#buyersagent #buyersbroker #realtor

I like working with buyers. A lot of real estate agents prefer being the listing agent over working with buyers as it can, at times, be somewhat more cumbersome than listing with maybe clearer timelines and expectations. However, I really enjoy working as a buyers agent, and I love the process of growth that it takes to find a home, the home.

There really is no average on how long it takes to find a home or maybe I could say that the average time correlates strongly with the motivation and the reasons driving the client. Is there a lease ending? Is there temporary housing that will go away or is it just the right time to buy.  However, I’ve had extremely motivated buyers with tight timelines that ended up not buying and buyers that had no plans to buy and bought a home after our first tour, the first tour that is merely meant to just narrow things down and get ones toes wet. So, sometimes you click with a home even if you’re not planning to, and sometimes… well, maybe the time wasn’t quite ready after all, the expectations were not set right or for some other reason the “click” just does not happen at all.

On Sunday I met with new clients, a very exciting moment. We had the usual discussion about wants and needs, what should be expected, and when. We started our journey the way I always try and start it, chatting casually, trying to get to know each other, answering questions and talking about the process. It’s a bit like a first date or meeting with a pen pal. Buyers agency is a relatively new thing as until the 1990’s we only had agents representing the seller in Washington State, meaning that even the agent representing the buyer was really representing the seller. That seems somewhat confusing, misleading and wrong. Doesn’t it? Well, luckily the law changed and now we have quite clear rules on whom is representing whom and what that entails. One of the things we discuss during this initial meeting is my compensation and how, in most cases, my compensation comes from the listing side, even when working with a buyer. This being said, I really don’t understand why a buyer would not to want to have an agent advocating for them and advising them during the process as it’s pretty much a free ride for the buyer.

Umm… I can hear someone saying that they are paying for the service through the price of their home. Well you’re welcome to try to find a listing agent that is ready to write an offer for you while representing the seller and then give you a credit from the listing fee, I can promise you that if anyone were to get a discount on my listing fee it would be the seller that I am representing, not the buyer as in that case the seller is my client, not the buyer.

During the process I will stretch your comfort level. What this means is that I will push you to explore areas and neighborhoods that you never thought of and homes you would not have chosen to look at. I will respect you budget though. Why? Why will I do this? Because in my experience the vision and the reality do not always match whether it is size, type, traffic, schools or location. We tend to be safe. We tend to be careful and we tend to stick with what we know, and yet I have had an Auburn buyer end up in Monroe, a Bellevue buyer in Renton, a Renton buyer in Duvall… and the list goes on. Townhome to house, house to condo, condo to house, house to townhome. This is why we look at all kinds of homes within your budget, especially if you are new or relatively new to the area.

I’m there with you throughout the process and I will use my knowledge for you. I cannot advise you on the structural solidity of a home, but I know whom to reach out to if there is a question about it. I can help you see what I can see whether it’s aging windows or a deck that is coming to the end of its lifespan. I’m there to advise you on the price and how to write an offer that will be both appealing to the seller but also have your best interest in mind. I am there for you. Anyone can search for homes online but not everyone can do all the other things. Recently a broker told me that she has two jobs, the first one is to be the listening ear, the second one is to keep her clients out of jail. There is quite a bit a truth to her statement as both the buying as well as the selling process can be an emotional rollercoaster and, well, there are more than a few things that can go wrong with real estate contracts if one does not know what they are doing. By the way, did you know that you do not learn contracts and contract management at real estate school, and more than a couple brokerages do not train their new brokers on contracts either. So, there are quite a few of us there that have had to learn their contracts the hard way and I’m sure you, as a client would not want to be a part of that learning process that can end up being costly.

The other thing is that even though our agency relationship ends when the sale closes, I don’t go anywhere. As your broker I’m still here to help whether you need help with your home warranty or you don’t know whom to call for gutter cleaning. I’m here when you look at that pile of documents and try to figure out which one is the title or when you find out that your roof did not hold rain after all. All these things have happened, and the last one was a new construction home too. So please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have a question. I would be happy to help you figure things out.

Working with a buyer is about the relationship and I have several clients that have become close friends with me after we have closed on their home. On Thursday I’ll be meeting with a client that I closed on a home with a year ago. I miss her, and she misses our home tours too, so to celebrate her 1-year anniversary as a home owner we will meet for coffee.  I cannot wait to see what she has done with her little fixer upper.