What Your Realtor Should Be Doing For You

Looking for a Realtor to help show you a home that you could potentially buy? Here are some signs of a good Realtor that you want to look out for.

Lining Up Showings

It takes a lot of work to line up showings when you want to tour homes. The Realtor needs to coordinate with the seller's agent, get the keys, and arrange for the owners to be out of the home so that you can see it. You'll also want to make the most of your time by seeing several homes in a row as well. A good Realtor is going to be able to line up these showing in a way that makes sense and limits how much you are traveling. 

Showing You Issues With Homes

A good Realtor should be looking for your interests, not just trying to find you a home to buy so that they can make a commission. This includes telling you about the good and bad things about a home that you tour together. Realtors have been inside many homes over the years, so they know what the red flags are that could lead to problems down the road. While all of those problems may not be deal-breakers for buying the home, they will certainly come out during the home inspections. For example, a Realtor may point out if they see signs of water damage in the basement or see issues with plumbing or electrical work that would eventually need to be repaired. 

Making A Good Offer

When the time comes to make an offer, know that the price you arrive at is not just a gut feeling that your Realtor gives you. They should be doing some research into the purchase price of the home to determine if it is fair. Some home sellers intentionally price their home low to get it to sell, knowing that it will have competitive offers above the asking price. Other sellers intentionally list their home high, knowing that buyers will make a low offer and that they can negotiate somewhere in the middle.

One thing that your Realtor should do is look up similar homes in that same area that have recently sold over the past few years. This gives you an idea of what to expect and what kind of offer to make. Other good Realtors are going to recommend a similar strategy to their clients, so you should be using the same data to make a competitive offer.

Use these tips to help you find the best Realtor in your area.