Buying a home with an agent’s help

All real estate agents are licensed professionals; those who are members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) may also be called Realtors. Most home sellers have an agent working on their side of the deal (typically called a listing agent because they’re handling the listing), so it’s smart to have someone on your side as a buyer, too.

A buyer’s agent will have your back in negotiations and can help you make an appropriately competitive offer on a home.

A buyer’s agent can also help homebuyers in a host of other areas. Here are some of the tasks you’d have to do yourself if you were to buy a home without a realtor:

• Find a home that matches your budget and needs. Real estate search sites give you a sampling of what’s available, but determining whether asking prices are justified takes research. An agent will do this for you based on comparable home sales in the area, saving you time and offering the benefit of their professional expertise.
• Dig up facts on a neighborhood, including ones that a seller might not disclose. Your agent can share insight you might not have thought to ask about, too.
• Negotiate an offer, including the price and other clauses and contingencies in the purchase agreement.
• Navigate the home inspection and negotiate needed repairs or credits with the seller.
• Decipher paperwork that could be filled with complex jargon and legal terms.
• Request and review seller disclosures. You might not know what to ask for, or what sellers in your state are required to disclose, but agents do.

Buying a home without a pro at your side can be risky, so unless you’ve been through the process before and are very confident in your knowledge, it’s often better to go with an agent. “There are too many legal loopholes and fancy terms that can get overwhelming and confusing for someone who’s not well-versed in the real estate business.

So please call and let’s work to buy your dream property.