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Buyers
would do well to opt for professional representation when purchasing ANY
property.
Here's why.
Negotiating Power
Having an agent by your side during negotiations can save you thousands of
dollars. Your agent will be armed with ALL the relevant comparable sales
(not just the really favorable ones that the seller may provide for you),
as well as any other financial information you may need.
Protection
Even if the seller is the most honest, forthright person on the face of
the earth -- he or she may still fail to disclose something important, or
inadvertently discriminate -- through ignorance. An agent is a trained professional who knows the area and protects
your interests. For example, would you be happy to discover, one month
after closing, that a proposed highway is to be built in your backyard,
and the seller hadn't received a formal notice, so he didn't disclosed it
to you? A good agent could uncover this fact BEFORE you buy.
Objective Professional Opinion
Sometimes, you may identify a property by riding around and seeing a sign
on the lawn. The house looks good and you get out of the car and knock on
the door. The people are nice, the home is great, and, before you know it,
you are mentally placing your furniture in the living room. At this point,
you are totally, emotionally involved. While loving your potential 'new
home' is a good thing, the addition of a more objective, professional
opinion is certainly a valuable asset. Your agent can either reinforce
your emotional decision, or bring you back to reality, depending upon the
facts. Either way, you're a winner.
Experience, Expertise, Information
An agent can fill in all the gaps, and answer all the questions you have.
Your agent can provide you with information on the school district, the
neighbourhood demographics, the cost of living, shopping, transportation,
job opportunities, and much more. Through today's technology and the
Internet, along with your agent's intimate knowledge of the selling area,
you can cross the threshold of your new home for the first time without
feeling like "the new kid on the block"!
Costs
you no more to utilize an Agent
In many instances, sellers have already "built in" an agent's commission
when pricing their homes, and will gladly accept a written offer from you
that contains provisions for them to pay your Agent's fee. This is not
unlike "new construction". When you walk into a sample home, do you see
two different price sheets; one for those who are alone and a higher price
sheet for those accompanied by a real estate agent? Of course not. If the
builder is lucky enough to have you walk in by yourself, then he keeps the
portion for the Representative. He does not rebate it to you! The same
holds true for the majority of sellers. While they are looking for as much
money from the sale of their homes as possible, they also realize that
many buyers will be uncomfortable without representation, and they, like
builders, plan accordingly.
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