Buying a Home
Top 2 reason why you need a Buyer’s agent
Knowledge is key.
Almost every single property that is available for sale is listed in the MLS. A good agent can inform you of all the properties that are in the communities you are looking in and that are within your price range. Additionally, a good agent can inform you the minute new listings become available that are also in your search criteria. Beyond the high level searching for properties, agents have access to and professional understanding of critical information that will make a big difference in your purchase.
As a simple example, you might want to see what homes have sold in the last 45 days that were built after 1999 in Kirkland and Redmond with at least 3 bedrooms and 2000 or more square feet. If you are looking to purchase similar properties you will need that information and more in order to determine what a given property is worth.
The bottom line is that good agents can produce very relevant information that would be very difficult to get in any other way.
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A good agent will help in understanding the process of how a particular property is sold from beginning to end. Understanding all the moving parts of given transaction help to determine the best strategy and ultimately help in negotiating most effectively. Furthermore, a good agent will identify the risks and benefits of each strategy so that as the buyer you are controlling the process through education and communication. Being aware of changes in contracts and the significance of each line item is an ongoing process. Legal language often has different implications than you might think.
For example, signing a purchase and sale agreement is part of the process. But, is your agreement favoring the buyer or seller? Do you know when all the landmark dates are? What do you do if you find an issue during your inspection? Does it matter who gets the earnest money? Did your lender get all the documents they need to underwrite the loan properly? Are you getting the questions you have answered by the seller? Did you know that the property was listed for a year with 3 different listing agents before you even noticed this new listing? Why does the builder require that long builder addendum? Etc., etc...
A few more Important Considerations
