When it comes to buying a home, one of the biggest things you’ll consider is whether or not to use a real estate agent to represent you.  Real estate agents are a buyer or seller’s go-to resource for real estate transactions and offer a wealth of both knowledge and experience in the field.

You may be thinking of doing your real estate transaction yourself, and it’s very possible with the dearth of information available out there.  But if you choose to go with an agent, what is your agent’s role?

Expertise

First and foremost, your agent is the real estate expert and you shouldn’t look past their experience in their field.  When it comes to some of the finer aspects of real estate such as contracts, legal documents, and the like, you’ll likely want that to be in the hands of someone who is highly trained and technically sound in those areas.

Additionally, your agent knows the ins and outs of real estate transactions and can help you navigate the somewhat muddy landscape of buying a house.  Especially if this is your first journey into home buying, then it’s probably best to enlist the help of a qualified agent.

Local Knowledge

Depending on if you’re buying in a familiar area or some distant location, the local knowledge a realtor can offer can be priceless for everything you get in return.  Local real estate agents understand their local markets, the neighborhoods, and can lead you in the right direction for finding title companies or legal help for closing.

Local agents also have inside knowledge of the important things you’re likely interested in: schools, traffic, transportation, and proximity to grocery stores and other essential parts of your life.  These are the sorts of things that you can spend hours, even days researching on your own.

Power of Negotiation

Real estate is seldom a market price buying situation, and most often than not there is a great deal of negotiation that goes on behind the scenes of each and every transaction.  Unless you’ve done it before, then you may not be aware of how much dealing goes on behind closed doors in order to make real estate deals go through.

If you negotiate for a living, then you probably know what you’re doing otherwise leave that job to your agent.  Agents are both trained and experienced in negotiating the best prices for their clients and making sure that real estate transactions are in the best possible shape for whom they represent.  You may be able to save thousands of dollars or even get concessions just by using an agent to negotiate on your behalf.

Mortgage Awareness

Any agent worth their mettle will be well aware of what’s happening in the mortgage market and can help you understand what you can afford.  A good local agent can even help you find a lender to give you the best options and best interest rate for your given circumstance.  This can be an extremely powerful tool to get you started as your home search begins.

On the other hand, if you don’t know where to go for financing your new home, then reach out to our loan officers at Tidewater Mortgage Services, INC.  Our loan experts have over 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry helping buyers just like yourself find the perfect mortgage solution for their perfect home.  Apply online today and get pre-qualified in as little as 24 hours!