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Real estate buyers have the option of having an agent work with them during the home buying experience. A “Buyer’s Agent” has an obligation to pursue the interests of the buyer finding suitable homes that fit their financial capability (budget), find homes with a good location, keep information confidential, and most importantly present any written offers on homes that are deemed, “OK”.
And ultimately handing you the house keys.
In real estate, the written offer is essential
The Regional Real Estate Sales Contract used in Northern Virginia by Realtors has been refined and reviewed by committees, lawyers and the court over the years. The Contract includes all the consumer protections that are available, and the Virginia Jurisdictional Addendum adds additional language regarding home in Home Owner Associations or are Condominiums Rules, Fees, or Amenities.
Putting together an offer requires a level of skill especially when the real estate market is active. Yes, being sloppy will sink your offer quickly when you are up against someone offering the exact same amount of money to a home seller. Not including a pre-approval letter from a familiar mortgage lender or demanding a response on a brand new house listing may also tip the scale in the wrong direction.
Finding the right house is the easy part, really!
This year has had its share of unique experiences where the deal could have fallen apart if I had not handled properly. There was the case where the other agent had a fit when my client stalled signing Form 100 two weeks before closing (it settled on time), or the agent who did not return calls on a 365 day-old listing (which I eventually sold for over $1.5 million), or the law firm who collected past due mortgage payments but did not send it to the mortgage lender (closing was delayed, but it closed), or the extremely low appraisal that triggered a new set of negotiations (the seller reduced the price).
Home Buying Mistakes will cost you
So hearing from some buyers recently that “they were not going to work with an agent” gave me a shock. It seems that, with all the home buyer tips and information out there including blogs like this, that buying a home in Northern Virginia appears pretty easy. 
But the reality is once they have found the house… you know, the one they have been looking to find for the past two years, that they are unable to successfully make an offer.
This buyer strategy seems to focus on dealing directly with the seller’s listing agent, throwing caution to the wind that they will be treated fairly, and assuming the real estate agent is going to give a better deal since they won’t be splitting the commission. Here is my insider tip: that real estate strategy may work on a house that’s been for sale since last summer, but it is not going to work on the house listed last Thursday and has home buyers crawling all over it.
Hey, if you want to spend the next year going to open houses and getting e-mails from Realtors then that is your choice. But you need to know that I have helped many people buy their dream home in a time efficient, cost effective home buying system giving organized home buying tips and professional guidance that get the deal done. Really, finding the right home is the easy part!
I’m open to reading your experiences of keeping the deal together, or finding the house and having it sold before you heard back from the seller’s agent. Go ahead, leave a comment.
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