Top questions to help you decide …
There’s been a lot of talk lately about whether buyers Need their own Realtor or not. Do You need one?
If you’re looking at a property you like and find you don’t know the answers to the following questions, well…
You might need a Realtor!
- Is the house really worth the list price? If you know what the neighbors sold theirs for, should you use that figure to establish value?
- What should you offer if you want to pay less but don’t want to insult the seller?
- How can you know if there are other buyers bidding on the house?
- If there are other buyers making offers, what do you offer? Do you have to go way over asking price?Can you still get seller help with closing costs? If the seller rejects your offer, will you get a chance to modify it?
- What appliances go with the house? If there’s a bunch of junk in the house, how can you be sure that the seller takes it all away.
- The seller’s agent says the seller wants to stay in the house for a month after closing. Is that normal? Do you have to agree to that?
- Who pays for the inspection and what inspections should be done? Can you do an inspection before you offer? Can you just do the inspection yourself?
- How do you go about making an offer? Where do you get the form for that?
- How can you tell where the property line is?
- How much earnest money should you offer? Do you give it to the seller? How do you get it back if you no longer want to buy the house? Can you offer without earnest money? Is more earnest money always better?
- How do you buy a house if you still need to sell yours first? Do you have to sell and then rent until you find something? How can you get a seller to hold the house for you while you sell yours?
- It looks like there is a hole in the roof. Does the seller have to fix that by law?
- Can you move some of your things into the new house before closing?
- When do you have to have the down payment money ready?
- Should the house be up to code before closing?
- You’re buying a new house from a builder. He says your earnest money is non-refundable. Is that true? What happens if your loan doesn’t come through?
- The lender says you need $15,000 for closing costs and the seller says he won’t help pay them. Does that mean you can’t buy the house?
- How can you be sure the seller has the authority to sell the house?
- Who pays for title insurance and do you have to have it?
- The seller says the well produces 7 gallons per hour. Is that enough?
- The house has an addition on it. How do you know it was done legally? Does it matter?
The point is, a Realtor is not someone who simply finds houses for you, although that is often part of the job. A Realtor is someone who can answer these questions for you, and save you from mistakes that can cost you thousands.
