You’ve been saving up for a downpayment and getting your finances in order, and now you’re ready to purchase your new home! Do you have a real estate agent? You may have a lot of questions and know there is a lot that goes into the process of buying a new home. When you work with an experienced realtor the process will go much smoother for you. Your agent can answer all of your questions and walk you through each step of the home buying process. They’ll help protect your assets and ensure you get the very best value. After all, buying a home is the biggest financial investment you will make!
A Real Estate Agent Will Help You Shop For The Perfect Home
Once you have your mortgage loan pre-approval in place, you can start house-hunting. It’s necessary to have your loan pre-approval in place because some sellers won’t wait for you to get through the pre-qualification process after you make an offer on a home.
Your real estate agent will take the time to learn about what type of home you’re seeking and what preferences you have. They will ask questions about what your ideal home looks like to you, if you need to consider local schools, and what your work commute would be like. Your real estate agent can help you locate homes within your price range and meet your needs. In some cases, local real estate agents will have an inside scoop on homes that aren’t listed yet because of their resources in the industry.
Real estate agents also use the MLS listing service to find homes after they hit the market for sale. They check it often and immediately notify you when they find a new listing that may suit you. So you are always getting the first notice of new home listings. They can also see which homes are coming soon to the market.
Your Agent Will Be Your Home Tour Guide
As you look over the listings that your agent sends to you, let them know the ones that interest you the most. Your agent will coordinate with the listing agent of those properties and schedule a time for you to tour the property. They will do their homework to learn about the property and tour it with you.
An agent will have your best interest in mind and be on the lookout for anything about the home that may be a big expense to you later down the road. With that knowledge, they can many times negotiate a better deal for you if you choose to put in an offer. This is also an opportunity for your agent to know your tastes even more as you tour homes together and vocalize what you like and dislike about the properties. An experienced real estate agent is like a personal shopper for your new home!
Your Source For All Of Your Questions
When touring the homes together, your agent will answer any questions you may have about the property and provide their thoughts about the property based on their experience. Your agent will also correspond with the seller’s agent or the seller directly (if for sale by owner) to ask questions you might not know to ask or if they see anything during the home tour that needs further explanation. They may be able to find out more about the seller’s circumstances, find out questions about the taxes and utilities, and other items that you might wonder about.
The Pricing Consultation Is Handled For You
Once you have found a home you want to put an offer on, your agent will ask the listing agent if there are any disclosures on the property. This includes any potential issues the seller has to disclose to potential buyers that they may not advertise immediately.
These issues could impact the pricing or change your desire to buy the home. Then, your agent will run a comparative market analysis (CMA) to determine an appropriate offering price. This CMA is based on similar properties that have recently been sold in the area. Next, your agent will recommend you make the particular offer based on the analysis and considerations for the property.
Your Real Estate Agent Negotiates For You
After making an offer on your behalf, your agent will negotiate the price and terms. They will inform you if there is a counteroffer from the seller. If there is a counteroffer, they’ll make a recommendation to accept or amend the offer further. Your agent will also inform you of any possible ways you can make your offer more competitive to the seller, such as eliminating contingencies or adjusting the closing date. Once your offer is accepted, your agent will draft the contracts and help you seal the deal!
The Closing
Your real estate agent isn’t finished working with you yet! The closing of the property is a whole other step in the home buying process. Closing day can be a little scary for the first-time homebuyer. There are many financial and legal documents to sign. Your agent will be there with you for this process as well. Prior to closing day, you may work with other professionals such as home inspectors or real estate attorneys in order to expedite the closing process.
As you can see, your real estate agent will be there to assist you from start to finish in your journey to purchasing your new home. You can rely on their expertise and professionalism to help you every step of the way.
Talk to a realtor today to start searching for your dream home!
