The Realtor that helps you buy your home can make the process fun or they can make the process painful. Here’s what a successful process looks like!
Tim Halladay of Living Well Realty hosts the Mortgage Solutions radio show and shares the Process that his buyers love!
First, your process should start with a buyer broker agreement. If you are working with a professional you should expect to have the parameters of your agreement in writing. Your agent should obligate him or herself to YOU. Don’t expect anything less from a professional.
Next, working with a qualified, knowledgable agent should give you increased access to your local MLS. There are many diffent ways to conduct searches, but the MLS has tools that are not available through other internet resources. In the NY Capital District including Saratoga Springs, Malta, Albany, Troy and Schenectady the agents’ search through the MLS is real time. All other sources sweep through the local MLS and update their web sites periodically. When you want to purchase your home you don’t want periodically, you want NOW.
Your agent should build you a search that generates 30 – 40 listings for you to review. Your job is to comb through those listings to narrow them down to 10-15 listings. Here’s the key, drive by those listings BEFORE you call your agent back. Doing so will further narrow your results to 3-5 homes.
NOW call your agent and have him or her set the appointments up to view these homes. It is highly probable that one of those homes will be the one you want to purchase. Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of thinking you haven’t seen enough homes! Remember, you have rejected 49 homes to get to this one.
If you don’t find one in this batch, you have to compromise your criteria to find more, or wait until the right home comes on the market. Either way, your Realtor can make the process a pleasure or a pain!
Happy house hunting!
