When to Call Agents During the Home Buying Process

Lots of folks decide to get an agent when they are in the market to buy a house. Having an agent is a more efficient way to work the system, get in touch with sellers, and give them recommendation on the various things that they can do in order to make the home purchasing process simpler. However, a few people also wish to be pro-active about finding a house, which results to them asking the question “should I call my agent?” A very relevant question since your agent is not always with you 24/7, and some people don’t want to call their agent often, thinking that it may inconvenience them somehow.

Let’s say that you’re proactively looking for Miami houses for sale with you agent, and one afternoon while you are driving thru a neighborhood you find one Miami property for sale. It was not a planned thing, you simply saw a “For Sale” sign or an open house sign outside of a home that you suspect may be inside your resources. You like the curb appeal of the house a lot and you want to go in and check out whether you like the place or not.

The general rule for real estate agents is that whoever sells the house gets the commission. Agents make a living out of commissions, unless they get clients who arrange to pay them aside from the commission they will get. If you have been working with a property agent throughout your home search and you finish up buying a property because you were aided by a different agent, this suggests that the agent you have been working with will end up without a commission and won’t be compensated for his / her efforts. Your agent may have to go thru the hassle of disputing the claim for commission.

It’s comprehensible that often taking a look at a house might be a heat of the moment thing. When you chance to find yourself in this kind of situation, try calling your agent first and more frequently than not, he or she will be very keen to rendezvous with you and accompany you in viewing the house. If you want to go to an “open house” event and your agent can’t come with you, you can still go, of course, provided that you make it obvious from the start that you are already being represented by an agent. You will most probably be approached by the host of the open house. Give your agent’s business card to him / her, sign your name in the guestbook and sign your agent’s name beside yours. When agents come up to you to strike up a conversation, don’t let the conversation carry on without making it clear you’re already represented by another agent and that you’re just there to take a look at the house.

Agents are in the business of service, which implies that they need to be able to address your requirements in the most effective way achievable. It’s also in their own interest if they’ll be able to do this. A happy client will refer them to other friends, and agents thrive on positive referrals. If you have hired an agent, let him/her do their job. You’ll find that looking for a home will be a lot faster and less complicated this way. Not to mention that you’d wish to correctly compensate the person who helped you search for a place. Unless you are dissatisfied with his/her service, this is thought of as the ethical action to take.