Yes, I Love You But I Can't Help You Buy That House!

Yes, I Love You But I Can't Help You Buy That House!

I can't tell you how many times I have received calls on my listings from out of area agents that want to show my property.  Do these agents know my market? Do they know the neighborhood? Do they know about the schools? Are they aware of the rent controls in the neighborhood, are they aware of zoning restrictions?  How can they represent their buyers knowing nothing about the area?

When I got into the real estate business I was so eager to close a deal that I worked anywhere I was asked to.  I quickly learned however that this may not be in the best interest of my clients. When an agent steps outside their realm of knowledge and steps into the area of unknown they can become a liability to you the buyer or seller.

If you want to buy a home somewhere outside my territory, it makes much more sense that I refer you to an agent familiar with that area.

For example, one day I was traveling along Sierra College Blvd. in Rocklin, CA and I asked my buyers what cell phone provider they had, they answered Sprint.  I told them that if using a cell phone at home was important then they better make sure that homes they wanted to look at would work because they would loose their signal once we reached a certain area. Sure enough they lost all coverage in the neighborhood they liked. Had I not been familiar with that area I would not have known that.

Another example, I was out with a buyer and we pulled up to a home that she wanted to take a look at. I knew that this home had been the site of a murder scene just a few months earlier because I lived not too far from there. There was a woman shot and killed inside the home by her husband.  That is something that would not have been disclosed to potential buyers because it was a bank owned home and banks are exempt from disclosing anything about the home. Why? They don't know anything about the properties, they just inherit them back from the owners who don't pay their mortgage!

What about the buyers that call me and want me to help them buy horse property, or vacant land?  I refer them to more qualified agents! I have agents in the area that specialize in those types of properties. I would do my clients a dis-service if I tried to sell them something I know nothing about! Agents may think they are omniscient super beings but they aren't!  We have areas of expertise and then there are those areas we really should refer out to agents more qualified.

Please make sure that the agent you are working with is from the area, and knows the type of property you want to buy! 

If you are looking to buy a home in the greater Sacramento area please search forproperties for sale at Executive Properties website. If you need a referral of an agent outside the area I can help do that as well!