Did You Know that Your Bay Area Realtor Can Actually Save You Money?
Many people are surprised to learn the many ways in which their bay area realtor can actually save them money. Everyone quite properly wants to buy for an affordable price and sell at a reasonable price. But saving money is an art and your professional Realtor® is here to help.
Negotiation.
The word “negotiation” is defined as a strategic discussion that involves two or more parties that resolves an issue in a way that each party finds acceptable. (https://bit.ly/3xYau7N).
Your Realtor® is great at negotiating. And just think of all the people with whom he or she must work: sellers, buyers, builders, closing agents, brokers and others.
Now, you might think that in order to save a few percentage points on the Realtor® commission, you too could learn the fine art of negotiating with all these different people, all while you ready your own home for the sale, work out the arrangements of buying a new home for you and your family, reassure the kids that they will love at the new school with the new kids, get all your change of address issues settled, say goodbye to your friends and family. Or what you could do is enlist the assistance of a trained professional who negotiates every day.
Your bay area realtor has up to the minute knowledge and awareness of home values in your existing and new area and will work hard to make sure that you get every penny you deserve from the home you are selling and never pay more than your new residence is worth.
Many times, agents can negotiate a seller down on price – sometimes even thousands and thousands of dollars – or other times, they can simply get closing costs waived or other fees that can add up and save you cash. Regardless of what they’re able to negotiate down, you can bet you will pay less at the end of the transaction than you would have on your own.
The Market
Your bay area realtor knows the housing market. That means he or she knows what a home should actually cost. Local sales and trend data allows the Realtor® to know up to the instant what home values are in a given area–right down to specific neighborhoods.
So no matter where you are or want to be–Walnut Creek, Orinda, Lafayette, Berkeley, Oakland, Alamo or elsewhere–your Realtor® knows how much you should pay and how much you should get.
Home Inspection
Chances are you will need a mortgage to buy your new home. If so, the financial institution that handles the loan will require that the home you buy be inspected. Even with a sparkling, shiny bright and brand new home, the odds are excellent that the home inspection will unearth a few underlying issues.
Such as? You may be surprised to discover that the sparkling, shiny, bright and brand new home you wish to purchase suffers from water damage, faulty wiring, poor drainage, grade sloping, problematic gutters, roof issues, foundation flaws, or faulty plumbing.
But do not despair! Abandon no hope whatsoever! Rejoice! Why? Because your Realtor® can use this information very much to your advantage.
This is one of the areas in which your Realtor®’s skill at negotiating will prove essential. And whichever route your Realtor® is able to negotiate, it will end up saving you money in the long run – especially if the issues are on bigger items in the home, like the roof, appliances, flooring or foundation … things that could pose a safety hazard for your family.
Budgeting Your Money, Saving Your Time
Your life has value. Your life is made up of billions of trillions of quadrillions of nano-seconds, each of which you hope to enjoy to the fullest and which you cannot do if you are buried up to your chin in the life-draining time and expense of trying to find and buy a home on your own.
First of all, your Realtor® has a network of connections to other Realtors® who can help them find a home that meets your criteria. These are often referred to as “pocket listings.”
Second, the Realtor® can prevent you from letting costly repair issues go unaddressed.
Third, your Realtor® will be objective about advising you on what type of home you can afford so that you stay on budget and do not suffer the stresses of sweating out mortgage payments years down the road.
Summary
In sum, your bay area realtor can provide you comfort because you will be walked through each step of the process. Your Realtor® is there to answer any questions you may have and help you with the transfer in ownership. He or she will also negotiate the home price with the buying agent to get you as much money as possible.