A Realtor Really Can Help!

Most Realtors know about upcoming new home communities months before the first sign goes up.

If you're buying your first home.  OK, so you're ready to stop paying rent to your landlord and start earning equity and enjoying the tax benefits that come with owning your own home.  Congratulations!  But where do you begin?  A Realtor can help, starting with directing you to a lender experienced with first time buyers and continuing through the search to the finale:  settlement on your new home.

If you're moving up to your second, third or fourth home. Even if you're an "old pro" at purchasing real estate, A Realtor can still be invaluable.  He or she can make sure you are aware of all of your options. Most Realtors know about upcoming new home communities months before the first sign goes up.  You could be the first in line and get the choicest home site.

REGARDLESS OF WHICH CATEGORY of home-shopper you are in here are a few facts that should convince you to use a Realtor to help you find the perfect home.

A Realtor knows more about the market than you.  The right Realtor for you is a walking reference file on your area.  Its pricing trends, development activity and the community services available such as schools, parks, and recreation.  Commuting patters and shortcuts, shopping and childcare are other important areas of interest that a Realtor can help with.

A Realtor costs you nothing.  The seller, not the purchaser, compensates a Realtor, and in the case of a new home, it's the builder that pays the commission.  The real estate commission is considered a typical selling expense and is factored into the builder's pro forma right from the start.  Builders rely on Realtors to bring them buyers, so offering a "discount" to buyers not working with a Realtor would seriously damage the relationship that the builder has developed with the Realtor community.

JUST LIKE ANY PROFESSIONAL you turn to for help, whether an accountant, physician or attorney, select a Realtor you trust and feel comfortable talking with.  Ask friends, family members and business associates for recommendations.  And don't be shy about meeting with two or three Realtors before making your choice.  Then once you've made your choice be honest and be loyal.
     Loyalty is important to Realtors.  Think of your Realtor as an independent businessperson.  From the moment they get up in the morning until the minute they put their head down on the pillow (and sometimes later) Realtors are working.  They are checking listings, following up on contracts, viewing new offerings in the marketplace.  They take your calls at all hours of the day and night.  And they don't charge by the hour.  So if you're out driving on a sunny Sunday afternoon and stop in at a new community you hadn't considered before, even if you say you're just looking be sure to tell the sales person the name of your Realtor and include his or her name on the registration card.  Loyalty means acknowledging all the hours your Realtor has put in, not simply one-on-one with you, but the thousands and thousands of hours spent learning the law, the market and the neighborhood before they ever met you.
     Working with a Realtor will help you buy the right home now.  They'll make the process-and your life-easier, and it costs you nothing.  Now that's a good deal.