Is a realtor or real estate agent is really necessary when you are purchasing a house?
Depending on your experience, you might never need a realtor and go solo while getting your own house.
The question is, what about the amateur people? How Can they buy a home without any real estate agents? Is that going to be a wise decision?
Let’s find out.
What are the things to take into consideration while getting a house without a realtor?
When you don’t take help from the professionals, then you need to handle some more responsibilities.
No Market Knowledge
It is a fact that you won’t have the same knowledge that a professional real estate agent has. Those agents generally have access to a lot of properties. They can show you the houses after knowing your budget.
In your case, you need to research and gain knowledge about the local market and which properties you can afford.
Tricky Negotiations
Agree or not, realtors are experts at bargaining. As they are familiar with the localities and the property prices, they can negotiate and fix you a good deal. Whereas you might keep on thinking about what is my home worth and pay more than the actual value.
A Lot of Paperworks
Buying a house is not as easy as it might sound, as there is a lot of paperwork involved. Documents like inspection report, purchase agreement, deed of trust, everything is equally important. So you might need to go here and there to collect all those documents, whereas a real estate agent can save you the trouble.
Realtors Got Many Connections
When you are thinking about owning a particular house, you need to know everything is okay with that property. That’s why you need to verify all of the documents and check if there’s any plumbing or pest-related problem in the house.
For such reasons, you need to hire some people like constructors, home inspectors, plumbers etc. Real estate agents already have connections with these people. In your case, you need to find them out.
How to Buy A Home Without a Realtor?
If you have already decided that no matter what challenges you need to face, you will do everything alone to buy a home without any realtors, then follow the below-mentioned process.
Apply For Mortgage
When you have a pre-approved mortgage, you will have an idea about the approximate loan and the interest rates. Then you can search for the property that you actually can afford.
Apart from that, a mortgage pre-approval also shows that you are serious about getting a property. Sellers then show interest in your offers.
Get Familiar with the Neighbourhood
You need to know about the locality when you consider buying a particular property. Research and get details about average selling values.
Keep in mind that depending on the neighborhood, the price of the property might vary a lot. Those properties that have easy access to high roads, high schools, universities or public transportation are costly.
You check your requirements first and then go house-hunting.
Find a House
Once you decide on the neighborhood or the locality, it’s time to choose a house that suits your budget and purpose.
There are plenty of homes for sale ads you can find online. When you like a particular house, visit that in person. Those online ads normally have the seller’s or their agent’s number. Make an appointment with them before you visit the house.
Note everything about the house in detail. You may find fully-furnished or semi-furnished houses. Keeping notes on what items are included in the sale can help you to make further decisions.
Get the Seller’s Disclosure
As you are your own agent, you need to ask for the seller’s disclosure to know about any previous issues or defects with the house. Different states have different disclosure laws. Therefore, you need to check your state’s law beforehand.
A seller disclosure statement may have the following obligations:
- Any structural issues
- Appliances issues and details.
- Usage of lead paint, radon and asbestos
- Damages due to natural calamities like earthquakes, floods or hurricanes.
- Issues with sewage, electricity, water and heating.
- Damages due to termites or other pests
- Mold
Generally, every state wants the seller to disclose every issue before selling their houses. As you are not taking any professional help, you need to do a thorough investigation before buying your home.
Offer your Price
Once you settle your mind to buy a house that you have liked, it’s time to seal the deal. It is quite obvious that you will offer your price to the seller.
If you have an idea about other properties’ costs in the same location, you can offer a suitable price.
If the seller is also not hiring an agent, you can talk to him directly. Otherwise, you need to negotiate with their agents.
To make your offer more attractive and compact, you can include the following details in your offer letter apart from the price:
- Your name and any other names that will be associated with the house.
- Your current address.
- Pre-approved mortgage paper’s copy.
- The approximate date you want to close the deal.
- The date when you want to get shifted to the new home.
- Items you want to include in the sale.
- Also, try to know if any concessions are applicable or not.
- Lastly, ask for a reply to your letter as soon as possible.
Hire Lawyer and Home Inspector
Some states require getting a real estate lawyer or attorney to complete the sale and name transfer process. It’s always better to hire a lawyer to do all the legal paperwork.
A home inspector is also necessary to check everything in the home to reveal any hidden issues.
Negotiation
If the home inspector finds some issues, then you can use the report to negotiate further. For example, you can ask for the repair cost, reimbursement cost, discounts even you can also cancel the deal based on how serious the issue is.
As you are dealing alone in property shopping, always negotiate via email or letter to have everything on record.
Finalize the Deal
Once you are ready to purchase the house, go for a final visit to check if everything is ready according to your wish.
While closing the deal, if you are hiring a lawyer, he’ll guide you with all the required documents that you must carry. If you can execute everything properly, you might not have any problem with your decision. You will get your dream home without any assistance from the realtors.