Buying a home is a highly consequential decision for any Australian, which means it’s important to get it right. However, the property market can be complicated, and people often get emotionally attached to potential homes. Impartial, expert advice can help you make smarter decisions, and a buyer’s agent is someone who can provide it. If you’ve never worked with one before, here are the essentials you need to know.
Start By Understanding Their Role
A buyer’s agent can be an individual or a firm, such as Fresh Start Advisory Australia. What they are is a licensed real-estate agent who only represents your best interests as a buyer. They are not conflicted by also representing the seller, and they can assist you with every step of buying a property, from researching candidates to arranging showings and negotiating on your behalf. Their expertise and market insights can lead to better investments.
How to Find the Right Buyer’s Agent
You can start the process of finding the right buyer’s agent the same way you’d look to hire any other expert, like a financial advisor. Ask for referrals from people you trust, or get online and start looking for agents in your area. Remember to check their reviews, and keep an eye out for recurring themes in the feedback. Create a shortlist of candidates and arrange some consultations to find one that you like.
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Understand the Buyer Agency Agreement
Before working with an agent in Australia, you’ll need to sign a buyer agency agreement. Read it carefully, because this will outline what services the agent will provide for you and the time period over which they will represent you. This is important because, in some cases, they may make offers or auction bids on your behalf. The agreement will also detail how they will be compensated.
Set Your Home Search Criteria
Most people begin working with a buyer’s agent when they’re ready to buy a property but don’t have a particular one in mind. The first thing the agent will do with you in this case is outline your home search criteria. This includes your budget, locations you like, and must-have features for the property. It’ll also cover your goals, such as finding a property that you can fix-up to increase the value before selling.
Listen Carefully to Their Advice
Your agent will help you identify potential properties, and will accompany you to view them. This is where you’ll often receive some of their most valuable advice, because they are able to point out positive or negative aspects that the untrained eye might overlook. They can also compare properties more objectively based on your goals. This helps prevent your decision from being overly influenced by the cosmetic appeal of each property.
Conclusion
When you’re buying a house, the advice of a property-market insider is invaluable. This is especially true if you haven’t much experience with the market or skills like negotiating. By working with the right agent and following the advice above, you increase your chance of making a sound investment and owning a property that satisfies all your criteria.
