
After months of driving through communities all over the North Shore and stopping in to countless open houses, they drove by the “house of their dreams” recently. It looked like everything they wanted. When they called the number on the sign they learned that the house was under agreement and scheduled to close the following week. Had they been working with a professional Realtor, they would most likely have known about the property as soon as it came on the market and they would not have lost the opportunity.
Ken and Carla’s home is scheduled to close. They have not yet found their next home. Although Carla thought it best to have a professional Realtor represent their interests on the buying end, Ken did not want to be “tied down” to working with one Realtor. Every Sunday Ken prepares a list of open houses from internet sites he has located. He and Carla pack up the children and drive from one open house to the next. Each time they enter an open house they are asked to sign the guest register. There is a section of the register where a guest can sign in his/her professional Realtor’s name instead of his/her own. Ken and Carla have no such professional representation. In a few weeks they and their children will have to be out of their home and they are scrambling to make last minute arrangements without the assistance of a professional Realtor.
Mark is a first time home buyer. Like many buyers, Mark does not understand the value of working with one professional Realtor whose fiduciary duty is to represent Mark’s interests from start to finish. Instead of choosing one professional Realtor to learn Mark’s exact needs, focus all attention and apply all skills to meet those needs, Mark converses with every Realtor he meets at open houses. He also calls Realtors whose numbers appear on the yard signs and he makes appointments with them to see the properties as he is entitled to do. The Realtors he calls are obliged to disclose to Mark that they represent the interests of the seller. Regardless, Mark engages in lengthy discussions without the benefit of a professional Realtor representing his interests. Mark does not understand that he has disclosed sensitive information about his circumstances that impact his ability to negotiate from a position of strength. The seller’s Realtor must act in the best interest of the seller and in the absence of a professional Realtor to represent Mark’s interests, the seller remains in a far better position.
Mike and Karin have sent out invitations to family, friends and to their professional Realtor for a housewarming party. They understood the value of working with one professional Realtor who understood exactly how to meet their needs. On the same day they closed on the home they sold, they also closed on the home of their dreams that they purchased with their professional Realtor’s constant representation and guidance. They never spent one dime out of pocket for that protection or representation and the transition was as stress less as possible.
“Realtor hopping” or “tail spinning shopping” is for the uninformed who continue to lose out on opportunities, and run amok through a market that can be unforgiving. Every one deserves the kind of experience that leads to a happy home, so choose an experienced Realtor, say a prayer to the real estate gods and off you go!

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