Benefits of Using a South Pasadena Real Estate Agent to Buy a Home | E-Tree Homes

When times are hard, most people try to save money in any way possible. And when buying a home, who wouldn't want to save an extra 3 percent, which is an extra $3,000 for every $100,000 the house costs? Most real estate deals pay buyer's agents that much, and most experts agree it's well-spent money.

Anyone can look for a house and even go inside without working with a real estate agent. But if you don't have time to look for a home part-time, an agent might be able to help you find the right one much faster.

Say you want a swimming pool. Or maybe you want a yard with a fence for the dog or a playroom for the kids in the basement. A real estate agent's job is to know if a house out there fits your needs, and they will also hold your hand through the deal. Here are some of the best reasons to use an agent when buying a home.

Ethical Consideration

National Association of Realtors (NAR) members agree to follow a code of ethics. However, not all real estate agents are members of the NAR. This code says that Realtors must be honest with everyone involved in a deal.

The code says that the realtor must put the client's needs before his own. They must also tell the truth about any problems with a property and be honest when advertising it.

The rules in the code of ethics are enforced by local boards that the NAR runs. Penalties can range from a $5,000 fine to being kicked out of the association for three years. It's not clear how often this happens. Since local boards do enforcement, there are no national statistics on penalties against Realtors.

Pricing Expertise

If a real estate agent walks inside a property, chances are good that they can immediately tell you how much it's worth. If they have extensive market knowledge, they will also know how stable a certain area's property values are.

It takes a few minutes to see what other properties like yours have sold for, but only a real estate agent will know whether you're asking too much or not enough. In the best case, a real estate agent will know what you want so well that she won't waste your time showing you places that won't work.

Agents can not only give you all the information you want about local home sales, but they can also bring advantages from years of watching waves of transactions in the area.

Requesting Repairs

The delicate dance of requesting repairs is often the portion of purchasing real estate seen as the most sensitive. The real estate agent will be able to see faults that you may miss, and they will also be able to suggest a qualified and impartial home inspector who will offer a full report on the issues in the property.

Finding Available Homes

Even while prospective purchasers may see the vast majority of houses up for sale on various websites, some sellers want to keep the fact that they are selling a tightly held secret from the general public. When this occurs, the real estate agents are the only people aware that the residences are up for sale.

Tackling the Paperwork

If you've ever bought a house, you know there's a lot of paperwork involved in the deal. The written offer, written and signed counteroffer, details of the transaction, and what was and was not included are likely to be included. The paperwork may take too much time.

This is when a competent real estate agent may come to the rescue. Typically, these bids and counteroffers are time-sensitive. 

When working with someone familiar with the paperwork, you won't have to worry about them missing anything important, not initialing the right margin, or failing to check any boxes.

Unemotional Negotiation

It's easy to lose your cool while arguing with a seller about installing a hose in the dishwasher so that water doesn't drain on the floor. You may avoid letting your emotions get in the way of the sale by having an agent document your needs and communicate them to the seller on your behalf.

Imagine you want to make a counteroffer, but the seller is certain that the dishwashing hose must stay. Even the agency is cool with that. Some experts advise letting the agent bear the brunt of criticism during contentious negotiations.

The greatest method to negotiate is to be positive and open-minded. The easiest way to do this is to put up a professional front.

Thorough Record Keeping

Even though real estate agents are not lawyers, they can be helpful years after a deal has been made. In certain areas, licensed agents must maintain complete files of all transaction paperwork for several years.

Even though you can and should keep your files, you can trust your agent to keep this information organized and safe in case there are problems with the property in the future. In the years to come, you can always call your agent if you have questions about the property, you can always call your agent.

Avoiding Closing Problems

Many things can go wrong in the last few hours of a sale that can kill it. A real estate agent knows how to look for problems before it's too late.

For example, the house's title might not be clear because a long-lost relative might be on it but hasn't agreed to the sale. Or, the lender might be causing trouble by not getting the financing done on time. Real estate agents deal with these kinds of problems all the time and can solve almost any problem that comes up.

For more information on buying a home, call us now at 909-821-7958