A Good Real Estate Agent Can Negotiate A Deal To Get You The Most Value For The Next Home You Buy

In a market like this, it is still important for buyers to work with a good real estate agent and here's why. With the mountains of information out there and all the properties to choose from, it can be difficult to discern on your own which home is the best value and in the best neighborhood. Things are much different from 5-10 years ago, when you could buy a home in virtually any area and be assured the price would go up.

Today, even though home prices are as low as they've been for a long time, there are still areas where prices are dropping and are likely to be lower a year from now than they are today. If you are not in the real estate business, you are likely going to have a hard time deciding which neighborhoods are best to buy into and which ones you should shy away from. This knowledge alone could be worth thousands to your bottom line.

Then there are foreclosures. The truth is that not all foreclosures are great deals. There are some properties out there that you can get for an incredible discount and will almost guarantee that you'll have plenty of "instant equity" when you move into the home. There are other foreclosures that have so much damage and so many things to fix up that it is hardly worth getting into at any price. How can you tell the difference?

On your own, it may be difficult to know if a foreclosure is really a great deal. But when you work with a real estate agent that has a good beat on the area and especially knows foreclosures, you are likely to find those "diamonds in the ruff" that most others are overlooking. So if you really want to take advantage of the bargains that are out there in bank foreclosures, find a realtor that specializes in this part of the business.

Perhaps the greatest factor in getting the best value on your next real estate purchase is your ability to negotiate. Now, unless you are a pro at this game, you will likely leave money on the table with your next purchase. A good real estate broker can make sure you negotiate the best deal on the property. They will tell you what a good opening offer is, and how much you should be willing to ultimately pay. So how do you know if the real estate agent you work with is a good negotiator?

Here's one way to find out. Ask the realtor what percentage they negotiated with their main office. Many realtors work on a 50/50 split (half to them, half to the home office). Stay away from them. It is better to work with a realtor that gets at least a 70/30 split with the main office. And if they don't want to tell you that percentage, this is a sure sign that you need to look for another agent.


Copyright (c) 2011 Don Dowd