When buying a new house, or selling your old one, it is a certain that you will come into contact with a real estate agent. They are notoriously friendly but aloof, keeping many of their clients in the dark about the ways to get a better deal. Before engaging in any communications with a real estate agent there are a few tips you must consider. These will help you to get the best deals for your dream home, or sell your house at a higher price.
- Watch out for discounts and incentives
This might seem a little strange, but it is definitely worth your consideration. If your real estate agent offers a lot of discounts or incentives to purchase a property, there may be some issues with it.
You must also remember that they are the middlemen with every deal. This means that any money that they are willing to forfeit must be for a good reason. usually benefitting them. It is true that not every real estate agent is like this, but please keep your wits about you when the deal seems to good to be true.
- Remember the agent’s role
Moving on from the previous tip nicely, remember that the role your agent plays is a self-indulging one. Any profits that can be made for themselves will be done at all costs. They work on commission basis and can earn some serious money based on the home they manage to sell. Don’t feel indebt to one real estate agent, there a lists of realtors that you can choose from that may be able to get you to your dream home quicker. You can also keep the realtor contact information for a regular communication.
Sometimes these agents are given problem homes, or plots, which they have had some trouble selling. In some cases they will skip their due-diligence and give a dishonest review or viewing of the property to get potential buyers to commit to purchasing them. Remember, once you have signed the contract, their involvement ends and any issues you face are your own.
- Ignore last minute property invites
These are sent out to evoke a panicked response from potential buyers. If your real estate agent uses this method, you may want to start looking for a replacement. Don’t forget that there are real estate agent lists online that give you a plethora of worthy agents to choose from. This tactic is sneaky and removes the power of choice from the buyer, keeping the real estate agent in charge.
- Check everything you are told!
This may seem like an obvious tip, but so many people take their agents word as truth. Their jobs are to sell houses, the likelihood that they will do so by any means is high.
Please fact check all the information that is shared to you by your agent. It may be a good idea to involve another company’s agent to offer a differing opinion too. Don’t forget that you can ask as many questions as you want, request as many viewings as you need and bring along any guest to see the home before putting in an offer.
- Ask them to send you new properties
By making it clear that you would like to see all new properties that are listed with the company you choose, you have a better chance of being the first people to view them. This gives you a better chance at getting an offer in first, viewing the property multiple times and not being as rushed or stressed.
Asking to see the new properties gives you the opportunity to be in control and see a wider variety of potential homes. This can help you to truly understand hat you are looking for and target your search.
- Plan ahead
By knowing what you want you will ultimately be in front when it comes to buying a new property. If you let your agent know what you are looking for and can do so in their jargon, then you will be able to dodge the horrible houses with ease. Also if you use a realtor email list then you can find the best real estate agents, making it easier to find your dream home.
Planning ahead means researching the areas you want to live in, knowing what type of house you like best and any other have-to-have features that would be a deal breaker in any home. You may want to live in certain area, but a deal breaker would be if it has a big garden area you would take anywhere. If you can explain this to your agent, you will be closer to getting your dream home than you think.
- Know you limit
Whilst all the tips above help you to control your real estate agent, knowing your limits is one of the most important ones. If you divulge enough information to your agent, they may show you your dream house that is way out of your budget, but incentivise it.
Never go over your budget if you do not have the means to cover it, in the end you will end up paying for this in more ways that just cash. It can ruin your reputation and other real estate agents wont use you, or can impact your credit rating or mortgage opportunities in the future.
Final thoughts
Find realtors with caution; don’t forget that you are the one that pays their bills. They rely on you to be able to use their expertise to complete a sale. Remember you are the integral part of this transaction and come prepared with a plan and budget that is transparent from the first meeting.