The Carr Report

Smart Buyers Hire their
own Agent

Gina Carr
Advantage Team Leader.

3. Convenience. When you work with a single Buyer's Agent, you only have to schedule with one person. Your Buyer's Agent can set the appointments and show you every home that fits your criteria. The alternative is to call several different agents - each of whom works for the seller - and schedule with all these different people. Instead of seeing 5 — 6 homes with your Buyer's Agent in a couple of hours, it will probably take you at least twice as long.

4. Secret listings. A good Buyer's Agent is going to know about homes that aren't even on the market yet. Frequently, people start talking about selling weeks before their homes actually go up for sale. Wouldn't you want to know about these homes that aren't "officially" for sale?

5. Peace of mind. Let's say that you found a home on your own and entered into a contract. How do you know that you did everything correctly on the contract? How do you know that weeks later, right before closing, something won't happen that allows the seller to back out of the contract? Then when you take the contract to an attorney to review, you find out that some little something was left out of your contract and you actually never even had a valid contract? By this point, you would have spent money on an inspection, appraisal, and other moving expenses. You would have set everything in motion to vacate your current home. This is not a good experience. Yet, it happens all the time because people think they are saving money because they didn't use a Buyer's Agent.

6. It costs you nothing. Using a Buyer's Agent actually costs you nothing. This fee is paid by the home seller or home builder. If there is only one agent involved (the one that represents the seller), that agent gets the entire fee. Even most sellers that are For Sale By Owners have a fee built in to their selling price for a realtor that might bring them a buyer.

Considering that a home is probably the biggest investment you will make, doesn't it make sense to have a knowledgeable professional guiding you in your decisions?

As the number one seller of homes in the 30189 zip code, Gina's team members are recognized as the experts in helping people buy and sell Towne Lake area homes. We hope that you love Gina's magazine, The TowneLaker, and that you will think of us, CENTURY 21 Advantage, first when you need to buy, sell, or lease real estate in the Towne Lake area.

Visit us at www.ginacarr.com or www.viewtownelakehomes.com.

A lot of things have changed in the world of real estate over the years. Two changes have occurred which significantly benefit the home buyer. The single change which has had the greatest impact is the Internet. The Internet now provides home buyers with a great deal more information about homes and neighborhoods than was ever available before.

The second major change benefiting home buyers is that now home buyers can be represented by an agent in their search for a home, a Buyer's Agent. In the old days, the agent that was driving the home buyer around worked for the home seller, not the home buyer. Due to a change in Georgia law, Georgians now can be represented by a licensed real estate agent when they buy a home. So, what are the real benefits to using a Buyer's Agent?

1. Bargaining ability. The agent who represents the home seller is working for the seller, not you, the home buyer. Who is going to help you look through the first multiple listing service to see what price was paid for comparable properties? Who is going to tell you the value of a golf course lot or a finished basement? Only your Buyer's Agent will help you make a well-informed decision about the actual value of a particular home.

2. Information. Although the Internet is helpful to get an idea about homes that might work for you, the truth is, it is still limited. Even the best sites out there don't allow buyers to search for very specific criteria which is typically important to them. For example, most don't allow you to search by school district or whether a home has a basement. The Realtor's multiple listing service allows a buyer to search by very specific criteria very quickly. For example, is the lot level or is it on a cul-de-sac? Does it have white kitchen cabinets? Is there room for a pool? A good Buyer's Agent will provide a "drive by" list of homes that meet your specific criteria. This list can save you countless hours of Internet time or driving around time.