I’m buying a house, isn’t this just another DIY project?

So you’ve made one of the biggest decisions of your life; you’re going to buy a house. Congratulations! You may be wondering where to begin. Or maybe you feel like you know exactly where to begin….online. But can you really do all of the work a Realtor® will do for you?

If you are like the majority of consumers today, you are going to start your home search online. In fact 90% of consumers use the internet in their home search. With websites like Zillow, Realtor®.com, and Trulia it is easy to feel like you have all of the information right at your fingertips. You can see what homes are on the market near you, filter your search to include the exact amenities you are looking for, check out the school districts, and even get an inside look with photos!

Having all of this information is great to start out with but in the end chances are that you not going to be able to buy your dream home without the help of a Realtor®. Many times the websites mentioned do not have up to date information or the information provided may not always be accurate. It has been shown that only about 30% of the information listed on these sites is accurate.

Realtors® have access to the Multiple Listing Service which is a service that all agents use and pay for. It provides a wealth of information on each listing (past and present). The listings are updated regularly and are really the best source for the information on the property.

So buying a home might not be the DIY project you were hoping for but there is good news! The good news is that having a Realtor® on your side is going to cost you nothing out of pocket. Nothing, zero, zilch, FREE! How is this possible?

I’m going to let you in a little secret, buyer’s agents get paid by the seller. So you can get all of the benefits of having a Realtor® at no cost to you. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. A Realtor® is going to have extensive knowledge of the market. They will know whether the house you are looking at is overpriced or a steal. They are going to have great negotiation skills and will do all of the back and forth for you. They will always keep your best interest in mind and make sure, at the end of the day, that you come first. They are going to take care of all of the headaches without you even knowing they’re occurring. Home buying is stressful enough, let the Realtor®take the reins and make this process as smooth as possible for you!