Who Would You Call To Fix Your Car?
The Importance of a Qualified Realtor….
You wouldn’t go to anyone other than a Mechanic to fix your transmission, or rebuild your engine would you? So why would you go to someone without real estate knowledge to help you buy a home? When you are in the process of buying your dream home, it is important that you hire a Realtor® that will have your back, and is qualified with the knowledge and experience in being a buyers agent.
Not Every Realtor® Is The Same!
When you are in the process of buying a home, you will want to interview multiple agents to make sure you are picking the right one for YOUR needs. Some questions you might want to ask before picking your buyers agent are:
- Are they familiar with the area you are buying in?
- How long have they been a Real Estate Agent?
- Do they recommend a trained, and certified Home Inspection Company for inspecting your home for a Pre-Purchase Home Inspection?
- Is the agent specialized in being a buyers agent?
- How available are they with showing homes for you, and answering your questions during the buying process?
The Importance of Hiring a Qualified Realtor®.
Real Estate Agents go through forty hours of schooling, countless hours of studying, then they take the real estate exam. After they complete their training and join a brokerage, most Real Estate Agents feel they are ready to help their friends and family through the process of buying a home, but are they really?
As with any profession, the more experience you have under your belt, the better equipped you are to handle the tough questions. And guide your clients through their transaction seamlessly. From EMD’s, to showings, to closing costs, and everything in between, a qualified Realtor® will hold your hand through every step of the way, guiding you to purchasing your dream home with confidence.
We Interviewed a Couple Buyers Agents, And a Few First Time Home Buyers. Here Is What They Had To Say About The Importance Of Hiring a Qualified Realtor®.
Lets Hear From Our First Time Home Buyers About The Importance of a Qualified Realtor:
“It’s incredibly important to have a qualified realtor. What happens when you don’t have a qualified realtor is that you could over pay. You could lose the home you want.Possibly buy something that becomes a money pit. It could get lost in the process. They could miss things. The purchase could get delayed due to missing things, or even worse, you could agree to terms of a contract without understanding what you’re agreeing to. Our realtor, Mark from Moving the Mitten, literally made our experience smooth and WAY less stressful. Mark was able to ease our worries because he was so knowledgeable. He knew the market, especially with COVID, he learned about our area to know what we should expect. We didn’t know the steps. The selling realtor tried to get us to pay for an appraisal before accepting our counter offer. Mark refused because he knew she could get the value of the home and back out if she wanted. He always had the upper hand so we wouldn’t end up screwed. Mark found some tricky language in the contract. Then he had it cleared up because it would’ve left us in a spot to not be able to move in on time. He helped us negotiate because we didn’t know what was too much to ask or if we were being too lenient just to get the house.—
—We got the first house we looked at because of him. AND we didn’t have the highest offer. But, we had the best realtor. Mark wrote our offer in a way that was better than getting the highest offer. THAT is what a qualified realtor does. He recommended our inspectors, Trademark Home Inspection, LLC. They were amazing and thorough and checked so many things we didn’t even think of. Mark had quality connections that helped us make sure our home is safe and not a money pit. Our sellers dropped the ball on closing day and it got rescheduled. He WORKED to find out what was going on and found a way to squeeze our closing in another day when it wasn’t convenient. But, he talked to the title company and got it done. Having a qualified realtor can literally change your life. A bad realtor could advise you into a bad home with thousands of dollars of issues, they could get you ripped off, they could lose the home you want, etc. The quality of experience just increases with a good realtor. In words it may not sound like much, but in experience, it’s detrimental. I know someone who bought a home and found a $20K problem their first year. The inspector came from their realtor who did them a “favor” – they just wanted the sale that could change someone’s life. Having a good realtor, with good connections, will save you money, trouble, and unhappiness in every situation.”
Stefaney O. -First Time Home Buyer
And that’s not all..
“We are first time home buyers, so we don’t really know what we are doing. It’s really fantastic to have a qualified realtor be able to show you things while looking at houses that we never would have thought of. For example, one home we viewed had wood trim on the exterior, which was original to the house. She pointed out that this will eventually rot and need to be replaced. We wouldn’t have known this. As well as negotiating pricing/handling all contact with buyers of our home, and sellers of our future home. It’s really great that she is so knowledgeable and can take care of things we didn’t even know we needed!”
Jordan C. -First Time Home Buyer
“When you are a first time home buyer, if you’re anything like me, you probably don’t know what you’re talking about. It really helps having someone on your side answering any questions you may have, and knowing how to talk to the sellers.”
Anthony R. -First Time Home Buyer
Now Lets Hear From The Realtors®
“Hiring a Realtor is important because we know all the components of the transaction. We educate our clients on how important it is to use a home inspector. And that not all home inspectors are alike and you need to make sure that you hire someone that is experienced and certified as there are no state regulations for home inspectors. Always walking the buyer through the negotiations after the home inspection and explain to them the next step which is the appraisal. We use a great title company to make sure the title on the house is free and clear so they don’t have any issues in the future. I am ALWAYS available for our clients after the closing to make sure if anything comes up we are there to help and guide them.”
Debbie D. – Realtor®
“In the days of DIY, you might think that taking on selling your house could be worth the cost savings. And a good real estate agent might make it all seem so easy. But the fact is that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. And selling your own home could actually cost you thousands of dollars. Hiring a qualified Realtor® is not only cost effective, but in addition to selling your home faster, a professional Realtor® knows how to properly price and market your home, ensuring you get the best possible sales price and terms.”
Jasmine B. -Realtor®
In Conclusion:
As you can see, from both the Realtors® side, and from the side of the first time home buyer, hiring a qualified Realtor® is important. Real Estate Agents will have your back. Negotiate on your behalf. Ask questions you may not know to ask. And hold your hand through the entire home buying process. From what you have heard from some of the agent’s we have talked to, they are even available after you purchase your home to answer any additional questions you may have. You don’t know what you don’t know, and it is the job of your Realtor® to know for you.
If you have recently bought a home, we would love to hear from you in the comments section below. Let us know why you felt having a qualified Realtor® helping you through your home buying process was so important.