Why retain a licensed
professional real estate consultant to help you buy property? Do you have
the time, experience, sources of information and
contacts to do the job yourself? Would it go as smooth as it
could? Would it give you more personal time? Would you purchase for less?
The exclusive buyer's agent does a lot more than merely find a property to
earn his or her living:
Mortgage Pre-Approval
You should determine your
actual buying power, that is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing
capacity, to keep your search realistic. Given some information about your
available savings, income and current debt, a real estate consultant can
refer you to lenders like
Cambridge
Mortgage who are best qualified to help you get the mortgage
pre-approval you will need to make a purchase offer.
Selecting A Property
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Targeted Searching:
There are thousands of properties for sale with signs on them. A real
estate consultant can help you focus on the ones that meet your
requirements and budget.
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Resources:
Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not publicly
advertised. Real estate consultants have many resources to assist you.
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Objectivity: Your
job is to make the final selection of the right property for you. Your
real estate consultant can provide objective information about each
property (community data, utilities, zoning, schools, etc.) so your
decision is well informed, considering both present day value and
resale.
Negotiating
Negotiations concern much
more than just price. Some other issues might be:
Your real estate consultant
can advise you as to which inspections are recommended or required.
Monitoring, Renegotiating &
Closing or Settling
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Overwhelming volume of
steps: The process of appraisals, inspections, and financing
involves a lot of possible pitfalls. There are many required legal forms
and processes. Your real estate consultant can help you in understanding
different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.
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Experience reading and
following escrow instructions: Instructions must be clear and
complete. Your real estate consultant is the best person to objectively
help you communicate these issues and move the transaction to closing
(or settlement).
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Organizing inspectors
or other professionals: Industry contacts provide resources for
work persons in many areas with knowledge as to their historical skill
and reliability. Your real estate consultant can assist you in finding
qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations
and provide you with written reports.
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Title investigation:
Title indicates ownership of property. It can be mired in confusing
status of past owners or rights of access or have some limitations; for
example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Your real estate
consultant, title company and/or attorney can help you resolve issues
that might cause problems at a later date.
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Closing or Settlement:
In some areas, the title or escrow company will handle this process. In
other parts of the country, an attorney does it all. Again, your real
estate consultant can guide you through this process and make sure
everything flows together smoothly.
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