The Home Search: Experience vs. Online Tools



July 18, 2010I was just sitting down to write about why online home searches can give an incomplete picture.  Since I haven’t been home searching in a while, I went back to my old friend Zillow to look at the home we almost purchased.  One feature I really loved on Zillow is that it gives the transaction history from public record, so you can see how much the current owners bought it for, etc.  This...

How Our Buyer’s Agent Saved us Money.



July 5, 2010Does working with an experienced buyer’s agent pay off? For us it did.  Our agent’s experience and knowledge steered us away from buying a home that was not at a good value. We also saw the negative impact that the seller’s agent may have had on the seller. Timely responses are critical. We had made an offer on a home that was listed for $220,000 of $205,000.  The seller’s agent did...

What Are Buyer Agent Responsibilities?



July 2, 2010In Colorado, we have an Exclusive Right-to-Buy Contract approved by the Colorado Real Estate Commission that defines the basic buyer agent responsibilities.  In other words, this document was not written by your agent and it is a legal contract.    In general, the buyer agent is responsible for helping you and protecting your interests from house hunting to closing day.  Here are the...

Top Four Things You Should Know About Your Buyers Contract



June 30, 2010When you are buying a home, you will sign several contracts.   If you are working with a buyer’s agent, you will sign a buyer agency agreement.  When you have found a home you would like to buy, you will sign a buyers contract, or contract to buy and sell real estate. 1.   Understand the finances set in your buyers contract. Your buyers contract will define your purchase price and terms...

The Million Dollar Question: Who Pays Buyer’s Agent?



June 9, 2010Please see our page "How Colorado Buyers Agents get Paid" for the latest 2024 changes as a result of the $418M NAR settlement, set to take effect in mid July, 2024 The way your buyer agent will be paid is included in your buyer’s agent agreement.    These can be: 1)     A commission paid at closing to the buyer's agent based on the total sales price of the...

What is the difference between an Exclusive Buyer’s Agent and a traditional Real Estate Agent?



May 5, 2010The difference between an Exclusive Buyer’s Agent and a traditional Real Estate Agent is that buyer's agent works only for people that are buying houses, while Real Estate Agents work for people that are selling houses and buying houses. Why does it matter? My favorite analogy that I heard was: if you get sued, are you going to hire the same lawyer representing the person suing you? It’s...

buyer’s agents Protect Your Interest



January 27, 2010...