Real estate agent are trained professionals that help you navigate the home buying or selling process.
Real Estate Agents are called Different Things
Real Estate Agents are generally called realtors . Realtors assisting with buying a home are referred to as Buyers Agents. Those assisting sellers are called Seller Agents.
How do Real Estate Agents help buyers
Real estate agents help buyers by performing the following tasks:
- Locate homes within budget and search parameters
- Schedule time to view home through open houses
- Provide comparisons (comps)
- Submit offers to seller
- Negotiate offers with the sellers
- File all the necessary paperwork
- Schedule closing
Realtors assist you through the entire home buying process
Your realtor will help you find and research available homes for sale in your area within your budget and requirements.
She should have knowledge about local neighborhoods, school districts, information and other insider info.
She will also have a network professionals to assist you. They include mortgage lenders, title companies and inspectors.
When you find a home that you would like to buy, she will help you submit an offer. She will write a sales contract to present to the seller and negotiate until you satisfied with the terms or decide to stop .
Once your offer is accepted, your real estate agent will help navigate each step in the closing process. If you weren’t pre-qualified for a home loan, she will also work with you to gather the necessary elements to obtain a mortgage.
How to find a good Real Estate Agent
How do you know if he will really work for you? Is he too busy for you? What of his personal integrity? How much effort will he expend for you?
Comfortable
You will want to feel very comfortable with the real estate agent that you choose, comfortable enough to be able to say ‘no’ to the bargain of the month and ‘no’ to the almost perfect house.
Not Intimidating
She must not be intimidating to you, yet a business-like attitude and assertiveness are qualities you will want in a professional acting for you.
Often when you are choosing a business professional, the outcome is not so critical, but who wants to lose their dream property? Choosing a real estate agent falls into the same bracket as choosing a medical doctor or a lawyer.
Setup a formal interview
The interview is really all about finding an agent that you feel comfortable with. You are going to be spending a lot of time together of the coming weeks visiting homes and discussing various options.
Real estate agents usually have a ‘presentation’. This is usually a very business-like procedure and if they are having an off day, the presentation may click in automatically.
However, you will need to get past the ‘rehearsed’ person and get to know the real one. Most real estate agents will have integrity, they have their reputations to think about, but you need to feel that you also have one that understands you and your wants.
Some real estate agents have amazing sales records, so ask about sales history. Ask if he would mind giving you some recent sales to choose references from. Gather up at least half a dozen and then choose your own references to phone. Before you phone, ask the real estate agent a few questions.
For instance: How long was each house on the market? How many were reduced and why? How many times and by how much?
How do real estate agents get paid?
Realtors earn a commission paid as a percentage of the final home sale price. The commission paid by the seller and by the buyer, split 50% each. For example, a $100,000 house with a %6 commission would be $6,000 total and $3000 individually..
In Closing
A good real estate agent will assist you through the entire buying a home process. She will manage details such as scheduling home inspections, scheduling open houses, making an offer, and quickly closing.
