Choosing A Real Estate Agent

When buying a home it is important to have experienced professionals on your side. Your team should include a knowledgeable loan consultant such as those at American Financial Resources, and an excellent real estate agent. You may also wish to consult your tax professional for advice.

Your real estate agent will help you figure out what type of property will meet your needs, identify homes on the market for you to look at, and give you a tour of those homes. When you select the property for you your real estate agent will perform a current market analysis to help you decide what to offer, and work with you through closing, including any negotiations that may come up. For example, it is common to negotiate who will cover the cost of repairing any issues identified during a home inspection. Clearly your real estate agent is a very important piece of the home buying puzzle and you want to make sure you work with the right person.

What to look for in a real estate agent

Selecting a real estate professional to work with is a very personal thing. One agent may have done an amazing job for your friend or co-worker, but just doesn't mesh with your way of doing business. When interviewing potential real estate agents you may want to keep the following issues in mind:

• When you will want to look at properties. If you will only be available on Saturday mornings make sure your agent is free to show you homes then. If you are trying to find a unique property and want to be able to rush out as soon as something new comes on the market ask whether your agent can accommodate this.
• The services you would like them to provide. You might want to look at many houses to make sure you haven't missed "the one", or you might prefer to give your agent your list of "must haves" and "nice to haves" and have them identify three or four properties that fit what you are looking for. Most real estate professionals will likely be happy to do either, but the more you communicate your preferences up front the better your chances are that your expectations will be met.
• Your style of conducting business. Consider which qualities are important to you such as being highly organized, returning calls quickly, aggressive negotiating skills, knowledge of the segment of the market you are interested in, etc. and ask questions to be sure your real estate agent possesses them.

Learn more from American Financial Resources

For more on choosing a real estate professional or any other aspect of the home purchasing or mortgage process contact an AFR loan consultant at 800-316-9508. You can also reach us by requesting a quote or get started online.