Great question! Whether you are new to the house buying scene or a repeat buyer, you will do well to find someone who knows more than you do. That friend of yours from high school may be full of enthusiasm however, they may waste your time and create more problems than you need. So where do we find help? Some people just call the real estate person your aunt sally used. That can work…if you are just like her. Personal recommendations are good however, it helps to back up the recommendation with reviewing their biography to see how long and how committed they are to their businesses. It’s also a good idea to check for testimonials. You are going to be working with this person for months, often sharing some or your most sensitive information. You are going to need to trust the person you choose.
You might consider what is most important to you in the real estate person you want to work with. Is the perfect person someone who is ready to jump at a moments notice? Perhaps, it’s more important that they fight, claw and scratch to get a big ”discount” off the asking price? Maybe, the perfect person is one who can listen enough to really learn your wants and needs and use the information to actually find you the perfect home. There is no substitute for experience, but experience is not enough! The right real estate person needs to have your concerns and needs ahead of their own. If the person is more concerned about how quickly you sign on the dotted line than addressing your concerns, it may be a sign that they not working in your best interest. Don’t get me wrong, if you are well-informed, you don’t have to look at every house on the market before you decide either.
If you are looking for a new home, don’t be surprised if the real estate person is reluctant to just jump in the car. A true professional will not show you any properties until you have been pre-qualified by a quality, local mortgage professional. Why? It has never been more difficult to get a mortgage loan. A good mortgage person may be the difference between success and disappointment.
Once you have an honest idea of the amount you can afford to spend on the perfect house, you have to decide on location, size, amenities, community and more. The real estate person you work with is going to be your guide throughout the transaction. This is going to be true for home inspectors, surveyors, title companies. An experienced real estate person will help prioritize your home search as well as complete the transaction to it’s closing.
Work to avoid the traps! You don’t have to buy the same size house as your friends or even the same neighborhood. Our marketplace is full of short sale and bank owned properties that well intentioned, educated buyers bought because their eyes were bigger than their brains! If a property appears too good to be true, it might be. Not everyone who holds a real estate licence knows what they are doing and some sellers are not always well advised. It is not enough to get the “deal”, the transaction has to close before you become a home owner.
Once you find the perfect house it’s time to set up the closing, right?, Not so fast. You have to deal with sales contracts, deadlines, property appraisals, wood destroying organism inspections, home inspections, septic inspections, flood zone determinations, surveys, recent sale activity reports, Va inspections, FHA inspections, underwriter reviews, homeowners insurance reviews, school reports and more! There could be BPO reports, short sale mortgage negotiators, bank owned property addendums, utility issues, homeowners association estoppel problems and the list goes on and on.
An experienced real estate professional will help you with all the steps it takes to buy a house in today’s real estate market. Choosing the right professional to assist you can go a long way to you experiencing one of the most exciting times in your life. Happy home hunting!
Jeff Daniels is a full time Licensed Realtor working in the Tampa Bay area for over 19 years. Feel free to visit www.TampaFloridaHomeFinder.com or call Jeff Daniels at Keller Williams Realty at 813-661-2480 for everything you need to make Florida Home. 
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