Landlord Blog
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Why Should You Use A Real Estate Agent To Buy A Home?
Buying a home is hard especially if it’s your first time. You can learn a lot on the web on how to get a good house deal but you still can’t beat a real estate agent when it comes to expertise. No, I’m not trying to convince you to hire an agent.
What I’m trying to say is, if you want to make your house buying experience smoother, faster, and easier, you should consider hiring an agent. Here’s why.
1. Local and pricing expertise
An agent is an expert in a specific area. They know very well what the market price is of homes and the neighborhood surrounding it. You can assure that you won’t buy a home more expensive than its true market value.
2. Access to homes
If you want to view a home for sale alone, the owner would be hesitant to give you their keys. That’s a problem. Because why would they trust you - a stranger with access to their abode? You can only visit their property for a tour if the owner or their agent is free.
If you have an agent of your own, you can have a peaceful home tour because the seller trusts a licensed professional like a real estate agent with their house key.
3. Experienced advocacy and negotiation
Buying or selling a home is a major decision to make for both the seller and buyer. A large amount of money is involved and both sides can get emotional. With an agent at the table, the deal is sure to progress with rational guidance.
This is because agents aim to make the purchase go through by making deals that both sides are happy to agree on.
4. Searching for a home is easier
Real estate agents have exclusive access to house listings that you don’t find on the web. Your home buying experience might be hard because you can find what you’re actually looking for.
By hiring a real estate agent, you don’t need to spend hours browsing the internet just looking for your dream home. They know which property best fits your imagination and wallet. All you need is to tell them what kind of house you want and how much money you have.
5. They’re impervious to clever staging appeals
A house may look perfect on the listing but could have problems with its structural integrity. Since a real estate agent is an expert in houses, they’ll do thorough inspections in a house for sale and prevent you from overpaying for a bad home.
6. Agent’s help you see investment potential
When we talk about buying a home, we focus on the basic purpose - shelter for the family, security, access to commodities, etc. The agent, however, will let you look at the home as an investment first.
They’ll tell you future predictions of a home’s value because in the future you might sell the house at a cheaper price than your buying cost and that’s bad.
7. You don’t get to do the paperwork
The real estate agent is responsible for doing all the paperwork for you. You don’t need to find read stacks of files or stand in long lines to make your house purchase legalized and documented. You’ll just be signing off the paper. And don’t worry, your agent will explain everything clearly and honestly.
8. Powerful and reliable networks
When buying a home, a real estate agent isn’t the only professional involved. You’ll likely need a home inspector, a lender, and a real estate lawyer. And it’s hard to find them on your own. Luckily, agents already have these kinds of connections.
The price of hiring a real estate agent in buying a home usually costs 3 to 6% of a house sale’s commission. It’s a huge amount if you think about it but still a smart spend to get a good deal and avoid being cheated. Just make sure that when you hire an agent, you hire a good one.
Hiring a real estate agent may be good for you, but that strips you away from learning valuable real estate experience. To compensate for that, read these blogs!