Your Real Estate Team
The Team and the Players
Home buying is a team sport. After you assemble a winning team, your players should give you solid advice so you can make great decisions. Here's an overview of the possible players on your team.
The Perfect Agent
A good agent can be the foundation of your real estate team. A good agent's negotiating skills and knowledge of property values can save you thousands of dollars.
Understanding Agency
Real estate agents can represents sellers or buyers, and agency is the legal definition of that relationship. This covers the basics of single agency as well as some examples of dual agency.
Selecting an Agent
Finding a great agent is worth your time. This provides a method of evaluating and selecting the right agent for you. It includes interview questions to ask an agent as well as his or her references.
Your Agent and You
After working so hard to find a great agent, it would be a shame to inadvertently ruin the relationship. Good buyer/agent relationships are based upon pillars of mutual loyalty and trust that develop over time.
Using a Lawyer
The real estate purchase agreement you sign is a legally binding contract between you and the seller. This covers evaluating and selecting a lawyer as well as how to work well with them.
Who is the Broker
When you select an agent, your agent's broker is part of the package and supervises the transaction. If serious issues arise, brokers are often the invisible grease in problematic transactions.
Other Key Advisors
This section covers the other important possible members of your team: house inspectors, the closing officer, financial advisors and tax advisors.
