Over the last 40-some years of my business life in real estate, I have had one home buyer ask to clear suggested repairs in a home inspection report. Count 'em. One. That's one buyer out of thousands of real estate transactions. A Bay Area buyer -- alongside her misguided, inexperienced agent -- pulled that tactic; blew our minds. It's just not done in Sacramento, but we made it work because (fortunately) the home was well maintained. Making it work is part of what makes real estate so fascinating.
But most home buyers can benefit from the knowledge base shared by an experienced buyer's agent. The trick seems to be to find an experienced agent. You know, an agent who has closed many transactions, not just an agent who has held a license for a few years. Possessing a real estate license teaches an agent nothing. It's only by actively selling over and over that an agent accumulates enough experience to properly advise.
Advising a client is what a buyer's agent is supposed to do. To guide and advise. That means telling a client their ideas won't work when they won't work. Being tough. But how few agents are tough enough?
An agent emailed me this morning to ask if she could reprint this particular personal blog and hand it out to agents. She felt it contained pertinent information that buyer's agents should know. You can read more in my personal blog today at this link: Managing Buyer Repair Requests to Buy a Home in Elk Grove.
