Use a Buyer's Agent

Major Georgia contract changes for 2008! Did you know that it is now the buyers responsibility to provide a termite letter? Did you know that there is now a limited amount of time to get approved for your loan?

It's now even more important that you choose an experienced agent who is there for you. Your agent should be actively finding you potential homes, keeping you informed of the entire process, negotiating furiously on your behalf, and answering all of your questions with competence and speed.

First, find an agent who represents you and not the seller. This is beneficial during the negotiation process. If you are working with a buyer's agent, he or she is required not to tell the seller of your top choice. In addition, he or she is also focused on getting you the lowest asking price.

Also, when you use a buyer's agent, you will see more properties. Not only are they plugged into their Multiple Listing Service, but they are also talking to sellers that are thinking about selling their homes!

You will be asked to sign an Exclusive Buyers Agency Agreement, I like to call this a "Loyalty Agreement". This commits the buyer and agent for a specified amount of time. The buyer is agreeing to work solely through the agent, and therefore the agent will work hard for the buyer as the agent knows that their time and effort will pay off. The behind the scenes work that an agent does is very time consuming, with many hours of time on the computer searching for homes as well as on the phone talking with the listing agents and homeowners scheduling appointments, then of course the time on the road with the buyer showing homes, writing and negotiating contracts, follow up with lenders, home inspectors, etc. With all of this time invested, a qualified agent will need a commitment from a prospective buyer. One that pays off for all parties. As a buyer of property, you only want to work with an agent who has YOUR best interests and purchase as their primary goal. Call me today!