3 Reasons Why You Must Have A Real Estate Agent When Buying A Home
Posted on: 29 December 2018
Are you looking to buy a home in the upcoming year? Have you been dreading the process of actually searching for somewhere that suits your budget, needs, and taste? Shopping for a home to live in isn't complicated, but the search can still take a while sometimes. Fortunately, it is possible to find a home sooner. One of the best ways is to hire a real estate agent to help you instead of trying to do everything yourself. There are a number of reasons why you might have heard that you should avoid this, but there are even more reasons to acquire an agent. Some of the biggest reasons include:
Cost: Unlike many professionals that you might need to hire, real estate agents aren't paid directly out of your own pocket. Instead, they are paid a percentage of the purchase price of the home, by the seller themselves. This percentage is the same to the seller whether you both have agents or if only they do. One agent gets the whole percentage, two of them have to split the fee. Since most sellers already have real estate agents, you're only hurting yourself if you're using financial reasons as a reason not to get a real estate agent.
Knowledge: Good real estate agents will let you know if your home-buying expectations are realistic. For instance, if you have your heart set on a house with a pool in the backyard but pools are uncommon in your area, your agent might tell you that your best option is going to be to find a home that you like and to add the pool yourself. They'll also let you know if houses in your preferred location and size are likely to be out of your budget or if it's worth waiting a little longer to see if something else pops up.
Access: When you look at real estate listing websites, most of these draw from something called the Multiple Listing Service, or MLS. But by the time that you see them listed, real estate agents with direct access to the MLS may already have seen the listings and sent them out to prospective buyers. By the time you even call up to set up a showing, the house could have several viable offers that you'd have to compete with. Instead of being frustrated and resentful, it's time to get your own real estate agent who has the exact same abilities and can do the exact same thing for you.
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