By: Melissa Sims, The Boutique Real Estate Group
In todayʼs digital age, buyers have incredible amounts of information at their finger tips,
literally. I have had buyers walk into an open house, smartphone in hand, not needing
information from me because they already know exactly how many square feet there
are in the home, what school district it is in, and what the asking price is. Most of these
buyers were not represented by an agent, so it begs the question: are buyerʼs agents
becoming obsolete? Am I worried, as a Realtor, that this will affect my career?
The answer to both questions is an astounding NO. While buyers have information at
their finger tips, many of the avenues in which they get that information are notorious for
inaccuracy. Information can be incomplete and outdated, and sometimes, just plain
incorrect.
However, I absolutely applaud buyers that have done their homework. It makes my job
smoother and easier. But, the property search function is a very small part of the entire
process. Regardless of how educated buyers are, most do not know the ʻins and outsʼ
of a real estate transaction. The amount of paperwork alone is enough reason to hire
an agent. And, if you happen to enter into a transaction where the selling agent isnʼt
aware of the disclosures needed, you could find yourself unprotected. In addition, when
you walk into a transaction without an agent, you are automatically hiring the sellerʼs
agent. Whose best interest does that agent protect? By law, it is supposed to be both
of yours. But in reality, that may not always be the case. Protect yourself.
With all of the new master-planned communities being built in the next few years,
bringing a licensed real estate agent with you when touring the properties for the first
time is the way to ensure that you are the most prepared you can be for the one of
biggest financial decisions of your life. We are here to be your advocate, your
negotiator and your friend through the process. We are here to guide you through the
contract process, inform you of your rights, and be the go-between for uncomfortable
scenarios that often arise.
You can search on You Tube for “how to perform an appendectomy” and it will give you
step-by-step instructions on removing an appendix. So are you going to go out and buy
some surgical tools and do it yourself? We certainly hope not! When making such a
huge financial decision, wouldn’t it make sense to use every tool available to you?
Especially when the tool is free to you?
Seems like a no-brainer to me.
To reach Melissa Sims directly please email her at Melissa.Sims@TheBoutiqueRE.com or 714-616-6442 or visit her at www.TheBoutiqueRE.com/Melissa-Sims
