Marlene Scheffer, Realtor to Kitsap County, WA

The weather today in Bremerton and Silverdale was absolutely gorgeous! Sunny and warm, it was a real treat in Kitsap County, especially considering that it is February.

Like many other residents of Central Kitsap, the members of the Central Kitsap Fire Department took advantage of the weather, practicing some of their life-saving and fire-fighting skills at the Meadowdale Fire Station, CKFD Station 41. The Meadowdale Fire Station has a three-story training tower and is home to one of eleven new fire engines in Central Kitsap.

If you are planning to sell your home in Silverdale, Bremerton, Poulsbo or anywhere else in Kitsap County, I have some advice for you: list your home for sale ASAP!

If you are planning to move away from Kitsap County WA in the next 6 to 8 months, you need to list your home as soon as you possibly can. You need to price it very competitively, stage it beautifully, and find an agent who will market it very aggressively.

Why list your Kitsap County home for sale now if you aren't planning to move for six months? Because the numbers say you should.

Right now in Kitsap County, there are 1836 single family homes for sale. This does not include condominiums. Since the 16th of January (the last 30 days) only 123 homes have sold. If the past month is an indication of future activity, and homes in Kitsap County continue to sell at the present rate, it will take almost 15 months for your home to sell.

Now, remember that statistics lie. Is it really going to take almost 15 months for your home to sell? No, probably not, but you have to do the three things we talked about earlier - price well, stage beautifully, and market aggressively.

Even if you do price, stage and market great, it will still take time for your Kitsap County home to sell. So, again, if you have to sell and move away in the next six months, I would list it right away! Make sure you hire a Kitsap County Realtor with the skills, ability and experience to help you.

Another excellent question from a client today! "Should I sign a Buyer Agency Agreement?"

The answer is - Probably, but it depends.....

First, remember that Agency rules differ from state to state, so if you are not buying a home in Washington State, Bremerton, Port Orchard, Silverdale, Poulsbo or surrounding areas, you will need to clarify agency laws in your state.

Most clients will want to sign a Buyer Agency Agreement. In the contract, make sure your agent spells out exactly what you can expect from them. For example, what type of home will you be finding for them, and where will the home be? How long will it take them to return your phone calls or emails? How does their pay structure work?

In Washington State, you do not need a written contract to establish that a particular agent is your Buyer's Agent or Buyer's Representative. Some people are hesitant to sign such a contract, and I can understand the reasons why.

What if you sign a contract with a Buyer's Agent in Kitsap County and then find out that the agent really has no idea what they are doing? Or that they don't know the area? Or perhaps they are too busy to help you? Excellent reasons to spell out certain things in the contract ahead of time...

If you do not want to be contract-bound to an agent right away, ask them to take a day to meet with you and perhaps show you homes for sale in Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard, wherever, for a day before you decide whether you will work together successfully. As an agent, I want to make sure that we will make a good team before I agree to work with you and you agree to work with me. It is in both of our best interests.

Before you sign anything, always read it and make sure you understand it! In Washington State, if you sign a contract, the courts usually interpret that to mean that you have read the document, that you understand the document, and that you agree to the terms in the document. If you don't understand what you are signing, make sure you find out. Asking questions is a good thing!

So in most cases, yes, you will want to sign a Buyer Agency Agreement. It protects not only the agent, but you, the buyer, as well!

You'd be amazed at how many people never ask....

Actually, it's a great system for Buyers. When a Seller lists his property with an agent, he agrees to pay the real estate agent a certain percentage of the sales price. The Seller's agent then puts the property in an enormous database, which is called the Northwest Multiple Listing Service in Kitsap County real estate lingo. The listed home is then available for other real estate agents to access and show to potential buyers.

If another agent brings in a client to purchase the property, the Seller's agent splits his commission with the Buyer's agent. (In this case, if you purchase property using me, I would be your Buyer's agent.)

For example, Mary puts her Silverdale home for sale with real estate agent Bob. You contact me and want to see properties for sale in Central Kitsap County that match the description of Mary's house in Silverdale. I check the database and find Mary's house listed there, by Agent Bob. We go look at the house, and you decide it is a great house and fits your needs well.

We write an offer, and it is accepted. You are buying a house! When we close on the house, Agent Bob gets a check from the proceeds of the sale of Mary's house. He then turns around and sends half of his check to my company.

There are exceptions to this rule. For example, if you decide to purchase a home that was not listed with a real estate agent, we would have to work out some sort of payment structure.

Some people believe that they will save money if they don't use a Buyer's agent. Studies have shown that this usually ends up costing them more money, for two reasons:

• First, the seller is going to pay his agent the agreed-upon commission, no matter what, whether he has to split it with another agent or not.
• Also, because the seller has someone to protect him and look out for his best interests, and the buyer does not, the buyer often ends up either paying more for the property right away, or finding out later on that he could have done or paid for certain things during the home's sale that would have saved him money years later, such as a homeowner's warranty or a private home inspection.

If you are considering buying a home or land in Kitsap County, I strongly advise you to get a Buyer's agent to work exclusively for you! It won't cost you extra in most cases, and will probably prevent you from losing money.