Why should a buyer employ a realtor? For many reasons: For starters because they are going to help you make sense of all the forms you need to sign and how the process works, they can also give you referrals for lenders, inspectors, title companies, etc. They can save you a lot of time too. A realtor has access to search engines and history on a lot of homes. They can put in your requirements, both likes and dislikes, to narrow down the search from hundreds for sale in one neighborhood to possibly only 3 that fit all your needs. But probably a buyer’s favorite reason for going with a realtor is that they are basically free for you to work with them! Why? It’s because their commissions are most often paid by the home seller.
What realtor do you go with? Well you don’t have to go with the realtor on the sign in front of each house you are interested in…Licensed “Realtors” are members of a national group that have local branches. To remain a member of that group a standard of behavior must be upheld according to the rules and protocol. Provided the rules and protocol are followed each realtor in that massive group can obtain entrance permission into any other member’s listed home. So how do you find a good one? Checking with your friends and family never hurts to see who they worked with but if you are moving to a new area where they have no reference there or maybe you just want to keep your real estate business separate from your personal relationships, try online. But NOT just the realtor’s individual website, that can be a great starting point however the “testimonials” on there could be from anyone. Try checking with a national search web site like Trulia.com or Zillow.com. They make sure the “testimonials” are verified by the person who was actually involved with a real estate transaction and not just some realtor’s super proud mom.
Hope this helps as I am always working hard to be your favorite realtor!
margie@townfavorites.com
