There is a common misconception among many buyers that I meet today. Most buyers want to have a buyer agent working on their behalf, but they worry about what it is going to cost them. The best part about using me as your buyer agent is that it is FREE (Unless you want to pay extra, then I will gladly accept it). There are some buyer agents who work for brokers that do charge a brokerage fee or some type of processing fee to buyers. However, I do not under any circumstances charge any additional fee than the commission that the sellers have agreed to pay when they list their property in the multiple list system.
You may wonder if it is better to use an agent who charges additional fees. I have yet to be able to figure out what agents and brokers do for their 'additional fees'. However, if you find out please let me know right away.
If you are looking for a full-time professional who puts in the time required to have current market research and notifies you of properties as they come onto the market, please contact me. I do not use any written agreement with buyers that are looking to purchase a home. I believe in what is known as presumed buyer agency. That allows me to work in your best interest as a buyer just as a written agreement does. However, it does not tie you up into any set time period that you would be legally bound to pay a commission if you bought a house that the sellers were not paying a co-op commission such as a For Sale By Owner, or if you thought that you wanted to change agents for any reason. I strongly believe that if you are not satisfied with the service that you receive, then you should have the right to switch agents without recourse.
The first step that I take, as your buyer agent is to make sure that you are pre-approved for a loan that you are comfortable with. I want to make sure that you are at ease with your down payment and monthly payment within a specific price range. You certainly have the right to choose any lending institution that you would like. I also have a select group of lenders that I feel do an outstanding job in my mortgage center. All three of these loan officers tell the whole story up front and deliver exactly what they tell you on time and without any undo stress. I believe is that the worst thing that can happen when buying a home is to sit at the settlement table and either need more money for the down payment or finding out that you monthly payment is different than you anticipated. There are many very good lending institutions out there today, and there are also many lenders that should not be allowed to continue doing business. This first decision is critical to the overall success of the entire transaction.
Once you are pre-approved, then I begin to supply daily updates on what is available on the market. I make myself available to view properties quickly and efficiently. In the current market, most nice properties are moving too quickly to be able to afford to wait when you see something that you like. Therefore as your buyer agent, I take pride and serving you in a manner that I would expect to be treated. I want to show you everything that you would like to see before someone else buys the property. This allows you to be the judge on which home that you would like to purchase.
After we find your dream home, the work does not stop there for me as your agent. I then make arrangements to do a thorough home inspection by a competent certified professional of your choice. If you do not know anyone that you would like to use, then I strongly recommend using the services of Steve Callaghan of Homespec. Steve has completed inspections for over 100 of my previous customers. To this day he has never let any of my customers down and they have all been very satisfied.
Next, I continue to process your case right up until settlement. This includes checking on the progress of your loan, the appraisal and all of t
