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Buying a Home, Do it Yourself or Not???
Like many people, I am a bit of a do-it-yourselfer. I assume if I handle something myself, I can get a better price or do a better job without having to pay extra for a professional.
Cliffs of Moher
Recently, I found that in certain instances, this is not the case. I was organizing a trip to Ireland for my mother’s 70th birthday and was doing my homework online, of course. I found exactly what we wanted. It was offered by a specific tour group that I assumed did all their transactions online. Just to cover my bases, I contacted a friend of mine who is a travel agent and asked what she had available. Turns out, she can get me the same trip, through the same company, for the same price BUT I will have the additional advantage of the individual service and experience that her company provides. I have to say that I was very surprised. Of course, I would prefer to have a contact person and not a computer as my go to, especially when it comes to something as important as travel arrangements.
While we were talking it occurred to me that it seems like many people feel the same way about buying a home. If they do all the legwork themselves, go to the open houses, look at homes online, deal directly with the listing agent or owner, they will save money.
But, just as in the instance above, that is not usually the case. First of all, and most importantly, here in Florida the Seller pays the entire commission. Both sides of the deal, buyers agent commission and selling agent commission. Buyers are not responsible for any commission. The only fee that a buyer may be charged by his/her realtor is a fee for processing, typically under $300., and that is only at time of closing.
Additionally, wouldn’t you prefer to have someone represent you that is a professional and specializes in the market in which your are looking to buy? Someone to help you navigate the ups and downs of the home buying process? Someone who’s job it is to assist you in all aspects of purchasing a home?
Buying a home, just like travel, can have it’s unexpected challenges and having someone you can rely on is priceless. So if you or anyone you know of is considering purchasing a home and would like working with a professional, give me a call at 305-987-2644 or you can email me here.
