Buying a home is a great experience. At least buying a home SHOULD be a great experience. I've encounter a number of clients who came to me wearily wondering if they would ever find their dream home. After interviewing these people, the problem was generally a matter of tactics and organization. When it is a strong sellers market - as it's been in London, Ontario for a few years - the process needs to be approached professionally and with an organized pattern of work.
Let's look at an example of someone who has not yet committed to working with a Realtor. The process usually consists of open houses, calling Realtors direct and setting up appointments and searching www.MLS.ca daily. Sounds reasonable right? I agree, it does sound reasonable... UNTIL you think of the multiple channels of information that comes back!
10,000 Realtors follow up with you, try and work you into a personal client and call you each day with new listings that "might be of interest".
The last I checked, www.MLS.ca did not have a great way to keep properties of interest organized. This may change - I hope it does change. But what do you do in the meantime? I have a full time career in real estate and still find it challenging to maintain a system to accurately keep track of listings for clients. Trust me, this may sound small, but get into the search a couple weeks and 10-15 properties and you will understand what I am talking about.
Remembering which house had what and where they are.
There is another way! Buyer's agency is a service provided by most Realtors... Professional Buyer's Agency is less common.
As a professional Buyer's Agent I feel my role is to keep the buyer focussed on what they are most required to do: Determine what they like and don't like about homes. That's it - sounds a little less stressful wouldn't you agree? Beyond taking care of the details above, the other advantages I can offer you as a buyer are the following:
Help and assistance clarifying the issues surrounding a particular property. There are certain questions that can very easily clarify if the home is meeting your needs. As a buyer's agent with experience helping literally hundreds of people view real estate I know the questions to ask. It will make the decision clear in your mind and keep the important factors in the spotlight. So many buyers will get distracted by small features and forget the big picture.
Quickly summarize comparisons of one property to another. My commitment to this profession has developed in me a great memory for property features. Combine this with detailed notes and I will put a property comparison in front of you on the spot. People shop by comparison. This one or that one, A or B, A&B but definitely not C. As we venture through new houses you will notice I always ask you comparison questions. My goal is to eliminate the non-desirable properties from your mind as we go. I want you to focus on the properties that have possibility instead of get cluttered with homes you would never consider.
Logistical convenience. It's fun to look at homes when they are conveniently arranged in order, on the same day in a nice neat path without backtracking. You will never get lost when I'm in the car! I encourage my clients to talk about properties while we drive to the next destination. This is more enjoyable than fighting while reading a map! Let's view 8 houses in a couple of hours instead of getting 8 follow up call and setting 8 individual appointments by calling direct.
Area advice and opinions. Many people are interested in knowing the "reputation" of a neighborhood. Everyone has an opinion. I can give you mine, but more importantly, I can summarize the opinion of a lot of people. Most clients are interested in an areas reputation because they are concerned about resale. I think this is important as well. I can give you some good advice in this area.
Beyond convenience features I can provide you a multi-tiered approach to searching. The MLS is not the only source of listings. A good buyer's agent will help you source listings from many places. I would be interested in meeting with you personally to discuss strategies from utilizing 3 major sources of properties.
One thing you need to understand is that many people love pets. If you have a cute little puppy, a gracious kitty or even a collection of pet insects - other people have the same interests in common. HOWEVER, the majority of buyers will not relate to your particular pet situation.
When you are thinking of pets in relation to your upcoming home sale - think about eliminating or drastically minimizing evidence of your pet during showings. The goal of preparing your home for sale is to make it appealing to the widest variety of people possible. The more people you can put in a positive state of mind about your home, the larger selection you have to find that buyer who will pay everything your home is worth.
Naturally, circumstances happen and it is not always possible to make the needed adjustments. It could be an aging dog who needs special attention or a bird that doesn't tend to fly back to your home if you let it out loose ;). Please understand - my advice here is to do the best you can. Listing and selling your home can be an inconvenience, don't let it rule your life. On that same train of thought, the more appealing you make the home the faster things are likely to happen and the sooner you won't have to deal with the inconvenience.
One thing is for certain, do not allow showings at your home with pets on the loose. With certain pets (cats in particular) you may be able to get away with this depending on the pet's temperament. Don't make it a habit, make it the exception. A dog on the loose is bad news - if you can't have a dog removed or put in a kennel during showings, delay the showing until proper accommodations can be provided to your pet.
If you have any specific questions about the logistics of arranging showings around your pet, please feel free to contact me. A personal call will allow me to tailor my advice to your particular situation.
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Residential Resale, Luxury Homes, New Homes in London Ontario
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