Buying a Home?
10 reasons to hire an agent to search for your perfect home
By Jeff Forziatti
Whether you are looking to buy a new home or downsize your existing home, take advantage of hiring a real estate agent to work for you. Buyer’s agents are real estate agents who work specifically with buyers and dedicate their time to find a property perfect for the buyer. And, believe it or not, they are free for you most of the time. The seller of the home usually pays the fees for the agents.
1. A buyer’s agent will represent you and your best interest. The agent who has the home listed has the interest of the seller in mind. Do yourself a favor and get someone to work on your behalf.
2. It is best to contact a bank and get yourself a pre-approval letter. This will tell you what you would qualify for in a house. It’s great to know this information so you know what price range to look in. Don’t forget to consider taxes.
3. Your agent will then set you on a custom search which will have all your criteria that you are looking for in a home, including location, style, size, number of bedrooms, acreage etc.
4. Choose the homes you’d like to see, the agent will make appointments and will view them in person. It’s best to go during the day before it gets dark to get a good feel for the area and of course be able to see everything while it’s still light out!
5. Once you find the house, a good agent will do a market analysis to make sure the home is not overpriced. The agents will do their best to make sure you don’t overpay.
6. You will discuss with your agent and make an offer on the home.
7. A good agent will always recommend a home inspection. This will go into the contract as a contingency, which means the purchase offer is contingent upon a satisfactory home inspection. If for any reason there is a major issue found, you have the right to walk away from the offer or renegotiate the offer. In areas where radon is known to be high, a radon test should also be made a contingent part of the offer.
8. After you are happy with the outcome of the inspection or any issues were addressed and remedied, the agent will send a “removal of contingencies agreement” signed by both parties that says you’re both happy and are ready to proceed with the deal.
9. At this point the contract is put into the hands of your attorney. We recommend using an attorney who specializes in real estate. If you do not know any, your agent can recommend a few. This is also the time your bank begins its work and will usually have your bank commitment in about 30 days.
10. It usually takes about 60 days from accepted purchase offer until the closing date. So keep this in mind with your current living situation and plan accordingly.
Then move into your new home!
Jeff Forziati is a buyer specialist with Keller Williams Realty in DeWitt. Contact him at 315-459-6616 or jeffforziati@kw.com.