must inform you about other available, suitable listings and take you to see viable prospects. A good buyer’s agent will provide a home-buying education. The listing agent will point out all the features of a home; a good buyer’s agent will point to the faults — or advise when they can be overlooked. Competent buyer’s agents help their buyers to think clearly as the home-buying process unfolds. For example, if a house is a good buy, a buyer’s agent might suggest looking past the dated bathroom and kitchen and look at the space above the garage that will make the perfect art studio you desire. Likewise, a cute house with all the amenities but with knob-and-tube wiring or a 40-year-old roof might not be worth the asking price. 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. This would give the seller and the seller's agent an unfair advantage over you. A buyer’s agent is legally required to maintain your confidentiality, disclose material facts to you, maintain loyalty to you and work in YOUR best interest. These are fiduciary duties.
LOOK FOR PROPER CREDENTIALS
You wouldn’t trust a doctor who didn'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.
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