You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

This saying is especially applicable with real estate transactions.  Even those that have bought or sold several homes rarely do it often enough to keep up with all the complexities of a real estate transaction.  For most people, buying a home is one of the largest purchases (and financial commitments) they will ever make.  You need to make sure that you have the most complete information possible, as well as sound advice when you are making all of the decisions surrounding the purchase of a property.

Picking the right home is just one of the decisions you will make.  Others include:  What price to pay?  How to structure the financing?  What about closing costs?  How to best negotiate the offer?  Title?  HOA?  What inspections issues should be addressed?  Appraisal?  Loan conditions?  What timeframe for the transaction?  What about possession?

These are just a few of the issues to be addressed during the process, and they are looked at differently if you are the Buyer or the Seller.  The input and advice you get from your Realtor, working as a Buyer’s Agent or a Seller’s Agent will help you immensely in the process.  Your Realtor’s experience will not only help you understand the issues, but will bring to your attention issues you may have not contemplated.   The Realtor is not there to make the decisions for you, but to help you in understanding the issues and your alternatives completely so that you can make the best decision possible.

Take some time to select the Realtor you will be working with, either when buying or selling.  Ask about their experience, background and office support.   Make sure it is someone that you are confident in, trust, and you are comfortable working with.  Ask others about the Realtor and talk to others they have worked with.  Discuss how you would prefer communications.  Buying or selling can be an intense and somewhat stressful process, but the right Realtor can make it as smooth as possible, and even a little fun.