Advice for Buyers

Buying a home for just about everyone is a unique experience. Something that is done for most folks so rarely calls for some guidance and direction. Where do we get our direction? People seek different levels and types of direction when it comes to buying a home and as a real estate practitioner, its an interesting look at human behavior. The Internet Crusader If you're reading this blog post, theres a chance that you have a bit of the internet crusader in you. In years of working in real estate, the internet continues to grow in its significance as a tool for the real estate consumer and within the industry. The interesting thing is that while there is a great deal of information online that is useful, there is also a great deal of misinformation and a great deal of information that is reliable in another state and city besides St. Louis Missouri. Laws and customs vary, so use the internet as a resource, but not as a guide. The Jury Foreman Many buyers like to talk with their friends and colleagues about what they are trying to do. You're a jury foreman if you like to present scenarios to various individuals to see what they would do, then tally the results and make your decisions democratically. If that's a basis for your decision making, it could help, but it could be trouble. Problems that sometimes occur to jury foreman is when the 'members of the jury' don't know or care about the subject matter. Jury members can also get only a portion of the scenario, and miss a crucial element to the decision. The Loyal Child--The Loyal Friend To a large extent, its normal to be a loyal child or loyal friend. Most people have trusted advisors in their life that they include in big decisions. In any case, its interesting to observe the extent to which the "Trusted Parent" or "Trusted Advisor" feels comfortable in participating in this role. Some "trusted advisors" really have difficulty with the individual consulting with a professional such as a Realtor and others are the exact opposite, saying "I don't know, what's your Realtor think?" In any case, its good to have a Realtor that has enough humility and understanding to encourage participation in discussions and gently share experiences and ideas without turning an exciting process into a power struggle. One concern with the loyal child or loyal friend can occur because the real estate field is dynamic. Someone with a few experiences spread out over a few decades and possibly several different locations can be giving advice based on an entirely different market conditions or out of date factors. The Groupie In this day and age, "brand loyalty" can really be a refreshing break from the norm. The Groupie takes it to the next level. The groupie is someone with complete faith in a specific home builder or Realtor, who seems more concerned about pleasing their chosen professional rather than making the right decision. Some might think that this is the ideal situation for a Realtor. That's probably not so, for just as the groupie would give lots of credit to their mentor, they are equally as quick in placing blame if things don't go as well. As a Realtors, lots of people want our opinion about neighborhoods, school districts, and all sorts of other matters. We're usually happy to share them too! As with all the other types of buyer's, its important for the buyer to keep THEMSELVES and THEIR PRIORITIES front and center throughout the process. The bottom line: when buying a home, the amount of advice and ideas on "how things are done" can be OVERWHELMING and not always reliable. Working through the process and sorting out different ideas is the most crucial element in making a sound decision. Having good professionals means the help that process, not hinder. Republished from StLBuyerGuide.com

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