Searching For Your New Home Alone? Really?
Think it Over ... Pt. 1
Are you presently contemplating ... or actively seeking ... a new home to buy? If so, you are not alone ...
An article offered on May 5th, 2011 on SmartMoney.com (written by Annamaria Andriotis) states that the above is indeed true. More Americans ARE presently out looking for homes to purchase. YOU are not alone in your housing search.
But the article goes on to state that you may also be a portion of another growing statistic ... homebuyers actively searching for their new home without the aid of a real estate agent.
Now, before I go any futher, I want to offer-up some facts regarding my own personal mortgage lending business ... and from where it is derived. I believe this information will provide some validity and credibility to the information and suggestions I offer here later.
I, and most mortgage lenders, will not deny that real estate agents play an important part in the introduction and securing of business clients. The AMOUNT of business that is done as a result of real estate agents' referrals can only be an individual mortgage lender's accounting. That accounting is where the differences will lie between the mortgage lenders. Simply put, some mortgage lenders rely heavily on real estate agent referrals ... others do not.
That said, the largest portion of the business I personally enjoy, comes from my own past clients ... either from their own new home purchases or present-home refinances, or the referrals they graciously pass on to me.
Do I also enjoy referrals from real estate agents? You bet I do. Let there be no doubt about it. Agents are presently ... and always have been ... a very important part of my business success. Many reading this blog will tell you that they found my mortgage services through the referrals of their real estate agents. However, because of the great amount of business I derive from other sources, I am not dependent solely on real estate agents for my livelihood. My opinions expressed here are not based or tainted on great need. No, it concerns me that many of those currently seeking new homes are attempting to do so without any professional real estate guidance for other very valid reasons.
Perhaps my greatest concern springs from the realities to be found within the current housing market and mortgage industry themselves. Let me tell you, if there's ever been a time within the 35 years of my mortgage career that good sound advice, strong guidance, valuable assistance, and industry insight has been needed more ... I'm not sure when that's been.
It's my opinion that now more than ever, you need every positive influence and bit of professional guidance to be found when navigating the home buying and mortgage financing waters. And working with dedicated, knowledgeable real estate professionals should be your life preserver. Not what drowns you.
As a mortgage professional, I'm acutely aware of the public's perception of our mortgage industry and real estate professions. It's an every day reality we face. To put it delicately, many home buyers feel they were "burned" or mishandled during past home buying and mortgage transactions. And there can be no denying that the perception is true in many cases.
But I would offer this thought up for contemplation should you be someone presently:
- Currently seeking a new home to buy without a Buyer's Agent
- Thinking of heading into the housing market in the near future without any professional real estate agent's guidance and services
- And you have experienced difficulties with a real estate agent in your past transactions (or know someone that did)
It was not that you chose to work with a real estate agent that was the source of past problems. The problems stemmed from working with the WRONG real estate agent.
- If you received less than satisfactory service
- If you did not get the guidance you needed
- If the marketing of your home sale was not what was promised
- If there was poor communication, poor response time, lack of knowledge or professionalism, etc. etc. etc. ...
It was the individual you were working with at the time. NOT the profession as a whole.
The old saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water" contains very wise advice for those contemplating this "go-it-alone" home buying approach. Don't throw the idea and all that can be gained by working with an agent out the window. Just take pro-active steps to insure that you find the RIGHT Buyer's Agent to work with this time.
But what are those steps? How do you go about finding the right Buyer's Agent?
Educate yourself! Educate yourself as to the correct steps to take in your search for a Buyer's Agent.
I will outline the steps I recommend for finding a qualified, knowledgeable, and experienced Buyer's Agent in ... "Searching For Your New Home Alone? Really? Think it Over", Pt. 2.
* For valuable advice, sound referrals, and reliable mortgage lending service, contact me today!
Direct: 815.277.4036 Cell/Text: 708.921.6331 Email: gene@chicagobancorp.com
Website: http://www.genemundt.com Click: http://www.genemundt.com/Contact-Info.html.
I'll be glad to hear from you!
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