When it comes to buying a new home, you might feel tempted to do it yourself without any help. While it’s easy to find homes for sale by owners, it’s not always easy to put in an offer that the seller will accept.
Looking at the top 10 ways to know if you need a real estate agent will help you see how those professionals can help during the home buying process.
10 Ways To Know If You Need A Real Estate Agent
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Limited Listings
A clear sign that you need a real estate agent is when you find a limited number of listings in your area.
Real estate agents have access to mass listings that often include properties not available on the general market.
They can help you see a house before most buyers know it’s on the market.
Work With Your Budget
Before shopping for a new home, you want to get a pre-approval letter that shows you can get a mortgage.
That letter also helps you know how much you can spend based on factors such as VA loan limits and your credit history.
Your agent can narrow down your search to homes for sale that work with your budget.
Find Comps
Comps refer to similar homes that were recently sold. Finding those prices on your own is difficult, but a real estate agent can pull up those listings in minutes and show them to you.
Comps give you a good idea of what different properties are worth and what you should offer.
Review Paperwork
Buying a new home requires a lot of paperwork with terms and sections that you might not understand.
An agent can review the paperwork and go over it to make sure that you know what you get and don’t get for your money.
The agent can also look for terms that favor the seller over the buyer.
Find Out More
An agent can help you find facts that you wouldn’t find yourself, such as how often the home sold in the past and what buyers paid.
They can also point out features that you might overlook, including the size of the lot.
Get the Best Price
To get the best price on your home, work with an agent. Real estate agents have good negotiating skills that they use to your advantage.
They can determine the right offer based on what similar homes sold for recently and the amount of work that the home needs.
More Connections
Another sign that you need a real estate agent is when you want access to more things than you can get on your own.
Agents form connections with their past customers and tell you about homes that sellers want to market.
You can also get help when you need to estimate costs or ask questions about your future mortgage.
Code of Ethics
One of the best reasons to use a real estate agent is to follow a strict code of ethics.
This code protects you with everything from looking at homes to your closing costs. If the agent doesn’t treat you the right way, you can complain.
Area Facts
There is only so much that you can find out on your own, which is why you should work with a real estate agent.
Some agents are more familiar with specific neighborhoods than others are. They can talk with you about the school districts and crime rates, along with any other information that can help you decide if a home is right for you.
Home Inspection
If you worry about the home inspection process, you need to work with a real estate agent.
The agent can help you find a reputable company to perform the inspection and understand what the paperwork says.
Your agent can also help you create terms that the seller must follow to sell the home, such as paying for repairs or taking a percentage off the sale price.
Conclusion
While you can buy a home on your own, working with a real estate agent makes the process much more comfortable.
You get help finding homes on the market that fit your budget and understanding the terms in your paperwork.
Real estate agents offer support for home buyers every step of the way.
Stephanie Caroline Snyder
Author, Freelance Writer, Blogger
Stephanie Caroline Snyder graduated from The University of Florida in 2018; she majored in Communications with a minor in mass media. Currently, she is an Author and a Freelance Internet Writer, and a Blogger. To know about VA loan limits Stephanie recommends SoCalvahomes.
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