“Is Calling the Listing Agent Always the Best Way to Look at Houses?”, is a
question asked by many home buyers. It depends.
Are your interests in looking at houses sincere and likely the beginning of a true hunt for a purchase suited to you or are you more of a curiosity seeker? Most agents, Listing Agents and Buyer Agents, are only interested in working with clients who are serious about selling or buying real estate. With the price of gas, gone are the days of joyriding with agents to “kill some time”. Good agents rarely have enough spare time to waste.
North Carolina is what’s called an “Agency” state. Listing Agents work for Sellers, Buyer Agents work for Buyers. Occasionally, either 
can work for both parties in Dual Agency relationships. We’re mandated by law to review a NC Real Estate Commission produced brochure, “Working With Real Estate Agents”. BY LAW, EACH AGENT YOU SPEAK WITH MUST REVIEW THIS DOCUMENT AT FIRST SUBSTANTIAL CONTACT. So, if you are constantly calling just the Listing Agent, each time you call a different Listing Agent for a different Listing…10-15 minutes will be spent reviewing this document. EACH TIME.
Most of us want to know you are sincere and already know sincere buyers will either already be pre-qualified through a lender or are willing to get pre-qualified BEFORE house hunting. So, if you are constantly calling just the Listing Agent, each time you will have the Working With Real Estate Agents document reviewed PLUS go through the “PRE-QUAL” discussion. EACH TIME.
If you are a sincere buyer, keep in mind Listing Agents have a fiduciary responsibility to pass any information about you that might eventually be helpful to the seller should you enter in negotiations on their house. So, if you are constantly calling just the Listing Agent, each time you will have the WWRE doc reviewed, have the PRE-QUAL discussion AND risk losing either the upper hand or equal footing in any future negotiations. EACH TIME.
If you aren’t a sincere buyer, no matter what size the city is that you are just bopping around looking at houses…we are ALL small towns. Sooner or later, usually sooner…agents talk to each other and believe it or not, we see through time wasters fast! We may be a competitive industry but for the most part we are loyal to each other. None of us wants to see the other taken advantage of unfairly. LOOK AT HOUSES ONLY IF YOU ARE TRULY CONSIDERING A PURCHASE. PLEASE DO NOT BE A TIME WASTER! I’ll bet you wouldn’t want it to happen to you.
“Is Calling the Listing Agent Always the Best Way to Look at Houses?”, NO...not for real buyers. Respect your own time and interests as well as the agent‘s. Get a Buyer Agent whose sole purpose is to look out for you and protect your interests. They will be as sincere as you in finding you the property that works best for your situation.
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