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loans, Texas home equity loans and Texas mortgage refinance loans for all types
of borrowers with low Texas mortgage rates.
How will a realtor help me with a home purchase
When you are ready to buy a home there are many steps you need to take, the
first taken by most people is to find a good realtor. The realtor will do many
tasks for you to make the home buying process run smooth and fast!
The realtor will be the one to show you each house. They will try to show you a
wide range of houses, within your price range in any given neighborhood. You
should tell your realtor, exactly what you are looking for in a home, as well as
a general area that you would like to live.
A realtor will be able to assist you with a home purchase by being able to
utilize MLS records of almost all homes that are being sold in the area(s) you
are looking for. You can tell your realtor exactly what you are looking for,
number of bedrooms, bathrooms, basement or not, square footage, etc... and they
can easily pull this information up for you very quickly. A realtor will also
set up appointments for you to go see the homes that you are most interested in
which will save you lots of time and effort.
A Realtor has access to most of the same data used by appraisers. Real Estate
Agents can use these records to research sales trends and market values. A good
Realtor can help insure that you don't over pay for your home or possibly
recommend a home being offered under market value.
As a buyer, you may wish to engage the services of a Buyers Agent. The buyers
agent works for you, the buyer. Traditional realtors work for the seller and
must always work to the benefit of the seller rather than to yours.
If you are buying a home you will not pay any fees directly to the real estate
agent, they earn their commissions from the seller's side of the transaction. As
a buyer there is really no reason not to work with a real estate agent, and have
them represent your interests through out the process.
Since a Realtor is a professional they will be much more knowledgeable on how to
find you a home. They should be familiar with the area and have a large base of
realtors they work with. This makes finding a home easier then doing it alone.
As the buyer its the seller paying the fee for your realtor.
A buyers agent represents you in the real estate transaction and is paid by
sharing the commission with the listing agent. Your agent will help you get to
closing as efficiently as possible, with no cost to you.
Ask your Mortgage Advisor for a good REALTOR recommendation. Usually these two
professionals work together and have a good team environment to help speed up
your loan and home process once you are in Escrow.
A good realtor should be very attentive to your wants, needs, and budget. In
addition to that, they need to have their ears to the ground for developing
opportunities to get you the best house for the best price.
Real estate agents - who are they?
For first time home buyers there are a lot of people involved in a transaction
which may seem mind boggling at first. Usually the first two people they are to
meet are the buyer's and seller's agents who represent the seperate parties
involved.
Just what are their specific roles in a real estate transaction and how can they
benefit a home buyer or seller?
A seller's agent can benefit the consumer who is selling their home. A seller's
agent will list a family's home for sale, market the home on the MLS and through
other marketing resources, show your home to potential buyers, provide tips and
helpful information as to how to present your home in the best way to maximize
your home's sales price, and handle the legal aspect of preparing a purchase
agreement and handling the sale of your home. While many Americans try to sell
their homes on their own to save the hefty charges that real estate agents
charge, most are unsuccessful and end of utilizing the services of a Real Estate
Agent to sell their home.
A real estate agent is their to help a consumer find a home of their liking and
guide them thru the tricky process of a home purchase...Keep in mind the more
that's paid for a home, the more they make so make sure you are happy with the
deal they work out for you...
A buyer's agent will represent you directly. Though this may sound silly from a
consumer's point of view, it protects you by requiring the Realtor to disclose
everything to you and act in your best interest. Not in the best interest of the
seller or even the broker. A good buyer's agent is well worth the protection.
Real estate agents should be knowledgeable enough to guide your through the home
selling or buying process. When interviewing an agent be sure to ask what you
can expect of them beyond a listing or a home showing. You will have many
questions and your agent should be available and able to answer them. A real
estate transaction can be overwhelming and stressful, with the right agent it
can alleviate the pressure.
A real estate agent can also provide you with good commercial or investment
property. The problem is that there are a lot of residential agents who aspire
to be commercial agents and have no idea of what they are doing. Check for some
specific designations when looking for investment properties and GRI is a
Graduate, Realtor Institute. CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member),
RIAOC (Real-estate Investment Association of Orange County), in Orange county a
member of OCCAR (Orange County Commercial Association of Realtors. Commercial
real estate agents are also real estate investors, it goes hand in hand. Don't
buy real estate from a real estate agent who doesn't own his own real estate and
don't buy commercial real estate from an agent who does not own commercial real
estate. How would expect that they would would have any understanding of your
situation.
GRI designation (now ther is also a Master GRI) indicates that a real estate
agent is a Realtor (a member of the National Association of Realtors) and has
attend specialty classes which teach things like financing, appraisal, real
estate law and many others. A GRI has a much greater understanding of the real
estate buying and selling process.
A Realtor is a member of the local Board of Realtors who usually manage the
local MLS system. Realtors enjoy many special benefits, if an agent is a Realtor
the agent has access to forms systems, free legal support, access to other
Realtors in an integrated system designed to place all the necessary service to
support transfer of property in a logical and integrated system with educational
opportunities and a code of ethics with professional standards enforcement.
Agents who are not Realtors operate on the fringe. This is not wholly true in
the commercial field where most agents are independent but the National
Association of Realtors is now making inroads into the field of commercial real
estate.
A seller's agent is paid a commission upon the sale of the home. If the buyers
have an agent, the seler's agent splits the commission with the buyer's agent.
If the sellers do not have a real estate agent, the seller's agent keeps the
whole commission. It is very rare for a seller or seller's agent to reduce the
selling price because the buyers don't have an agent.
Some buyers are under the misconception that it costs money to work with a
realtor to help them find a house, and they don't want to pay money if they do
not find a house that they like.
This is false.
The only time a realtor gets paid is when a house sells, and the realtor
commission is paid by the seller, not the buyer.
It costs a buyer nothing to work with a realtor.
Make sure that you understand the difference between a buyer's agent and a
seller's agent. The seller's agent has an obligation to the seller, and advice
they give to a prospective purchaser may not necessarily be in their best
interest.
It is important to find a real estate agent with which you feel comfortable. It
takes some time to find the right home, and you will be in almost daily contact
with your agent until you close.
It is important for your real estate agent and mortgage lender to work as a
team. Each is an expert in their own portion of the transaction. You should find
a team that you feel comfortable with and that work well with each other.
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