Are you considering buying a home and wondering whether you even need a real estate agent these days? With the many home search and buying options available online, it might be tempting to take care of everything on your own.
While it’s possible to save money without agents, there are a few reasons that real estate agents still play an important role in the home buying process.
Here are 8 reasons you should consider hiring a real estate agent to represent you.
1. Guidance
A real estate agent can provide you with guidance throughout your real estate transaction. The home-buying process can be a complex process, especially if it is your first time. There are many things to consider, including mortgage qualifications, processes and finding the best mortgage for your situation. .
2. Dreaded Paperwork
The paperwork that comes along with buying a home can make your head spin. Mortgage loan documents and purchase agreements can feature stacks of paper that would take hours to sift through.
Since real estate agents deal with these documents on a daily basis, they can easily walk you through the process. A good agent knows exactly what to look for in real estate paperwork and can prevent you from making costly mistakes.
3. You Won’t Miss Out on Your Dream Home
Good real estate agents have years and years of experience searching for homes. They are skilled listeners who will take your needs and wants into account and find the perfect home to match. They will also do the hard work of sifting through homes you aren’t going to want.
4. Less Time Consuming for You
Doing all the home-searching on your own can take a lot of time as can researching meeting with sellers and negotiating costs. All these can be done by an agent, so you have free time to focus on home-financing options and moving.
5. Don’t Pay More Than You Have To
Agents can help your gauge exactly how much you should be paying for a home. They know how much you can afford and how much you need to save for additional costs. They can also give you price ranges for certain neighborhoods.
If you are using a government-backed mortgage it is paramount that you find an agent that is familiar with government loans. Knowledgeable agents can work with your lender to help prevent errors that might result in higher closing costs or the possibility that your loan might fall through.
6. How Much Do I Offer?
One of the biggest challenges facing first time home-buyers is deciding how much to offer on the home they want. You don’t want to offer too little and lose out on a great home. But you also don’t want to offer more than you should.
Since realtors are familiar with markets in different neighborhoods, they can guide you through the offer process. They are also more experienced in evaluating the value of homes.
7. The Negotiation Process
Once decide how much you want to offer, you still must negotiate the final price with seller. One mark of a great real estate agent is their ability to negotiate. It’s always helpful to have a strong negotiator on your side when trying to buy the perfect home.
8. Agents Work for Free!
The buyer’s real estate agent will not take any money from the buyer. All of their money comes from the seller. Hiring your own real estate agent is important because they are contractually obligated to operate with your best interest in mind. They can help ensure that everything is on the up-and-up and keep the seller’s agent honest.
Closing
It is valuable to have someone experienced on your side. Agents can vastly streamline and simplify the home-buying process. A good agent will also make sure that you receive a obtain a home warranty along with the home.
For further reading about the home buying process and FHA loans, check out our home buyer’s guide. If you are ready to matched with a licensed real estate agent in your area give us a call at 877-432-5626.
