What is the best way to find a home – Internet? Open Houses? Ads? Realtor?
The correct answer – all of the above. When you are starting out using the Internet and visiting open houses will help you to understand the market, home prices and narrow down where you want to live. Once you get serious about buying a home – YOU NEED A REALTOR. Especially in today’s market.
Hiring a Realtor doesn’t cost you any money. The benefit to you is your Realtor knows what is going on. Homes are selling almost as quickly as they come on the market and if you aren’t constantly looking you may miss your “dream home”. And even though you can get listings on the Internet, you are not privy to all the data about the home – Realtors are. And our MLS systems are up to date while many of the Internet sites are days and even weeks behind the actual status of a home.
Before hiring a Realtor spend 30 to 45 minutes with them to determine if there is a match. There is a difference between a real estate agent and a Realtor. A Realtor is bound by the Code of Ethics established by the National Association of Realtors. A real estate agent is licensed to sell but they do not pay dues and belong to the professional associations such as National Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors.
Be sure the person you select goes over the home buying process, reviews the paperwork–especially the contract before you start looking at homes. Get a clear understanding of their role in representing you. This way when it comes time to submit an offer you are ready to move forward.
