NOT seeking the assistance of a Realtor.
Thinking you can venture into the home buying process by yourself is a surefire prescription for frustration, sleepless nights and many headaches. The first action to the start of a great home buying experience is seeking the expert help and advice of a good Realtor. To be more specific, you will want a good buyer’s agent at your side for many reasons. First, they have an exclusive fiduciary responsibility to you, the buyer. Second, a buyer’s agent can assist in getting your finances in order, recommend trusted lenders, and provide you with the best home search options. Lastly, when you are ready to see homes you are interested in, your Realtor can easily arrange for showings at a time that is convenient to you.
Without a Realtor from the beginning, you may waste a lot of time on some real estate sites finding great homes, only to learn that they have been sold a week or even months ago, which will lead to one source of those headaches I mentioned earlier. Let’s pretend for a moment that you found a home on the internet which you want to see as soon as possible, but you don’t have a Realtor. What do you do? Without a Realtor there are not many options. You can drive over to the house and see if the sellers will let you in. That’s really NOT a good idea! You can contact the listing agent on the website you found the home at. Before you do that, I would ask yourself this question. If the listing agent is hired by the sellers, whose interest is that agent looking out for? I bet it’s the sellers. Don’t be stuck in that situation. Having a Realtor from the beginning will make the process so much easier, I assure you. A great Realtor will go at your pace, will not pressure you and will work with your schedule and be your best source for trusted and accurate information. This also applies if you are looking to purchase a home from a home builder. When you walk into a home builder’s office I recommend always having a Realtor with you. If you walk in alone the first time you may have given up your right to be represented by a Realtor. With that said I will go back to my question about listing agents. Who does the sales manager work for and whose best interest do you think they have in mind?
The internet is a great place to look for information on home buying, but be cautious. There are hundreds of thousands of sites out there that will explain the steps in the process. Some sites are great but others can be misleading at times due to outdated information or simply the differences in state laws and regulations. This can lead to confusion and frustration. You will have a lot of questions; at least I hope you would since this may be the biggest purchase of your lifetime. Your Realtor will be more than happy to answer all questions and lead you to an understanding of the process here in Colorado. Always remember, there is never a stupid question when buying a home, so please ask. I always let my clients know that I am available to them and will make every effort to return communication promptly. I do not like my clients having those “sleepless nights” because they have an unanswered question weighing on their mind. The biggest complaint Realtor’s receive is their lack of communication, which has never been a complaint against me and I strive to keep it that way.
To sum all this up and avoid a home buying disaster, please contact a Realtor in advance of your home search. This will make the process more relaxing and enjoyable for you, the home buyer.
Tom Johnson, Realtor
303-856-6185
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