Why Should I use a Realtor when Buying New?

 Guest post by Andrew Hill @ www.NewHomeSource.com

At a time when cutting back has become the norm, it’s no surprise that many in the process of buying a new home might be asking themselves, “Why do I need a realtor?” This seems a natural question for those interested in buying a new home, while wanting to save all they can. After all, you can talk with the home builder or his agent and quickly be the owner of a brand new home- and you can do it all without ever having to sit down with those money-grubbing realtors. But what you may not realize is that the money you are saving by skipping out on the realtor isn’t really being saved at all. In fact, those who don’t use a realtor are costing themselves more in the long-run. Come again?

That’s right. Whenever you try to save yourself that 3% commission rate, you aren’t cutting the cost of your home at all, because the realtor’s sales commission is taken from the builder’s profit. Furthermore, the seller’s agent has no interest in helping the buyer. His job is to get the best possible deal for the builder, so don’t be fooled by their friendliness, whether well-intentioned or not. The seller will not give you a discount because you aren’t represented by an agent. By going into the transaction unrepresented, the builder is free to either pocket his savings or pay a higher commission to their sales representative.

Now that we’ve debunked the myth that you’ll be coming out ahead by skipping an agent, we’d like to point out all of the benefits that come with being represented in your transaction.

For starters, your agent is a licensed professional, meaning he or she has a wealth of knowledge and resources unavailable to the average home buyer. By hiring a realtor, you also save yourself the time and energy of doing quite a bit of legwork. Many buyers justify not using an agent because they figure they can do this legwork themselves and save some money. Seeing as we just debunked the agent-less money-saving myth, why not save yourself the trouble and let a professional do the legwork? Real estate agents are also your personal advocates. During the process they represent your interests and wants to get you the best deal possible- after all, their jobs and reputation depend on it! In some cases, an experienced agent can even negotiate with the seller’s non-negotiable prices to get you a better deal.

So instead of asking yourself, “Why should I use an agent?” the real question is, “Why wouldn’t you hire an agent?” At no cost to you, hiring an agent will save you time today and money tomorrow.