Why do I even need to use a real estate agent?

To put it simply, you don’t know what you don’t know.  This applies to everything in life, but I do not want to digress from Real estate.  I will chase that squirrel on a different day. 😊

 Bright-eyed and excited at the thought of relocating to Texas and building my own home, I walked into a model home and signed up for a new build.  I had absolutely no knowledge that negotiation was even an option.  I thought the price of a new build was just the price…. In hindsight, I am horrified by how much I didn’t know, and how much money I gave away.  Never having lived in Texas, I was not familiar with the way property tax was figured, nor how high the actual cost of those taxes would be.  Imagine my surprise when after a year, my house payment went up $400 a month to adjust for the new tax assessment. The previous year’s tax, given to me by the builder as the tax on the property, had been figured on an undeveloped corn field….ouch!!    

Had I known then what I know now, I could have saved myself a lot of money and financial pain. 

How could a real estate agent have helped me?

1)     They are experts in the local housing market.  A REALTOR® could have let me know that the price I paid for that home was ridiculous.  They would have made sure that I had a thorough comparative market analysis (CMA) and that I was not being taken to the cleaners.   They also could have warned me about the tax rates and how they are figured in Texas.

2)     They are expert negotiators.  Not only could they have informed me on the price of local home comparisons, but they are also skilled enough to know how to negotiate that price with any seller or builder. If negotiating doesn’t come naturally to you, and makes your stomach hurt to think about, this saves you a lot stress and safeguards your mental health.

3)     They serve in a fiduciary role.  What this actually means is that they are to act in your best interests at all times.  Putting your interest above their own.  Did you know that your interactions with your REALTOR® are confidential forever?  Think attorney/client relationship, or doctor/patient.  They have the same strictness in their code of ethics.

4)     They will save you more money than you end up paying them. Now, I know many of you are reading this and thinking, “I could get X% off the cost if I didn’t use a REALTOR®” What you need to understand is that if you are buying, the agents commission is covered by the seller.  If you are the seller, and sell your home on your own, statistics prove you will get anywhere from 5% to 26% less for your home.  That loss is far more than you would pay a real estate agent to list your home.  So let that soak in for a minute.  It’s almost like their services are free when you think of it in that light.

5)     Working with a REALTOR® will save you time and headaches.  After you have chosen a home and decided to buy it, to close on that home, you may have to meet with many individuals for many different appointments.  Some counts may be as high as 18 different individuals.  Do you have that sort of time?  How is your paid time off bank at work?  Is that how you want to use your time off?  I want to use mine in the Caribbean…just saying…

Pain is a proficient teacher, but I hate for you to have to learn that way.   If you can learn from my pain and my mistakes, that’s makes me warm and fuzzy 😊

Since changing my career from nursing to real estate, I have learned an incredible amount.  From an occupational perspective, my greatest pleasure  is sharing that knowledge and helping my clients get the property they want, at a fair price with the least amount of stress and heartburn as possible.  If you would like my assistance with buying/selling/ or leasing, you can reach me at dena-bartz.realtytexas.com