When your favorite fantasy character seems like a good person to turn too, it’s time to call an exclusive buyer’s agent.
One thing that I wished I could find when I first decided to buy a home was a simple list of the steps involved in buying a house. How do I get started? Should I call a bank? Should I look online at houses? Should I call a real estate agent? All I knew is that I wanted to buy a home in Colorado.
I ended up doing all three, and afterward, felt even more confused than ever. It was like being Alice in Wonderland or something, with signs pointing in every direction. I called the bank: “First, you should look at houses so you can get pre-approved.” Then I called an agent so that I could look at houses, “First you should be pre-approved before you look at houses.”
I was starting to think that renting again wouldn’t be so bad.
An exclusive buyer’s agent is like a great dancer, they know how to lead.
When we went to meet our exclusive buyer’s agent. I had already talked to a few different people on the phone, done tons of dead end research, and even viewed a home with a listing agent. I finally found what I was looking for: a guide. It was like I had been dancing with a bunch of guys that were letting me lead, when all I really wanted was to be twirled around.
For the first time in my life, it was a relief to have homework.
Our agent gave us an overview of the process so that we had our bearings during our interview. But, more importantly, he would kind of give me “homework” in small chunks. For example, get these three things done first: read the buyer’s agent agreement, contact your loan officer to start your pre-approval, and pick some houses you want to see from the list we made together so that we can begin viewing houses.
Once I completed those, I received the next set of tasks. I could ask as many questions as I wanted about each step. In fact, I called my agent today because I feel like I haven’t had much “homework” to do lately. Instead of wondering if I have everything in place, I had an answer.
“All you have to do is pack,” he said. “That should be enough to keep you busy.”
