Can You Save Money By Not Using A Real Estate Agent?



July 27, 2010For some, convenience, advice, and peace of mind that a professional will correctly finish the job is more important than saving money. Others will go with the cheapest option, no matter what will be sacrificed. Whether you value time, money, convenience, or experience, you will be best suited by working with an agent. For me, I take this type of question very seriously. I do not carelessly...

3 Ways to Interview Your Buyer Agent



July 22, 2010Choosing your buyer’s agent is like hiring someone to work for you. You have several opportunities to determine whether the agent is a good fit before you sign your buyer agency agreement.   Take advantage of these interview opportunities. There is a great list of questions to ask your agent before working with them.  In addition to these questions, here are a few other “tests.” 1) How...

How to Choose a Buyers Agent



July 21, 2010Buying a home is probably the biggest investment I’ll ever make, and that’s true for most people.   This is not something to take lightly. I hate to say it, but I will- there are some bad agents out there.  Agents with good intentions and little experience, agents with bad intentions and lots of experience, and probably even some agents with bad intentions and no experience.  But,...

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...