There is no law that says you can’t go it alone.
The real question is: “Why would you not want to reward yourself of the free services of a qualified realtor whose whole career is spent helping people turn the dream of home ownership into reality?”
And in just about every case, it is the Seller, not the Buyer, who pays the Realtor’s commission on the selling price of your home. If you are a Buyer, are using a Realtor doesn’t cost you a cent – but it can save you thousands of dollars!
LICENSURE AND MEMBERSHIP
As you may know, all real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® are properly called REALTORS®. They proudly exhibit the REALTOR “®” logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. Your Top Value Group Realtor® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. Your Top Value Group Realtor® subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. The latest independent survey reports that 84% of home buyers would use the same again.
Still not convinced of the value of a Top Value Group Realtor®? Here are a more reasons to use one:
- Your Top Value Group REALTOR® can help you determine your buying power — that is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give a REALTOR® some essential information about your available savings, income and current debt, he or she can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you. Most lenders — banks and mortgage companies — offer restricted choices.
- Your Top Value Group REALTOR® has many resources to assist you in your home search. Sometimes the property you are looking for is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your agent to find all available properties.
- Your Top Value Group REALTOR® can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property. Agents who are REALTORS® have right to use to a variety of informational resources. REALTORS® can offer local community information on utilities, zoning, schools, etc. There are two things you’ll want to know. First, will the property provide the setting I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?
- Your Top Value Group REALTOR® can help you negotiate. There are innumerable negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase contract should provide a period of time for you to complete suitable inspections and examination of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your agent can counsel you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.
- Your Top Value Group REALTOR® provides due diligence during the evaluation of the property. Depending on the neighborhood and property, this could include inspections for termites, dry rot, asbestos, faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. Your REALTOR® can aid you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary statement on the title of the property. Title specifies ownership of property and can be mired in confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limits; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Your REALTOR®, title company or attorney can help you make your mind up on these issues that might cause problems at a later date.
- Your Top Value Group REALTOR® can help you in understanding different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.
- Your Top Value Group REALTOR® can guide you through the closing process and make sure everything flows together smoothly.