Looking For Homes For Sale? You And Your Agent Should Act As A Team
Posted on: 19 August 2022
The search for a home to buy hasn't gotten much easier over the past several months, so if you're trying to locate a home for sale, you really need to team up with a real estate agent. And "team" is not used lightly here; you and your agent have to work together, which makes it imperative that you both be on the same page regarding where to find listings and why a certain place may or may not be the right one to make an offer for.
Your Agent Works for You, Not the Seller
First, remember that the agent works for you and not the seller. A great agent will let you know what they think of the house and whether it's a good deal, but they will not pressure you to buy something, even with houses selling so fast. When you and the agent first meet, that's the time to figure out if you'll work well together and the time to discuss what you're really looking for. You'll know you've found a great agent when you feel comfortable with the amount of input the agent wants to have.
If You and Your Agent Have Different Feelings About a Place, Discuss That
As you look for places and go to showings and open houses, you and your agent will no doubt differ in opinion over a house or two. That's to be expected. But if you start to feel strongly one way or another about a house, and the agent feels strongly in the opposite direction, both of you need to discuss why. Sometimes it's as simple as one of you picking up on something that makes the house not worth it once you're in there, and sometimes it reveals an issue that both of you need to come to an agreement on, such as what your priorities are when finding a home. You may consider something very important that the agent does not, for example, leading you to reject a home that the agent thinks is good for you.
You and Your Agent Need to Agree on Where to Find Listings
Your agent will have access to several databases with listings, but not every house for sale will be listed there. You and the agent should be in agreement about whether you should point out houses where you've seen for sale signs that aren't in the listings that the agent has access to. Some buyers don't want to deal with searching, and they just want to go by what the agent sees, which is fine, while others want to find any house possible, which is also fine. You and your agent just need to be in agreement about where you'll be in that range.
If you need help looking for homes for sale, contact a local real estate agent.
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