Your home is one if the biggest purchases you will ever make, involving countless important decisions and legal paperwork that may be outside your own area of expertise. I have worked with a handful of good, experienced Buyer’s Agents in Oakland County since the 1970s. Here are some of the things we can offer you:

1.WHAT IS A BUYERS AGENT?

There is definitely a difference between the average agent and an experienced Buyers Agent. Many agents don’t work with buyers at all, cringing at the prospect, choosing instead to specialize in listings. While the credo “You have to list to last” is common in our industry, my thought on hearing it was “Why would I focus on only one side of the business?” and my career as a Buyer’s Agent was born. So while it’s certainly common to have success as a listing agent, it’s also important to have an agent who has worked steadily with buyers for at least five years. Whether it’s working with first time buyers (one of our specialities), or buyers interested in new construction, older houses in need of a little work or major fixer uppers, an experienced Buyer’s Agent should know the intricacies of dealing with each. Your Agent should have a first hand knowledge of how these homes are put together, lists of qualified Inspectors to take a close look before you buy, and affordable workers to help you with any work you need done after the sale.

2.EXCELLENT COMMUNICATIONS ARE A MUST!

Your Agent, plain and simple, needs to stay in touch with you and work around your schedule. A good Agent may, if necessary, communicate with you by phone or email up to three times a day, be it mornings or evenings, weekdays or weekends. Whatever it takes, they need to be there for you to get the job done, seven days a week. If you call their cell or office line someone needs to answer the phone or call you right back right away if you have had to leave a message. Many part-time agents “don’t work weekends” or somehow try to do this job in conjunction with something else, which I’ve never understood. Read some of my testimonials to see how I work, but you should expect your Agent to call you at least as much as I would, if that’s possible.

3.FINDING THE RIGHT HOME!

Nothing happens if you can’t find the home that suits you. Or you may find the right home, but not know how much you should offer. An experienced Buyer’s Agent knows all the Oakland and Macomb homes that should be available for you for viewing. Maybe there’s a home just above your price range, but it’s been sitting on the market for a while with no offers. What should you do? I recently spoke to a group of Agents regarding just that. The subject of my talk was “Writing all offers”; my opinion is, it never hurts to make an offer. All they can do is say “no”, or maybe give you a Counter Offer that is within your reach. And as I shared with the Agents, it’s all in the approach your Agent uses.

4.ACCESS TO ALL LISTINGS.

In this day and age, it’s all about information. You should have full access to all homes available in Oakland and Macomb County, including those not yet on the market. Your agent can provide you with a link to their MLS account at absolutely no cost to you and with no obligation. Also, if they’re in the Top Producer’s Network and have hundreds of clients, they can let you know about homes that are not yet (or will not be) on the market. There’s no reason you can’t know about these homes before anyone else. Real-time information, that’s the key.

5.KNOWLEDGE OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN.

A good Buyer’s Agent has a solid local knowledge of Oakland and Southeast Michigan counties, including our schools, neighborhoods, weather, four season climate ranges, and understands as well all the intricacies of local real estate values and differing appreciation rates. Every local real estate market has its own trends and opportunities, which can vary greatly from one neighborhood to the next and Oakland and Macomb County is no different. It’s a Buyer’s Agent’s job to help you find good opportunities and to protect you from potential traps. Your Agent should never think of trying to help you in any county except ones where he or she has experience. I grew up in this area and have been a licensed Agent in Michigan since the 1970′s, yet would only feel comfortable representing you in Oakland and Macomb Counties, the two counties where I know I have experience. If you or a friend needs a really great agent outside these two counties, I possess a wonderful referral list of agents from here in Michigan to across the world! We should always be honest and tell our clients where we can do the best job for them.

6. WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF THE MARKET?

Once you are interested in a home, can your Agent tell you the true state of the market in the exact area of your interest? Is it a buyer’s market and therefore priced too high? Or is it a bargain that you should jump on right away? A good Buyer’s Agent helps their clients make informed decisions every day in order to get them the best home for their money. I still see inexperienced or out-of-area agents “help” their clients overpay for a home. With the technology available today, there’s no reason you can’t make a good, informed decision based on recent market data. I do the research on comparable sales and pull any tax roll data that helps us determine the answer to that important question: How much to offer? But please know it also comes down to your experienced Agent saying, “I know this area and this market well, here’s what I suggest…”

7. EXCELLENT NEGOTIATING SKILLS.

8. EXPERT CONTRACT KNOWLEDGE.

9. AFTER THE SALE.

10. TOP AGENT NETWORK AND THE INTERNET

11. SUCCESSFUL IN OAKLAND AND MACOMB COUNTIES.