How a buyer’s agent can make the difference

Until a few years ago, if you were a buyer in North Carolina, there was no one to represent your best interest as a buyer.

In fact, North Carolina state law required that agents always represent the seller and, as a consequence, the buyer never had independent, dedicated, and loyal representation, though a buyer may have thought he did. In 1995 North Carolina law changed and provided for a Buyer's Agency agreement, wherein the agent owes his/ her buyer client loyalty, obedience, accountability, confidentiality, and reasonable skill, care and diligence.

You are wise to engage the services of a buyer’s agent because of the value of their representation and because, in almost every instance, a buyer's agent costs you nothing because in North Carolina the buyer's agent receives his/ her payment as a share of the commission the seller has already agreed to for selling the home.

In addition to these basic commitments, buyers who choose to work with Vicky Olive will receive a variety of other buyer services.

Finding and buying the right home requires a huge investment, both emotionally and financially. The process can be complicated, time consuming and intimidating. Piedmont Preferred strives to make the process of finding and buying your home easy. We offer professional and experienced service to meet your needs. Tell us your needs and dreams and we will work hard to find the most promising homes on the market for your family. We'll also help you with the ins and outs of financing, presenting, and negotiating contracts and refer you to other professionals, legal, home inspectors and home repair, as the needs arise.

As your real estate buyer's agent, here are some of the ways we protect your interests and help you find and buy the home that is right for you.

• Before determining appropriate properties to view, we will develop a personal needs assessment for home style, location, length of commute, home size and features, community amenities, and other desires for your new home. If that right home is not on the market, we will even approach the home owner to inquire if they would be open to considering an offer. Knowing how to make those sensitive inquiries can be the difference. We pride ourselves in our knowledge of communities in Durham, Chapel Hill, RTP, knowing which communities are most likely to have the homes that could be your dream home.

• One way we search for the right properties to consider is to create a customized search that can be run daily to afford you the best and most up to date information. Close attention to the market can sometimes make the difference between you buying the dream house or someone else getting there first.

• When you are considering specific homes we will do our best to inform you of the pros AND cons of each particular property.

• We will serve an your sounding board to help you decide among properties, taking into account proximity to work, maintenance issues, floor plan and value differences, as well as neighborhood amenities, with consideration for the lifestyle you are seeking.

• For those times when the price range or the inventory of homes doesn’t have exactly what you are looking for, we may even suggest how certain remodeling efforts or changes could bring you closer to the home you envision and helping you to flesh out the details of such changes-

• We will provide you with a comparative market analysis, so that you can be more secure in the knowledge of how comparable homes have been values by the market. When appropriate, we will advise you regarding the long-term investment potential.

• We will draw on our knowledge of development plans in the area, of the real estate in that community and, on occasion, the specific history of the home you are considering as support for your consideration.

• Based on this knowledge and the comparative market analysis, will assist you in structuring your offer, price and terms, to assure you the strongest possible negotiating position. Your strategy should always be kept confidential.

• Since often what you’ll pay is loosely based on the square footage, will ensure that a home under consideration has been accurately measured.

• Assisting you with obtaining the financing that is in your best interest and with consideration for your unique situation. A buyer’s agent will refer you to other professionals, for mortgage and insurance counseling, architectural, legal, and builder services, depending upon your specific needs. A buyer’s agent will do the worrying and the legwork for you saving you valuable time and money.

• Bringing a transaction to closing, which involves moving through a veritable maze of interrelated events... loan qualification, appraisal, survey, title work, inspections, occupancy, each with its own due date and significance. A good buyer’s agent will oversee it all.

• Recommending reputable quality inspectors and service providers.

• Negotiating not only the price, but also any repair items, closing date differences, and other unexpected issues that can arise.

These buyer services require a buyer agency agreement. Without one, any licensed real estate professional is required by the NC laws and rules of the NC Real Estate Commission to serve the best interest of the sellers, by default. Don’t deprive yourself of your own representation. “Working with Real Estate Agents” brochure describes the possible agency relationships a consumer can have and any consumer should receive this prior to hiring any real estate agent or showing significant interest in a particular property, according to the rules of the NC real estate commission. Since most homes are sold with the involvement of licensed real estate professionals, and most sellers have their own representation, shouldn’t you?

For a free, no obligation, consultation, please email Vicky at Vicky@VickyOlive.com or call her at 919-225-1498 or 1-888-295-6750. I will make real estate easy for you too!