How do I initiate the process of buying a new house?
And you shouldn’t need a different agent for different neighborhoods. When I bought my first condo in Bethesda, MD, it was not where I expected to buy. I was looking for something in the same county but about 20 to 30 miles north of there. But the agent I used had no problem taking me to different neighborhoods all over the county to try to find what I wanted. And he really helped me out. Things worked out well for him, too, because I ended up buying something more expensive and he was able to get a bigger commission – which was paid by the seller. I’ve said this to others before, but what you should do is get the best agent you can, and the way to do that is to go to a large real estate agency, like Re-Max, and look on the wall to see who the agent of the month is, or who has been the top agent in recent months. They’ve almost always got a display in the office. The reason someone makes it as agent of the month is because they’re good at their job and they’re the ones who are likely t
First of all, I want to point out that although the selling pays commission to your agent, the money eventually, most likely, come from you, the buyer. What do you think the agents’ commissions are coming from? The selling price has everthing covered. To begin your process, the best way is to look around by yourself first. Take a look at the weekend local paper or website for Open-Houses or just go round the neighborhood and you usually will see signs. This is the best way to get a “feeling” about prices and house features. Another great benefit is that you will somehow get an idea about what type of houses, such as layout of rooms/floors, location and size, you would like for a price range. The biggest mistakes can be eventually traced from the fact that you are not familiar with houses. Hiring a buying agent is the next step, but if you are confident that you know the market, you can do without them, and just look at website listing and contact the selling agent for appointments. But
