Searching for a home in today’s real estate market can be somewhat intimidating. Where to begin? According to the National Association of Realtors, more than 90 percent of buyers first start searching for a home on the Internet. There are a variety of places to search and not all search engines are equal. For example one of the most popular search engines, Zillow, probably has the most inaccurate information because it has issues with obtaining current data. Other sites such as Realtor.com, Homes.com and others tend to get direct feeds from the local MLS but eventually all searches eventually require a real estate professional to make arrangements for properties to be shown. Often I get a call from a buyer asking to see several specific properties. It does make my job a bit easier but often some of the homes fall through the cracks.
When a prospective buyer asks a Realtor to help them find a home, a lot of brainstorming takes place to establish the optimum location, size and price range. The Realtor devotes considerable time and effort to locating the right property, preparing the offer, recommending financing options and negotiating the deal.
The Realtor assists the buyer in all aspects of the complex home buying process, beginning with an interview to clarify the buyer’s preferences. How many bedrooms and bathrooms are required? What neighborhoods is the buyer most interested in? Would a “fixer-upper” be interesting, or is a newer hoe the only option? What are the “must have” amenities?
After evaluating the buyer’s needs, the Realtor targets a selection of local listings in the appropriate areas, often using his or her connections with their local real estate professionals to discover listings that will please the buyer. The agent saves their clients time by screening properties before offering the buyers a showing.
Once the perfect home is found, the Realtor helps the buyer achieve the goal of home ownership.
Ray Perry is the 2013 Realtor of the Year for Lake County and works for CPS Country Air Properties. He can be reached at 277-8000.
