to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Home Guide, if you decide to buy with the intention of building an addition, the agent should advise you to check the zoning before making an offer. Agree to sign a buyer’s agency agreement after you have met with an agent. Some people sign an agency agreement after attending a showing given by the agent. Working with a seller’s agent is a mistake, according to an article by Amy Fontinelle of Forbes’ Investopedia. Any information you reveal will become leverage that the seller can use in a purchase negotiation. A buyer’s agent is legally required to maintain your confidentiality, disclose material facts to you, and maintain loyalty to you. These are fiduciary duties.
LOOK FOR PROPER CREDENTIALS
You wouldn’t trust a doctor who doesn’t have the proper credentials and licensing. Don’t trust a real estate agent who doesn’t present theirs or doesn’t have them at all. It’s easy to find real estate agents who can take the job, but finding agents with special credentials, those who have gone that extra step to take additional classes in certain specialties of real estate sales, is worth looking into. Here are just a few credentials within real estate that you should be on the lookout for: • Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR): Completed additional education during representation of buyers in their transactions. • Certified Residential Specialist (CRS): Completed additional training during the handling of residential real estate, such as houses and apartments. • Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES): Completed training for the purpose of helping sellers and buyers 50+ years old. 8
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