Buying a home is not only a huge investment but it is a huge legal responsibility. There are so many things that can go wrong from a legal standpoint that it is not worth going through this process on your own and without a PROFESSIONAL REALTOR to guide you through the process. Who needs a lawsuit??

DID YOU KNOW that if are not on contract with the Realtor called a “Buyer Representation Agreement”, then the Realtor is technically working for the Seller?… AND… If you do not have this contract with the Realtor, then they are obliged to tell the Seller everything that you say about the property as they are technically working for them.

You, the Buyer, now have the legal right to have a Realtor represent your interests in the deal and once you are under contract with them, they are now working for you completely so can discuss everything with you. Otherwise, without having a “Buyer Representation Agreement”, the Realtor is working for the Seller and protecting their interests.

ALWAYS sign a “Buyer Representation Agreement” with your Realtor to make sure that they are working with you 100%. If they do not offer the agreement to you, just tell them that you want to be under contract with them to ensure that they are working for you! This way once the agreement is signed, there are no questions in your mind if the Realtor you chose, is working in your best interest.

The best part about having a Sales Representative (Realtor) represent you is that they will

  1. Ensure that you have done a mortgage pre-approval with your financial institution or they will recommend some great people to get you started with that. The reason you want to do this as soon as can, is that the amount of the pre-approval will give the Realtor a benchmark when they are looking for properties for you. You do not want to see a home and fall in love with it, only to find out that you can’t get financing for it!!!

  2. Meet with you to discuss what you are looking for in a property and break down the list of what you want and need to find the perfect property in your price range;

  3. Take the time to find some properties that fit your criteria;

  4. Discuss the properties with you and point out the positives and negatives;

  5. Make the appointments for you to view the properties that interest you;

  6. Take you to these properties and of course do some research on the properties and make them available for you. Finding the perfect home could take weeks or even months and they will do this research every time for you;

  7. FULLY disclose all Pertinent facts regarding the property;

  8. If you are interested in a property, they will complete the offer with you and discuss the pertinent conditions to be included in the offer. Once everything has been reviewed and agreed to then they will get you to sign the offer;

  9. Present the offer to the other agent and negotiate the price, terms and conditions on your behalf;

  10. If you get a conditional sale, they will provide you with names of highly recommended building inspectors, lawyers and septic or water contractors, if needed;

  11. Make the appointment for all inspections and go with you to listen to the inspectors;

  12. If the inspectors find anything major, then they will go back to the other agent and try to negotiate a better deal due to the findings;

  13. If everything is ok, then they will finalize all the paperwork with you so again you just have to sign;

  14. Send copies of all the final documents to your bank manager and lawyer so they can start the work that they need to do on their end.

  15. Ensure that you have a final visit to the property before final closing, if needed or wanted. They will book that final appointment, do a final walk through with you and should there be any problems will handle those for you;

  16. Provide you with names of movers, if needed;

  17. After, you move in, they will provide you with names of tradespeople and contractors if needed;

  18. Long after you have been settled, they will be there for your questions, concerns or just to talk!!

When you enter into a “Buyer Representation Agreement” with a Realtor you get all this and more and GUESS WHAT???? It is all FREE as the Seller pays our commission and you do not have to…. So why would you not sign a “Buyer Representation Agreement” with me for FREE and get all those services!!!!

Not all Realtors are the same but this is what I do. My Goal is to ensure that this process is as stress-free and enjoyable as possible and I will do whatever I can to make that happen!!!

Darlene McGinnis
Sales Represenative
RE/MAX Absolute Realty Inc., Brokerage