When you try to find a home for sale, especially in the current market where homes don’t last long on the market it can take patience. Sometimes you have to sit and wait for homes to come on the market and then when they do you have to act quickly to get them before anyone else. This can be very stressful. It’s even more important in times like this to get someone to work on your behalf.
Take for instance, the story of Stephen & Lindsay, they had been looking for a home for a long time. They started casually looking for a home themselves online. It took a long time but they were unable to find anything they wanted. Lindsay was getting frustrated and so was Stephen. They tended not to make quick decisions so homes going so quickly was starting to get to them. Should they rent for another year or keep looking and hope the market changes?
Stephen thought they should keep looking for at least a little while before committing to another year of renting. So Lindsay’s said only if they got professional help. They called their local RE/MAX office and got help. They started narrowing down the search and seeing homes before others had a chance to get in. Still the same problem though, they tended not to act quickly. When they saw a house they liked they wanted to revisit it a couple times, and then sleep on it. The market was moving so quickly that it wasn’t working out. They were still losing out on the homes they thought were potentials. They had very specific criteria about what they wanted and more importantly where. They were hoping for one specific street. Homes rarely came up for sale and when they did they went quickly.
This is where you can find the big difference between hiring professional help and just looking online. Sometimes you cannot rely on that system. The need to be proactive comes into play. That’s what Stephen & Lindsay needed, someone proactive. So every day the door knocking starts. Going to their preferred street and knocking on every door. Asking people if they had considered moving. No, after no, after no. Hours spent knocking on doors for days at a time. Then knocking on the right door. The owners had thought about selling, they were going to move to British Columbia, having recently retired, and were going to list their home for sale within the next month.
So the proper arrangements were made and Stephen & Lindsay got into the home. It was exactly what they wanted and still wasn’t on the market for sale yet. Now they not only had the perfect home but they also had the time to talk it over and make the right decision. They decided to make an offer and after back and forth negotiations for a week (did I mention they liked to take their time?) we had a deal!
Having a real estate agent on your side is much more than someone emailing you new listings. Its about someone understanding your needs and tailoring your real estate experience so that you lose as much stress as possible. So instead of waiting for homes to come on the market and then jumping in against everyone else. Get yourself an unfair advantage. Get yourself an expert real estate agent.
