What does your REALTOR do for you?

• Determine your buying power – assisting with you finding a lender for pre-approval purposes while giving you basic information about your current income/debt ratio.
• Resources to assist you with a home search – setting you up on a search of the multiple listing service or investigating to find a home that is not actively advertised on the market.
• Provide objective information about properties – Realtors have access to a variety of informational resources, they can help to determine if the property will meet all your needs and answer whether there is resale value later.
• Negotiations – There are many factors to negotiating. Your Realtor can advise you on price, financing, terms, inspections.
• Market your property – If you are selling your property a Realtor can assist with marketing your properties to buyers as well as other real estate agents through a variety of advertising, networks, open houses, etc.
• Evaluate buyer’s proposals – They can help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will more likely make it through the full process.
• Close the sale of your home – Whether buying or selling, your REALTOR is the best person to objectively help you resolve issues and move your transaction to closing.

Do I need to be preapproved before I start looking at houses?

Yes, Absolutely. Otherwise, you may be focusing on homes that are above, or below, your true affordability. Secondly, if you find a home you love and want to make an offer, many Buyers have a distinct advantage in getting their offers accepted if the seller has a copy of a pre-qualification letter when the offer is submitted.