I was reading a great post by Ines Hegedus-Garcia, a Miami real estate agent authoring one of the top real estate blogs – www.Miamism.com on buyer etiquette.
Ines was saying that home buyers should not get offended if they are asked or as she says “grilled” by home listing agents prior to setting up an appointment to show the home that they have listed for sale.
As the real estate market is changing and Pasadena homes are becoming more affordable, there are many first time home buyers or real estate investors looking to buy in Pasadena.
There’s a lot of uncertainty in how the home buying process works especially for first time home buyers. How do real estate agents get compensated? Can we walk into an Open House? Are there exclusive Open Houses? And many more questions.
The very best thing to do is to interview a couple of real estate agents over the phone and then schedule a home buyer consultation with a Pasadena real estate agent that you feel most comfortable with to get these and other questions addressed.
In the meantime, Ines offers the following tips in her article titled Miami Beach Real Estate – tips and etiquette for buyers:
If you are working with a buyer’s agent, don’t call listings directly to make appointments – have your agent make those appointments.
- Realtors will ask the pertinent questions before setting up the appointment to make sure all parties are on the same page.
If you are not working with a buyer’s agent – it’s ok to say so – but don’t expect to involve an agent after the fact (you will make negotiating very difficult, if at all)
If seeing properties with different agents because you are interviewing and want to know how they work – say so to avoid uncomfortable situations
Don’t assume all sellers are desperate
Tearing a house apart when viewing it will not give you a negotiating advantage
- once you place an offer it means you liked the property
Respect other people’s time
- sellers go through a great deal of effort to keep their homes in “tip-top showing condition” – don’t cancel appointments at very last minute, make sure you know area and treat others as you would like to be treated
Finding the property is a minuscule aspect of buying real estate
- knowing local laws and regulations, real estate law and particulars of a real estate transaction will save you a lot of headaches and money.
What I love about the home buyer tips above is that they apply to home buyers across the board whether you are buying a home in Pasadena California or in Miami Florida.
A couple of additional tips that I’d like to add are:
Buyers need to get pre-approved prior to shopping for a home
- A lot of Pasadena home buyers are interested in foreclosures that are popping up on the market. The asset management company handling Pasadena foreclosures will not even consider an offer from a buyer without a full approval from a direct lender. Don’t get disappointed, get approved.
When visiting Open Houses, please sign the guest register if requested and please let the agent holding the home open know if you are working with a buyer’s agent.
- Most real estate agents are required by the home sellers to track each and every visitor that comes through an open house for safety purposes. If you do not feel comfortable signing the guest register, leave and schedule an appointment with your real estate agent to preview the home.
Do your homework. Learn everything that you can about the home buying process ahead of time. Knowledge is Power!
Ready to start your home search? Read the latest Dusty Deals list of home deals in and around Pasadena California.
Related Articles:
Is Now a Good Time to buy a Pasadena Home?
Nine Stupid Things Buyers do to Mess Up their Home Purchase
A New Breed of Real Estate Agents
Finally Home Buyers Have Access to Extensive Home Listings in Pasadena and Southern California
