Why Should I Use a Real Estate Agent To Purchase A Home?

Seriously, I hear the stories all the time.  You can’t make this stuff up!  Suffice it to say that there  could be serious consequences to not having an agent working on your behalf as a Buyer’s Agent.  Again, it’s a no-brainer.  A Realtor’s services are typically free in Georgia to home buyers.

If you’re buying a house that is a For Sale By Owner (FSBO), there aren’t any guarantees the sellers are being honest with disclosing potential, known (or even unknown) problems with the house.

For example, I met some folks last week, who started to tell me about friends who purchased a property in the Towne Lake section of Woodstock.  They purchased a FSBO property and did not have a Realtor representative.  Three months after they moved in, they went out of town on vacation.  Two weeks later they returned home to find the first floor flooded with 2 feet of water.  It turns out, these first time home buyers purchased a home with polybutylene piping.  These poor unsuspecting 1st time home buyers had never heard of polybutylene — until the failure.  They had a bigger headache when their home owners insurance refused to cover the damage.  If these buyers had been represented by a professional Realtor, the polybutylene would have been under contention during the negotiation process.  In all likelihood, the Realtor would have been successful in requiring the Sellers to replace the polybutylene prior to closing or lower the price of the property to reflect the existence of polybutylene.

Some home buyers drive around neighborhoods for months as they continue their search and research of housing.  Every time they find a home that is of interest, they call the telephone number on the For Sale sign.  This is a very dangerous way to purchase a home.  If you call the agent whose phone number appears on the real estate sign in the yard, that agent first works for the sellers.  It’s called Limited Agency which means that the agent has a conflict of interest.  It’s impossible to get the HIGHEST price for the sellers, while also working to get the LOWEST possible price for the buyers.  The scenario simply doesn’t work.  The Listing Agent is contractually unable to share any information with the buyers about the house or the Sellers.  In Atlanta, most agents will disclose to you that they can not represent you.  They will encourage you to seek out the services of a Buyers Agent to assist you.

If you’re a potential home buyer, regardless of whether this is your first time to purchase property or you’ve been around the block a few times (so to speak), I highly suggest that you seek out the expertise of a Buyers Agent.  Preferably someone who specializes in your area of need.  Since the seller is the one paying the real estate commission to YOUR agent why not get the benefit of an agent’s expertise and let them advise, guide and help you get the best possible house for the lowest possible price?  It’s really a no-brainer.

Sara Hibbard is a licensed Realtor in the Atlanta metro area.  Sara specializes in assisting home buyers as an Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR).  Sara works with buyers in the north Atlanta metro area including the cities of Acworth, Alpharetta, Canton, Cumming, Dunwoody, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs, Roswell and Woodstock.  Contact Sara anytime with your many questions regarding the Atlanta metro real estate market in general or specifics regarding the buying / selling process.  If you would like to meet for a free consultation, please call Sara at 404-660-2481 to arrange a convenient time.  Sara Hibbard is Glad Georgia Real Estate Is On Your Mind!