What will your REALTOR® show you?
An interesting article appears in the March 2008 issue of “REALTOR” magazine. This publication is put out by the National Association of Realtors®, and you can find this article online as well. It involves a review of one of the many house hunting shows on TV. On the show, the family’s agents, who happen to be their current landlords, are ‘helping’ them find a new home. The family is approved for a much higher mortgage amount than what they are comfortable spending on a home, yet their agents first show them a property that is in their preapproval range but is way above what they would ideally like to pay. The reviewer of the show, Charmaine Englesman-Robins, correctly notes that this is not the way a professional agent should do business, and she questions their motivations.
Don’t let this happen to you. Look for an Exclusive Buyer Agent that will put in writing their pledge that they will work only in your best interests. Why waste time with an agent who doesn’t listen to your wants and needs. A real EBA acts as a consultant, not a salesperson, and will sit with you to develop a comprehensive home buying strategy, taking into account your particular situation. All too often, potential buyers are suckered in to working with the first person they discuss buying with, and many times they are left unsatisfied and disappointed with searching for a home. Buyers deserve representation and an agent who will work for them, not just show them any house they the agent happen to like.