Why would you need an agent when buying a home? 

Real estate professionals work in this business every day; they know the market, and they are familiar with the process of buying a home. 

They go into many houses, they are familiar with the market because of their frequent exposure to areas, and they go through the process from start to finish many times with buyers and sellers, because it their livelihood. 

Liken it to the familiarity you experience with all aspects of your job because you show up and do that job every day. 

It can be (and often is) overwhelming to search out and locate the home that best suits your needs. 

An agent of your own, who works in your best interests, will help you through the home buying process in some important ways, including:

• Spending time initially with you, asking questions about your lifestyle, what is important to you in a home. Your buyer's agent will guide you as you decide what you want to spend on your home, after providing information about the current prices of homes that fit your preferences. And,  your agent should listen to your answers! This is one of the largest, most important decisions you will make, and it is their job as your buyer agent to help empower you to locate and purchase a home that suits your needs. The seller’s or builder’s agent is not going to do this, and is not obligated to.
• Guiding you to gather enough information to arrange your financing. There is a phenomenal boom in real estate in this area, and prices of new homes and existing or resale homes alike have soared. You need to be prepared to not only know how much mortgage you can obtain, but to have in your mind any additional funds you might need to bargain with to get an offer accepted. If you must buy now, you must be prepared to work in a market that sellers currently enjoy. Having a buyer agent on your side to guide your negotiations can keep you focused and ready to act on the home you want when you find it. In a market where homes sell quickly for top dollar and multiple offers on a desirable property are common, your buyer's agent will help you determine the likelihood of the home holding its value over time. Your buyer's agent will help you determine how to arrange your offer and help you determine how to prepare yourself to finance it should your offer be accepted.
• Representing you in purchasing your new home. Representation is an important issue, and as friendly as the seller’s or builder’s agents can be, they are working in the best interest of the seller. That is appropriate. But who is representing you? Their job, rightly, is to sell a particular home, and to treat you fairly, but it is not their job to advise you about your alternatives.

Many times, in new construction particularly, buyers will go to sites, have extensive conversations with site agents, gather information, pick up brochures, and then bring an agent back to write a contract. That is how it appears to the site agent, who will be asked to compensate your agent! Liken this, also, to showing up for your job every day, only to find out you will not be paid. 

Discover how these relationships work, and realize the mutual advantage of working with your own agent.

When you contact an agent to help you find a home to purchase, bear with the explanation of how we work in this industry, and let your agent do your information gathering for you. It saves you time! If you visit a site without your agent, inform him/her right away so he/she can follow up. When you visit a site for the first time and if you are not with your agent, state right up front who he/she is and make sure the builder’s agent is aware you have your own agent. Then there is less likelihood of misunderstanding should you return for more info or to purchase with your agent present.

Many buyer's agents have worked extensively with buyers and told them about new home communities, only to have the communication suddenly stop. Obviously in many cases the buyer goes out and purchases on his own. But why would you do this?

Builders often offer compensation to buyer agents, if it is clear that your agent is involved from the beginning, and you have someone working on your behalf at no cost to you. You don’t get a better deal or lower price in new construction by not having an agent; new homes are priced with those fees in mind as part of the marketing cost to move the houses.

He/She can also give you a more realistic time frame for the completion of a home, based on knowledge of the process. New construction encompasses a lot of tradesmen, contractors, city inspectors, building permits, all which have to be coordinated to bring a house up at all. Then the buyer is bewildered because he/she sees an empty lot for months after contracting for it, or he sees his/her house begin to come up only to see it appear to sit with no one working on it for weeks. Your buyers agent cannot control any of this, but can educate you about each new home community you are considering and paint a more realistic picture of when you can expect it to be done.

What if interest rates jump up during the delay, or you lose your lock-in on your rate? 

What if you are moving here and find you need temporary quarters for an extended time? 

What if you already live in the area, have sold your own home and have to move, only to find out your new home will not be finished on time? 

A seller’s agent, rightly so, will paint a picture that will sell you that home.

Now you know why it's in your best interest to have a Buyers Agent at your side when you buy your new home.  Why would you want to go it alone?

Ask Cale Realty Company New Homes Specialist for more information on how you can save time, money and more when buying your new home in Williamsburg.  Don't delay! Call or e-mail today!