If you’re about to begin a home buying journey, what should you expect on the first day out with your Realtor? If you’ve never met each other face to face, most probably your time together will start like this:
A meeting at the agent’s office. Get acquainted, and be presented with an Agency Disclosure. This explains the various types of agency, and is a required disclosure for any real estate transaction. While you may just be meeting for the first time and not sure if a transaction will transpire, the agent will be providing information. Many brokerages will require that their agents sign this form with a prospect.
If you’ve decided to work with the agent, you may also be asked to sign a Buyer/Broker Agreement, committing to that working relationship for a stated period of time.
You will no doubt talk about the financing side of real estate. If you’ve come armed with a pre-approval in hand, you’re all set. But if not, the agent may invite a lender to the meeting in order to determine your true purchasing power.
As you narrow your purchase price and home buying criteria, you may review properties online. Reviewing them together will give your agent the chance to see what appeals and what does not, in that first cursory look.
If you’ve never purchased a home before, or if not for a very long time, I always recommend reviewing the different type of real estate sales: regular sale, short sales or foreclosures. The buying, negotiating and acquisition can be very different for each of these categories.
Once you’re ready, it’s time for the fun part – Viewing Properties.Once you've found one, it's time to Write An Offer!
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