with any professional, there are degrees of professionalism, dedication, and experience. The “wow factor” will simply wear off. Meet with prospective buyer agents in their offices. A good buyer’s agent will want to know whether you’re loan-preapproved by a financier, what kind, and the terms of the loan you’re getting. They should spend adequate time to discover what you’re looking for in a house. They should listen as much as talk and ask questions. Watch to see if the agent makes notes. The agent should also provide you with an overview of the home buying process - even if you have bought a home in the past. Of course, if you are an experienced buyer this overview will go a lot quicker. But it's still important to walk through the process so that you and the agent are on the same page and know exactly what to expect as you go forward. During this "buyer counseling session," the agent should also discuss what kind of support you are looking for and how you would be like to communicate throughout the process. You may want to ask the agent during the counseling session what kind of representation the agent offers to you. The law requires agents to explain whether they’ll be working for the buyer or the seller, as a transactional broker or have no brokerage relationship. In Florida, if you want your agent to show you all of the listings, including those listed by their specific office/company, they will need to work with you as a transaction broker. Regardless of the form of agency, all agents must perform the following duties: • Deal honestly and fairly • Disclose all known facts that materially affect the value of residential real properly and are not readily observable to the buyer • Account for all funds and documents entrusted to the 8
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