Upstate 101: Why You Need Your Own Real Estate Agent in Upstate New York

  |  June 5, 2013

Another entry from local realtor and writer Susan Barnett. 

photo by grilled cheese/from Flickr/used with permission via Creative Commons license

photo by grilled cheese/from Flickr/used with permission via Creative Commons license

Have you ever looked for a house and wondered if you needed to pick an agent? Why not just talk to each listing agent for each house you like? You can do that, absolutely. But maybe it’s not in your best interests.

I am not totally unbiased; I’m a realtor. But if you’ll allow me, I’d like to tell you why I think you ought to pick one realtor and work together to find your home.

In some ways, it’s not a lot different than the dating scene. You can go to a club, talk to a different person every night, and have a great time. Or you can find someone you like, get to know them better and develop a real friendship. Once you’ve got a friend, you’ve got an ally. Your friend’s looking out for you. And isn’t an ally what you want when you’re thinking of plunking down six digits or more on a piece of property?

A good realtor will want to get to know you, to understand what you want, and will want to find what’s right for you. It isn’t about just making you buy something/anything.

Yes, realtors don’t make any money at all if you don’t buy. But a good realtor takes the long view – you may not buy now because you didn’t find the right thing. If you feel like you were treated well, if you’ve become friends, you’ll be back. And if you never buy, you’re someone who hopefully will tell other people about the great realtor you’ve found. But that’s the business side of things. On the personal side, any realtor who’s the kind of person I want to know just plain likes making new friends

Your realtor can coordinate your search. Of course you can find everything yourself online – but you can’t know the places that may be coming on the market soon, or that just expired. Plus I’ve tried to coordinate a day of looking at houses with four or five realtors – nightmarish. When you’ve got your own agent, voila – you show up, the appointments are made and you’re on your way.

Those car rides with a realtor are when you really get the lowdown on an area – it’s a chance to ask the questions you tend to forget when you’re on the phone or walking through a house.

Once you’ve moved in, you’ve got a friend in town already – someone who will hook you up with the best plumber, the greatest electrician, the contractor who always does a terrific job.

Finally, there’s the cost. What does it cost to have an agent represent you? Nothing. Nada. Zip. In most cases, commissions are paid by the person selling the house.

Next time you’re househunting, think about it. What do you have to lose? Doesn’t it make sense to find a realtor you click with, then start building a beautiful friendship?

 

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