Buyer's Guide

Why use a Realtor®? 

It is important to know not all real estate licensees are Realtors®. Only real estate licensees who are members of the National Association of Realtors® are correctly referred to as a Realtor®. These professionals, the licensees known as Realtors®, have taken on oath to subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics and are held to a higher standard of conduct. With required continuing education, Realtors® are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge and the process of buying and selling real estate.

Buying or selling a home can be one of the biggest financial investments most people will experience in their lifetime. The process of selling Real Estate in the South Florida, Port St Lucie, Palm City, Stuart, Jupiter and the Palm Beach Real Estate Markets can be volatile and every changing. The process of selling Real Estate in the market today usually exceed $100,000. If you were involved in a legal action involving $100,000 a close family member or friend may not be your best representative…you would most likely secure the services of an attorney. If you fell ill and needed medical assistance you would most likely want a doctor’s opinion and treatment. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the assistance of a CPA? Considering the large downside risk, it would be unwise to consider a deal in real estate without the professional representation and assistance of a Realtor®.

Here are a dozen more reasons to use a Realtor® for your next real estate transaction;

Your Realtor® can help you determine your Purchase Ability (or Buying Power).  – Your Purchase Ability is your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. Provide your Realtor® with some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt and he/she can refer you to the most qualified lenders to help you. Most lenders (banks and mortgage companies) offer limited choices and programs. Borrowing is not a “one size fits all” process.

Your Realtor® has many tools and resources to assist you in your home search. – Even with today’s vast amount of cyber information, only a Realtor® can provide true MLS Data (real time information of today’s active inventory of properties for sale).  Sometimes the property you are seeking may be available but not actively advertised in the market, and a Realtor® is equipped with the tools and knowledge to investigate all available properties.

Your Realtor® can help you negotiate. – There are numerous negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession, personal property, and ownership of repairs both required for FHA and requested. The real estate purchase agreement, which can vary by area, should allow for a specified time for financing contingencies and to complete recommended inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your Realtor® /Agent can advise you which inspections and contingencies are recommended for your real estate transaction.

Your Realtor® can help you make an informed decision among the selection on homes available to you. - Your agent can provide you with objective information about each property. Agents who are Realtor® s can provide local community information on utilities, zoning, schools, permits, special assessments, taxes and more. You will want to know if the home has any hidden down the road costs and what the potential resale value may be.

Your Realtor® provides due diligence during the evaluation of your selected new property. – Varying by regions and property, this includes inspections for WDO (wood destroying organisms to include wood rot and termites), lead, asbestos, structural soundness ( in Florida we build on sand to compaction is very important), roof condition, septic tank and well tests to name a few. Your Realtor® can assist you in finding licensed and qualified inspectors to provide you with written reports at the conclusion of the inspections. You will want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and with a mired of problems resulting from “robo” foreclosures, chain of title can often be confusing. Your Realtor® , title company and lender can help resolve issues that could cause problems down the road.

Your Realtor® can help you determine the best financing options and lender for you. – Not all lenders offer the same products. Here in Florida there is occasionally state bond money available for down payment assistance. Your Realtor® will know where to find this money for you. You may want to use a mortgage broker who can shop your file to various banks to make sure you are getting the best deal possible.

Your Realtor® will guide you through the closing process to ensure a smooth transaction settlement. – Once inspections are complete, there are more steps to the final closing of the real estate transaction. Your Realtor® will communicate with the lender and Title Company to make sure everything is getting done timely and simultaneously. They will review the Final Settlement Statement (known as the HUD) for correctness. 

When selling your home, your Realtor® can provide you with current marketplace activity and statistics on pricing, days on the market, what has sold and comparable properties. – You can drive around yourself to see what is selling but only your Realtor® can provide detail information on the condition of these homes, a history of the listing and other pertinent information to make sure your home is priced to sell in a timely manner.

Your Realtor® markets your property for sale. – Your Realtor® has a number of tools at hand to market your property for sale. They will have access to the Multiple Listing Service for your area which ensures every Realtor® has access to information about the home and an opportunity to sell it. Over 50% of all Real Estate Transactions involve co-operating with other agents. Your Realtor® can also advertise in print and electronic media to promote your property. Your agent can use tools such as Listingbook to promote your property direct to prospective buyers.

Your Realtor® has an established network to market your property to. – The National Association of Realtor® s studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts. These contacts include previous clients, a database of prospects, referrals, friends and personal contacts as well as relationships with other Realtor® s. They can go to local real estate board marketing meetings. ( I once sold a house through a personal contact from a post on Facebook prior to the home going onto the MLS).

Your Realtor® can help you objectively evaluate buyers’ offers without compromising position. -  This initial offer is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections and financing.. there are a number of potential pitfalls.  Your Realtor® can help ensure the final written agreement is legally binding and a win – win that will be more likely to make it to close.

Finally, your Realtor® can help you close the sale of your home. – Between the initial sales agreement and final settlement (closing), questions and situations may arise. There may be lender required repairs or problems with the title work. Addendums to the agreement may be needed. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Your Realtor®  is the best person to help you resolve any issues and move the transaction to closing.

For more information on the duties of a Realtor® or Why to use a Realtor® contact Welcome Center Realty.

Have a buyer's question to topic you would like to see more of? Please Contact Us.