Step 1 In Buying a Home - Find A Great Buyer Agent!
Updated: Jan 13, 2020
Years ago, when I wasn't a Realtor, I bought my first home! It was many years before the internet was available to help with the search for my Realtor to help me! It was years before there was even such a thing as Buyer Agency! How did I find the Realtor I used? I looked in the yellow pages, I went by offices that were near where I was renting or where I thought I would want to buy a house and talked to whoever it was that was the Agent on Duty that day! I would have asked friends, but, like me, they were all renting and didn't have a Realtor they could refer me to!
Today's buyer has many options out there to find a Realtor to help them - there is the internet and sites on the internet like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, etc! Many buyers will go to open houses and talk to Realtors to see who they like! Some buyers will drive through neighborhoods and jot down all the names on the signs that they see in these neighborhoods, then go back and look them up on the internet!
Is searching online at sites like Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com the best way? Maybe! But this can take a long time to research names - and, at the end of the day, you still haven't talked to them and you still don't know much more about them other than what you see on the internet!
If you go to open houses, then at least you have talked to the Realtor and gotten a bit of a feel for them and their personality!
So how do you pick a Realtor? Remember, the Realtor you use to help you with your home purchase is one you should trust and one you feel comfortable with! After all, not all Realtors are the right fit for all people! Not only do you want someone who is good at their job, but one you like and trust because you will be spending a lot of time with that person!
So however you decide on a Realtor or two that you think you would like to work with, meet with them! Over the years I have met with my buyers in so many different places - we have met at Panera, we have met in my office, we have talked for long times over the phone! Send them an email or call them - see how quickly they respond to your email or call you back! They should get back to you pretty quickly (no more than 24 hours - and even that may be too long)! If they don't get back to you quickly, that may be a bad sign! Next, interview the Realtor with some specific questions - see how you like their answers!
Once you have found that person you want to work with and that you click with, set up a time and day to have your Buyer Consultation Meeting! It is at this meeting that the Realtor should be able to answer any questions you may have or concerns you may have about buying a home!
Let me know if you have any questions or you would like to sit down and talk about how I can help you with your Home Buying in Richmond Virginia!