Real Estate Investment 101: Getting Started

Why You Should Work With A Real Estate Agent On Your Next Home Purchase

Navigating the home buying process entails a number of details and contracts to sign. But a real estate agent can help you successfully find and buy the single family home you want. Here are some benefits you can realize from working with a real estate agent on your next home purchase.

Home Search

The home search process can be tricky to find homes that match your criteria and your wish list but within your budget. A real estate agent is a key tool to help you search for and narrow down the home you choose to buy.

Your realtor has access to their professional database of property listings including specific details about each listing, such as square footage of the home, lot size, school district, type of trees in the yard, and the type of heating and cooling system in the home. If you want to look at only homes with central air conditioning and a fireplace, for example, that are not over the asking price of $200,000, your real estate agent can find them for you. Your agent will also schedule showing appointments for each home you are interested in and take you on a tour through the home.

Negotiations

When it comes time to make an offer on a home, your real estate agent can help you with this step also. First, they will complete a comparative analysis on the home to find out if it is priced fairly. This analysis compares similar properties that have sold recently to calculate the true value of the home you are interested in. Then, with this information, your realtor will help you complete the offer contract and submit it to the seller.

Part of negotiating a fair price on your home can include specific requests in the offer to be included with the sale. This can include, for example, the seller paying some or all your closing costs on the transaction, including a home warranty, leaving specific furniture or items with the home sale, or making specific repairs to the home before closing.

Professional Expertise

Hiring a realtor gives you access to all their professional expertise to help you in the process. They will be able to recommend a mortgage broker and a professional inspection agent to check for any problems and issues in the home before you close on the purchase. They will also recommend a great title company to arrange the closing documents and provide title insurance on your new home. Your agent will guide you through with setting the required deadlines for the closing to take place within a timely manner.  


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