Perhaps this is a question more often asked at times when it's a Buyers market, when the pickin's are thought to be easy. Still, even then there are numerous reasons to have a professional working specifically for you and your interests. And in today's market? Maybe more reasons than ever to help you navigate the waters.
As a Buyer especially, there is not only no reason to not use a Buyer's Agent, but there are many worthy GOOD reasons TO USE a Buyer's Agent. Not the least of which is that the bulk of the time, the service is free to the Buyer.
Buyer's Agents will not only write offers on your behalf, but should offer market statistics to offer comfort and peace of mind that you are not paying too much. They can give the Buyer an insight to the way the Seller views his property in the marketplace and what kind of offer the Seller will likely accept. They will help determine future saleability of the property. They are authorized by you to negotiate on your behalf and to keep your information confidential. And most people don't realize it, but they can even work for you in the purchase of a For Sale By Owner property.
In fact, even with a FSBO, most Sellers will agree to pay the Buyer's Agent commission, so there is still no cost to the Buyer for these services. And when purchasing a FSBO property, these services may be even more important. For example, do you know what minimum property disclosures are required by Idaho Law for Sellers disclose to Buyers? How will you collect the disclosures if not offered? How will you present and negotiate an offer? What about earnest money the Seller requests - how will it be handled in a dispute?
Buyer's Agents can also refer you to vendors you will need to utilize in order to close the transaction. This is especially important in the procurement of financing. With all the almost weekly changes in financing, it can be overwhelming to find a lender that works best for you, and also has a reputation for closing the deal. Your agent will have two or three people that they work with regularly and can refer you to with confidence.
A quick web search turns up many results for Buyer's Agency. Here is one article from about.com with some tips for Buyers, and Why hire an agent. http://homebuying.about.com/od/buyingahome/qt/071907-buyagt.htm
Happy Hunting!
Buying and Selling homes in Eastern Idaho made simple.
23 January 2009
19 January 2009
Internet Real Estate Searches
Happy Monday, everyone, and Happy Martin Luther King, Jr day!
Some of you are at work today, some at home because your kids don't have school, and some of you are lucky enough to have the day off of work yourselves! And if you are like me, I'm guessing at least one hour of your day will be spent crawling around the web, reading headlines, soaking up information in anticipation of our historic Presidential inagural tomorrow, and even possibly searching real estate listings.
If you should find yourself in the latter category, you might wish to check out this article from usnews.com - The Top 5 Blunders of Internet Home Buying. Obviously, merely by my presence here I am a huge fan and user of the internet for Real Estate reasons. And I even began my own search for my first home purchase on the internet - back in Chicago in 1997! I remember my great frustration that more information was not available online at the time, and happily more information is out there now. Almost too much, really.
It is easy to become distracted, lose focus, forget your original needs and reasons you are looking to make a move, be taken in by less-than-honest folks because it seems like a "good deal." And while you should always research on your own to put you in a position to be able to ask the right questions and know if the answer seems logical or not, there is certainly no reason to think you must go it alone.
So if you have an extra 3 minutes, you might wish to read the article. Be sure you are using the strength of the internet to your full advantage, and not mistakenly thinking you are while in fact you are missing something.
Until next time...happy hunting!
Some of you are at work today, some at home because your kids don't have school, and some of you are lucky enough to have the day off of work yourselves! And if you are like me, I'm guessing at least one hour of your day will be spent crawling around the web, reading headlines, soaking up information in anticipation of our historic Presidential inagural tomorrow, and even possibly searching real estate listings.
If you should find yourself in the latter category, you might wish to check out this article from usnews.com - The Top 5 Blunders of Internet Home Buying. Obviously, merely by my presence here I am a huge fan and user of the internet for Real Estate reasons. And I even began my own search for my first home purchase on the internet - back in Chicago in 1997! I remember my great frustration that more information was not available online at the time, and happily more information is out there now. Almost too much, really.
It is easy to become distracted, lose focus, forget your original needs and reasons you are looking to make a move, be taken in by less-than-honest folks because it seems like a "good deal." And while you should always research on your own to put you in a position to be able to ask the right questions and know if the answer seems logical or not, there is certainly no reason to think you must go it alone.
So if you have an extra 3 minutes, you might wish to read the article. Be sure you are using the strength of the internet to your full advantage, and not mistakenly thinking you are while in fact you are missing something.
Until next time...happy hunting!
14 January 2009
Happy New Year!
So here we are, another new year! Chances are, most of us have on our list of New Year's Resolutions something along the lines of "spend less money" or "save more money." And as much as we all need to save more money, it probably starts with spending less!
The national downward trend in housing values and sales has finally hit our area, noticably about 3rd Q 2007. And while our values have fallen from slight appreciation to about flat in most slices of the market, it is no where near where the worst markets in the country were last year (some down 30% in values!).
Still, even our unemployment stats in Idaho have been seen as rising lately, as reported in the local media (http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?s=9649813). Even the Idaho Falls area reported unemployments rates rising in Dec to 4.8% from 3.5% in Nov (http://labor.idaho.gov/news/PressReleases/tabid/1953/ctl/PressRelease/mid/2527/itemid/2062/Default.aspx).
What does this mean for the average citizen? Tightening the belt, no doubt! Gas prices have fallen well below their highs of last summer, but how else can we save money? Here is an areticle I found on Bankrate.com, 100 Quick Tips to Help Save you Cash (http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/FinancialForecast/20081229-100-tips-for-2009-a1.asp). Some of these are larger efforts, but some are quite easy. Paying extra for 3-way calling? Ever actually used it?
Happy reading, and good luck!
The national downward trend in housing values and sales has finally hit our area, noticably about 3rd Q 2007. And while our values have fallen from slight appreciation to about flat in most slices of the market, it is no where near where the worst markets in the country were last year (some down 30% in values!).
Still, even our unemployment stats in Idaho have been seen as rising lately, as reported in the local media (http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?s=9649813). Even the Idaho Falls area reported unemployments rates rising in Dec to 4.8% from 3.5% in Nov (http://labor.idaho.gov/news/PressReleases/tabid/1953/ctl/PressRelease/mid/2527/itemid/2062/Default.aspx).
What does this mean for the average citizen? Tightening the belt, no doubt! Gas prices have fallen well below their highs of last summer, but how else can we save money? Here is an areticle I found on Bankrate.com, 100 Quick Tips to Help Save you Cash (http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/FinancialForecast/20081229-100-tips-for-2009-a1.asp). Some of these are larger efforts, but some are quite easy. Paying extra for 3-way calling? Ever actually used it?
Happy reading, and good luck!
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