Why Buyers Should Use a Real Estate Agent

I wanted to start out by showing you why home buyers should use a Realtor®. Of course I think you should use a Realtor® its an important part of my livelihood, but there are plenty of good reasons other than my own selfish desires. First of all, if you use a buyer's agent, there is no financial cost to you. In most cases, seller's pay commissions, so you are essentially using services for free. This is probably the least important reason though, because real estate agents provide valuable services to buyers.

Searching for Homes

Most people who are looking for a home spend hours searching the Internet for the right house. Going through MLS listings, looking at the particulars of each home you might be able to afford. A Realtor® can save you that time. From a little information, Bren can do the search for you, and then show you the homes you will be most interested in. She sets up the appointments, calls the listing agent, and can take you there on your schedule. You might think of it as a way to filter all of the stuff you don't want out of the mix. Even if you want to keep things in your own hands and search on your own, using a Realtor® like Bren can make looking at properties easily since you only need one source for visiting homes.

Negotiations

A lot of buyers never find an agent until they are ready to make an offer on a home. I think that you would be better off using someone you trust from the start; that way you are certain that your agent is negotiating for you. It makes sense to call a Realtor® when you start looking, that way when it is time to make an offer, you know and trust your agent.

Contracts

Real estate transactions require page after page of complex legal contracts, and Realtors® like Bren are required to learn every one of them. These contracts are all provided by the state real estate commission and without a real estate agent, you can not even use the contracts. Without a Realtor®, you would probably have to hire an attorney to draw up contracts; a very expensive prospect.

Real estate agents are a valuable facilitator of real estate transactions and their knowledge and abilities can help you immensely. So, if you are in the market for a home and you haven't hired an agent, give one a call, or give my wife Bren a call, I'm sure they will be happy to help you and explain more of the advantages.

Finding a Real Estate Agent in Cypress, Texas

Sometimes it might be difficult to find a new home in Cypress, Texas. This area is one of the fastest growing in the Houston Metro Area, so really, its not about finding any home, its more about finding the right home for the right price. I'm starting this blog to give a little insight into the Northwest Houston area real estate market so you will be armed with the right information in order to make well informed real estate decisions.

I have to start with a disclosure. My wife works in real estate for Heritage Texas Properties right here in Cypress, so I am not impartial when it comes to real estate agents. Shameless plug, check out her website at www.brenbrewer.com. I designed it myself.

That's enough self-promotion...for now. I really want to use this space to help buyers and sellers make good decisions and maybe spread the word about why the Northwest Houston area is a great place to live and work. Hopefully, this blog will serve as a guide to real estate, Realtors® and Cypress in general as well as serve a healthy dose of links, news and commentary.