Part 1 of: What do I need to know when buying a house?

In its truest form real estate is a beautiful thing.  It offers people a place to lay their head, call home, and create something where they can retreat from all of the chaos this world offers us…  It is a great investment tool as well, a place for people to generate income, provide tax shelter,have an asset that appreciates, etc…

What I have found is that people do not understand the process and how important it is to have a great team surrounding you so let’s break down the process and the key players involved in a transaction.

REALTOR:

• Buying- Choosing a realtor that is at the top of their game is essential when buying a home.  A top producing realtor has experience.  They are a top producing realtor for a reason and refined their skills to get them where they are.  A top producing realtor really listens when you are describing what type of home you are looking for.  If they really hear you when you are talking about your “wants”, your “must haves”, what you “don’t want”, etc… they will not waste time showing you homes that do not meet your criteria.  By doing this they eliminate frustration, confusion, and more importantly they are not wasting your time.  Typically a top producing agent is well connected within the industry.  What does this mean to you?  Well, people usually want to do business with them so they will sometimes have first dibs on a property before it hits the market and potentially save you thousands of dollars by avoiding competing offers.  Top producing agents are usually a top producing agents because of the amount of transactions they close (that is why they are a top producer)… This means that they have more scenarios under their belt than the next agent and therefore they are always refining their negotiation skills.  People tend to forget that real estate is a business transaction.  As a buyer/seller you don’t always remember that because to you it is personal and that is why you need a top producing agent that is constantly in negotiations.  If they are constantly negotiating they are never “rusty”.   I hear a lot of people that use a “family member”, “friend of the family” or an aunts, cousins, nephew that just got their license because the agent has agreed to “give up” some of their commission because of the “personal connection”.  Now is not the time for that.  What good does that do you if you miss out on your dream house because you have an agents that was not on top of things, or was not able to “negotiate the deal” for you??
•  Selling- So you have decided to sell your home for whatever reason.   Maybe you want to buy a bigger house, buy a smaller house, your job is moving you out of state, you’re getting a divorce (hey it happens), the reasons for selling go on and on but one thing stays constant… You want top dollar for your house.  A lot of the reasons you pick top producing realtor to help you buy a house carry over to why you would pick a top producing agent to help you sell your house but let’s recap anyways…  They listen to why you are selling, what you need to sell it for, how quickly you need to sell etc… They are well connected and people want to do business with them,  so this means more exposure for the house you are trying to sell and the law of numbers says that the more people that see your house, the higher the potential for multiple offers. Again, they are a top producer for a reason and have their negotiation skills dialed in and can help ensure you get top dollar because they won’t get “bullied”, or “out smarted” by another agent because remember to you this is personal but at the end of the day, it is a business transaction.  A top producing agent is always taking part in continuing education and that can mean a wide array of things such as technology and how to use it.  A few examples might be the internet… a top producing agent will list your home on an exorbitant amount of websites increasing exposure.  They might be up to date on tablets, applications that will simplify documents that you need to sign and therefore de cluttering the process.  They are constantly learning about what is “new” and “cutting edge” on photography, how to hold an open house… the sky is the limit.
• The process- again they are a top producing agent for a reason.  They have “been there before”, they know all the disclosures, they know the process and when “to do what”.  They most likely have a team of people therefore even if they are not available, someone on their team is helping ensure there are no delays in the process.

There are so many intangibles that a top producing real estate agent brings to the table but these are some of the main things, that the average consumer may not think of when selecting an agent to represent them.

If you need a good real estate agent and would like a recommendation give me a call at (949) 500-1337 or email me at nchabolla@wccloans.com

Stay tuned for Lender, escrow, home inspectors, etc…