Want to buy a home? See a buyer’s agent!

If you are in the market for a home, one of the best ways to start the search for that special place is to get in touch with a buyer’s agent. The reason is up front: no one can make a good decision without correct data.

And this is the information that is readily available to a REALTOR® through the Multiple Listing Service of the Spokane Association of REALTORS® about homes that are listed for sale.

A buyer’s agent is a licensee who is working for the people who want to purchase a home. There are also seller’s agents. A buyer’s agent works for the buyer and the seller’s agent works for the seller. And, sometimes there is a dual agency. That’s when the same agent handles the transaction for both the buyer and the seller.

A buyer’s agent usually is a specialist who really knows the area housing market. He or she will know the facts. They know what homes have sold for in the past and where the homes are currently priced for sale.

A buyer’s agent works for the buyer and will not disclose any information that will harm the person they are helping. And help they do. They pore over the homes for sale and find the data that the prospective buyer provided about where and how the buyer wishes to live.

Communications with the agent often saves time and energy. The buyer’s agent can help smooth the purchase of real estate. With a lot of money at stake, it is often the REALTOR® who keeps the transaction on an even keel because of the knowledge of “been there, done that” in making effective negotiations.

Some buyer’s agents are specialists who generally just deal in finding the home the buyer wants to buy. If the home is listed, the REALTOR® can search those homes that are up for sale that fit the buyer’s criteria. It is the client who hires the agent to be either a buyer’s agent or a seller’s agent. Buyer’s Agent means a licensee has entered into an agency relationship with only the buyer in a transaction.

A buyer’s agent is to be loyal to the buyer by taking no action that is adverse or detrimental to the buyer’s interest in a transaction. And, to timely disclose to the buyer any conflicts of interest.

Buyer’s agents must advise the buyer to seek “expert advice” on matters in relation to the transaction that are beyond the agent’s expertise.

A REALTOR® with negotiating experience can be the difference between success or losing what could have been good situation. Quality pays dividends.