First Time Home Buyer Tips - Find A Good Buyer Agent
Buying your first home in Richmond, Virginia can be exciting - and it can be stressful - and it can be nerve wracking! If you decided that this was the year you were going to stop being a renter and becoming a homeowner, you probably went onto Google and tried to figure out what was the first thing you should do and how you should do it and what the process is - and, after looking through lots of information, probably decided that you can't do it alone!
This is where having a good Buyer Agent to assist you with your home purchase will help! Should you even have a Buyer Agent to assist you? I have talked to some buyers who think that if they work with the listing agent on the house they want to buy, then they will save some money! But, even if the listing agent is willing to cut back on their commission in order to represent both the seller and the buyer on the transaction, if a problem comes up, you may have to wonder who is that agent going to represent - the seller or you, the buyer! And I have found that most problems that arise with a transaction are not going to happen when you are writing up the contract - they will happen most likely when you are already in the midst of the transaction!
So, I do think that it is a good idea to have a Buyer Agent who is representing you and your interests! But how do you find a good Buyer Agent? There are lots of different ways:
You can visit open houses and talk to the agents who are holding the house open - see if you feel comfortable with them!
You can go onto any of the online sites like Zillow - but remember, many times the agents you see posted on sites like Zillow, etc. are ads that those agents have paid for to be featured on these sites! Does this make them a bad agent to use? Absolutely not! But just know that the reason they are featured on these sites is because they are paying for an ad to be on there!
You can ask family, friends, neighbors, co-workers who they used to help them buy a home! Ask them how their agent was and if they would use that agent again. Ask them what they liked - and what they didn't like - about the agent!
Check out sites that have online reviews of Realtors!
However, you choose to find the Realtor you want to use, sit down and talk to them. You want to be comfortable with them and feel that you can trust what they are telling you! Have a conversation so that you can find out how long they have been in the real estate business, whether they are full or part time, are they part of a team, how are they going to communicate with you, etc. After all, this will be the largest financial transaction you will most likely have, and you want an advisor that you trust and are comfortable with!
Feel free to watch my video. Visit my YouTube channel playlist on Tips for First Time Homebuyers for weekly tips on buying your first home! And, of course, you can always call me at 804-869-1191 or email me at BReagan2@gmail.com with any questions. Thanks and have a great day!