If you live in Broomfield, Colorado and you are looking for a home to buy, then this article is just for you. Getting a new home is a big investment and a major decision for anyone irrespective of one’s financial status. To ensure that you get the best deal and you are happy with your home later in the future, it is important to employ the services of a real estate agent.
There are many benefits of employing a real estate agent to help you purchase your home instead of embarking on the process alone. This article discusses some of those benefits. While there are many benefits of making use of a real estate agency, you can only enjoy such benefits if you choose the right agent.
Many of these professionals advertise themselves through online ads, yard signs, postcards, etc. Therefore, there are several individuals involved in the real estate industry which makes choosing a representative not as easy as it seems. Since we know how difficult the whole selection process can be, we will provide you with practical and easy-to-follow tips that you can employ in hiring the best professional just for you.
1. Discuss with a Mortgage Lender before Choosing an Agent
You might be confused about this first tip, after all, what does a mortgage lender have to do with a real estate agent? Allow us to answer that question.
Discussing with a mortgage lender first will enable you to determine how much your purchasing power is. In other words, it will help you assess the amount of money you can spend on any house. When you discuss this extensively, you will have an idea of how much mortgage loan you can get.
When this is determined, it will help you to decide on a budget that won’t put you into so much debt at the end of the day. Also, it helps you to focus on homes that fall within that price range thereby eliminating unnecessary effort if you are just shopping for all kinds of houses.
Furthermore, if you get a preapproval letter, sellers and realtors will know that you are serious about buying the home and not just a window-shopper. Hence, it will help them to consider the amount you are offering because they know you have the ability to make payment.
2. Ask Family and Friends for Referrals
After you have spoken with a mortgage lender, the first thing you should do is to ask family and friends if they know any good real estate agent. Whosoever they recommend should be someone they have done business with, and they were satisfied with their work performance and ethics.
When you get any recommendation, decide if the home the professionals got for the person you know is similar to that which you are looking for. If it is similar, it means they are experienced with such tasks. However, do not let that be deciding factor that determines if you hire them or not.
Furthermore, do not go for a realtor who is not a NAR member: NAR stands for National Association of Realtors. Such a Realtor is bound to abide by certain ethical codes agreed upon by the association.
Another thing you should do is to look for those with certifications. Some Realtors’ certifications include: CRS, ABR, and SRES.
You will have to learn to distinguish between a seller’s realtor and a buyer’s realtor. The former is the representative of someone who wants to sell a home and is involved in marketing as well as negotiating the sale of the home. On the other hand, the latter is the representative of someone who wants to buy a home. The buyer’s agent is the type of realtor you should go for because they have more experience and specialize in buying homes for clients.
3. Investigate Potential Agents
At this stage, you might have gotten some potential candidates that you are considering to hire. Well, you can’t just choose one out of the lot without investigating them. When we say investigation, we don’t mean you go all FBI on them (But if you could, no problem). However, investigation in this sense is to find out more about them.
Check their online presence, website, and social media platforms. Go through reviews online while looking out for negative reviews. If they are in the excess of 3, then it is a negative sign. Also, find out from the Colorado regulator for real estate if such agents have faced any type of disciplinary action. You can also make use of the Colorado Better Business Bureau’s site to check for complaints.
4. Interview your Top Three Picks
After going through the tip above, you should be able to pick out 3 top individuals from your initial list. Once you have done that, then you need to interview them.
Ask them any questions that you have in mind that need to be answered. Check if their proposal is refined and professional. If they turn in a shabby proposal, then it’s a warning sign.
During the interview, you can ask about their availability as well as the communication method they prefer.
5. Ask for References, then Check Them Out
The next thing you need to do is ask them for references of clients that they have bought homes for recently. If they refuse to do so, then strike their name out. If they oblige, contact those individuals via calls and find out what their experience was like and if they will be willing to hire the professional again.
6. Follow Your Instincts
Once you are satisfied with the agent so far and still have 3 potential representatives to pick from after all have done so well, the deciding factor at this point becomes your instincts. So, just follow your instincts and hire one from the three.
7. Go through the Contract Carefully
Once you’ve chosen a realtor, a contract will be drafted by the realtor. Ensure that you go through it carefully to make sure that it follows all you’ve verbally agreed to. An area you should pay close attention to is the commission. Visit https://scottandlisahomes.com/broomfield-real-estate-agency/ to find out more about realtor’s commission for helping clients buy homes. You should also check the duration of the contract. It shouldn’t be more than six months so that you have the option of switching agents if the one you chose can’t help you get a home quickly.
Conclusion
Choosing a home is not easy, and choosing a real estate agent to help you with the process isn’t easy as well. Nevertheless, with the practical tips we just shared, we believe that you will have no trouble securing a reliable agent and getting your dream home.