Buying a house today is a complicated process. It’s a long process and buying a house is one of the most important transactions, you will have many come to buying a property. Picking the right agent and knowing what the buyer’s agent does for you is a very critical thing when you are looking for a house. So when you buy a house, there are two kinds of agents, the buyer’s agent that represents the buyer, in this case, yourself if you’re a buyer, and then there’s a seller’s agent or the listing agent who represents a seller’s interest. 

So if you’re looking for a house, you need to work with the buyer’s agent. A buyer’s agent has your interest to the best of your advantage. The buyer’s agent is very knowledgeable of the local markets and has access to all the databases in the multiple listing service so they can help you find the right home for the right price in the right location. 

According to the NAR, which is the National Association of Realtors. 97% of the buyers start their search online. Once they start their search 90% of those buyers end up using a buyer’s agent to find their house. And 90% of those buyers who use the agents found that the buyer’s agent was very helpful in the buying process, in the escrow process, and in the transaction closing process. So those are huge numbers for you to consider using a buyer’s agent to help you. 

So let’s get into the details of how a buyer’s agent can help you:

Typically, 95% of the time, when you pick and choose a buyer’s agent to work with a buyer’s agent will help you find the house and will help you through the transaction process and the paperwork process. There are no fees for you to pay. The buyer’s fees are paid by the sellers. So you don’t have to worry about working with your buyer’s agent, as they will take care of you and they will look for your interest. 

Let’s look at the three things that will help you in the buying process. 

1.  They will help you find the right home.

 As I mentioned earlier, they have a huge database of all the listings in the neighborhood, and the cities in the area they’re looking for. So they will find the best house and the best location for you per your requirements and your budget. 

2. They will help you negotiate

Not only on the price but also the terms and conditions offered. Of course, price is very important. They want to make sure that you’re paying the right price, you’re not overpaying it, you have the right location, and the house is what you are looking for at least some of the things that you’re looking for. There is no perfect house, there is no 10 out of 10. So if you find something eight out of 10, you’re doing a good job at the price that you want. Once the price is negotiated. The other things you have to negotiate are the terms and conditions and the timings. So all those are negotiated by your buyer’s agent. So you don’t have to worry about all those minor details, they will take care of it for you. They are familiar with it. They do it all day long. So they know exactly what to write in the offer, how to negotiate it, and they’ll explain to you the process as you go along. 

3. They will help you with all the paperwork.

As you know today with the California Association of Realtors, and all the attorneys involved helping the sellers, you want somebody on your site to make sure that all the paperwork is done correctly. And there’s a lot of disclosures these days in California, there are so many distortions, there are almost 15 to 20 forms that you have to fill out and make sure you sign everything. So your agent, your buyer’s agent will take you through, fill out all the forms with you or help you fill them out, give you information so you can fill them out yourself. And make sure that all the paperwork is done correctly, so that you can close the escrow and enjoy the house that you’re going to buy. 

So follow their expertise, negotiating skills, and the local market knowledge. 

The buyer’s agent is working for you representing the buyer and not the seller. Not only that, the buyer has the local knowledge, has the local expertise, they are aware of the local trends in the neighborhood, they are aware of the schools, they are aware of the local guidelines, they are aware of certain HOA requirements. So all these pertinent things they know maybe you know it too, but if you’re moving out of the area, you may not know all the local nuances. 

Working with a buyer’s agent is very critical. It is the only advantage for you. The third reason you want to use a buyer’s agent is they will take care of your legal matters when you are in essence. I’m not saying they’ll give you legal advice because they cannot give you legal advice. But anything that has to do with filling out the forms and doing things the legal way, and the legal requirements with the local city or county and the state requirements and the Multiple Listing Service Board requirements, they will do with you and they will provide you the forms and guide you so that you know that when you buy the house, everything is closed and you can move into the house and relax and enjoy the house and not worry about did you forget a form that you forget requirement? So all these add up? It’s a complicated process.