Sacramento Real Estate Blog

The other day it occured to me that there are a number of things that I do consistently for my clients, and that these are things that I should continue to try to do. As well, there were a number of “baseline” activities that many agents do that constitute the role of a buyer’s agent. So I felt it was time to put together a list of real estate best practices for working with buyers. These are things your agent should be doing for you — if not, give us a call at (877) 735-5657.

1. Explain clearly and in plain language he steps in the home buying process.
2. Refer you to a lender (or work with one you choose) to get you pre-approved for financing so you’ll improve your negotiating position and know what your costs will be up front.
3. Work with you to understand the two prices you qualify for: the one the lender gives you and the one you’re comfortable with, and work with you to find a home in the lower price range.
4. Answer any questions you have about local neighborhoods, schools, etc., referring you to additional sources of information as appropriate.
5. Provide free online search tools so you can browse and search for all the listings we have access to at your liesure, while at the same time offering you the ability to create more detailed, custom searches using our MLS software for any criteria you choose.
6. Show you the homes you want to see in a relaxed, friendly, and low pressure way.
7. Get you more information about the home(s) you might be interested in, such as comparable sales (what have similar homes sold for?), days on market (how long has the seller been trying to sell), average sale price to list price ratio (how much “play” is there), so you can make an offer that has an excellent chance of success but still gets you the best price possible. Explain to you that the price is between you and the seller, and neither agents nor brokers set the price.
8. Answer any presale questions we can, and explain to you your rights under your inspection period for more lengthy and detailed inspections you will want to make.
9. After consulting with you on the price and terms that are best for you, write up the offer for you, get you a copy, and explain the details of the offer and all other paperwork in plain English.
10. Notify you immediately about any responses to your offer, and, when your offer is accepted, open escrow for you and provide escrow details to you in a timely fashion.
11. Review the disclosures sent by the listing agent and request disclosures that are they may have omitted that you should have available for your review. In many cases, the listing agent will not provide everything they should, and your agent should know what’s needed and get it from them for you.
12. Review the exceptions on the Preliminary Title Report and go over with you any concerns that you will want to investigate further. (Many escrow officers tell me that most agents don’t do this, and in my opinion every agent should).
13. Assist you in ordering inspections and provide access to the property during escrow for you and your inspectors.
14. Submit your requests for repairs to the seller and work with all parties to ensure the condition of the home is satisfactory to you.
15. Coordinate with you, with escrow, the seller’s agent, and your lender to make sure the details of the escrow are handled smoothly and professionally, and that loan docs are ordered in time to close.
16. Review your escrow settlement statement and advise you of any unusual or non-standard charges prior to closing.
17. Be available during your closing by phone to answer any questions you may have.
18. Meet you after the closing to deliver your keys and congratulate you on your new home.
19. Answer any questions about your home warranty or questions for the seller after the sale.