Buyer’s agent may find your dream home easier
In our current real estate market, it is important to be able to move quickly when the home you’ve been looking for finally has a “For Sale” sign in the front yard.
Many homes in the area have been selling the same day as the sign goes up, or within a few days. If you are not prepared, you could lose out on that home you may have been looking to buy.
If you are in the market for a home one of the best ways of starting 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 the correct data.
That is the information readily available through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) of the Spokane Association of REALTORS®. The MLS details homes that are listed for sale, their cost, location, number of bedrooms, baths, lot size, etc. The short of it is that a buyer’s agent has the skills that will save the buyer considerable time in his or her search for that perfect home.
A buyer’s agent is a licensee who works for the people who want to purchase a home. There are also seller’s agents; of course, a buyer’s agent works for the buyer and the seller’s agent works for the seller. Sometimes there is a dual agency situation in which a licensee finds both a buyer and a seller for a property. A dual agent must have the written consent of both the buyer and seller in a transaction.
The law is straightforward. The dual agent must take no action adverse or detrimental to either party’s interest; must disclose in a timely fashion to both parties any conflicts of interest; advise both parties to seek expert advice on matters relating to the transaction that are beyond a dual agent’s expertise; and not disclose any confidential information from or about either party.
A buyer’s agent usually is a specialist who really knows the area housing market. He or she will know the facts, including what homes have sold for in the past and what comparable homes for sale are currently priced.
Buyers’ agents work 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.
The 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 buyers’ agents are specialists who generally just deal in finding homes buyers want to buy. If a home is listed, the REALTOR® can search those homes for sale that fit the buyer’s criteria. There are seller’s agents too. The clients hire the agent to be a buyer’s or seller’s agent.
In today’s real estate market, moving quickly is a must. If you like the home and wish to buy it, this is when the negotiating skills of the REALTOR® come into play.
Timing and expertise are everything. A REALTOR® with good negotiating skills working with you can be the difference between success and losing the home you’ve chosen.