If you’ve never purchased a home before or if it’s been a long time since your last purchase, this is for you! One day soon you may see your dream home for sale while driving around on a nice day, hit the brakes, and immediately call the listing agent to have them show it to you and then make an offer. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this approach, let me tell you a few reasons why you may want to take the time to find a buyer’s agent before this happens.
Pre-approval
A good real estate agent has quality lender connections to help you get pre-approved for a loan. This allows you to search for homes within a predetermined price range so you don’t fall in love with a home you can’t actually afford. Once you find a home you want to make an offer on, being pre-approved makes your offer stronger in the face of competing offers.
Your agent can recommend lenders that go above and beyond for their clients and will make sure you are aware of your options so you can make the best decision. Clients always have the option to choose their lender on their own, but I am happy to provide suggestions if they don’t already have financing. I will only suggest lenders that I know to be client focused and will assist with understanding the process to help relax any concerns buyers may have.
Another reason I recommend getting pre-approved by a lender before making an offer is that the process can be much more relaxed and not so hurried. Lenders need a lot of personal documents and it can easily overwhelm even an experienced buyer. The pre-approval process can be at the buyers’ pace so that they may feel better prepared when it comes time to make that offer!
Focus
Have you become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of housing options? Do you have 45+ homes saved on your favorite housing app(s)? Maybe you’ve even printed out a few of the top listings…Oh, just me?
I’m not kidding when I say I’ve been there. I made it my job to search hours on end for new listings or fixer-uppers in my price range when I was trying to purchase my first home. What I didn’t do was utilize my buyer’s agent to my advantage as well as I could have. I’m here to help show you how much simpler the process can be with a professional in your corner.
Many people find a home on the market that they want to see before they ever contact an agent. I suggest that you get in contact with an agent before you make it that far into the process. One, because you may call four or five agents before you find one that will call you back in a timely manner. By the time you hear from an agent, that home could be off the market. No one wants that to happen!
Two, it would be much more to your advantage to take time to find an agent you feel comfortable with. One that you can see takes the time to understand your individual needs. No two homebuyers are exactly alike and not every agent will be a good fit for you. When you have the right partnership, you get smoother results.
Once you have your buyers agent, they can help you narrow down your home search. Are you looking in a specific area/zip code? They can send helpful emails with MLS listings in that area. Hate Split Foyers but love Tudors? They can narrow down that MLS search as much as you want them to so you don’t get bombarded by homes in your price range that just don’t fit your style or needs.
Now that you have a good idea what kind of house you want, the real fun begins! Your agent will schedule times to see the interiors of any homes you want to take a closer look into.
I will stop here to say it is a great idea to drive through neighborhoods of places you haven’t already seen before planning to see 15 in one day.
Why? At one point I thought I had found THE house for me. That is until I started down the long windy road and couldn’t even see the house as I passed by the spot my GPS claimed was the correct location. Where was it?! After a u-turn and some slow driving, the house was spotted in the backyard of another house. Like, the actual backyard. Sigh.
Doing these little house drive-bys will help you better understand what areas you will want to avoid (steep driveway, messy neighbors, train tracks, etc) so your agent can help you with properties you have a true desire to see more of instead of the murky waters of “meh” houses.
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Now you know the first order of business is to connect with an agent you trust. Let them help you find lending options if you haven’t already been pre-approved for a loan. Then let them help you through this stressful process by getting a better idea of what type of house you’re really looking for – what gets you excited – and then let them show you those houses!
The Offer
You’ve found The One. The home that makes your heart beat faster. The one you can imagine spending many years in making tons of happy memories. But then, panic! What now?!
Good news is, you were smart enough to get in touch with a real estate agent that knows how to make the process as smooth as possible. There are never any guarantees in this business
but a professional will help you avoid the most common hiccups.
I’m going to let this comprehensive article from Realtor.com take you in depth on the offer process. They do a great job of laying out the process so you know what to expect.
Please contact me if you have questions or if you want to make an offer on your own home! I hope this has been helpful for you, and I will be sharing some articles written in house at Red Door Agency on similar topics very soon. Cheers!
Brooke Pennington
TN/VA REALTOR®
Red Door Agency
136 W Main St Kingsport TN 37660
Office 423.541.0256
Mobile | Call or Text 423.823.1349