When you’re buying or selling a home, one of the first things you’ll do is meet with a realtor in Maricopa County, AZ. Realtors are familiar with the process of buying and selling a home, and specifically the process in your desired market. To get the most out of your meeting, both you and your realtor should prepare ahead of time.
Here’s how you can prepare, in order to make your realtor’s job easier.
Get your finances in order
If you’re buying or selling, you need to know the details of your financial situation. Your real estate professional will prepare for the meeting by coming armed either with pricing information for similar houses, or with lists of lenders they recommend. Your job is to know what you’re dealing with: do you need a mortgage? Are you pre-qualified, and for how much? What is your ideal budget?
If you’re selling the home, you should know the financial details as well as what the property has to offer. Is the home paid off, or are you planning on the sale taking care of the balance? Do you plan to buy another home after this one is sold? All of these questions will help your realtor determine the best way to serve your needs.
Know what you want in a property
One way your realtor will prepare for their first meeting with you is by researching available properties. This will help them get a sense of how the market is performing, and what you can get for your budget. They’ll also have an idea of what kind of challenges you might encounter, like whether it’s necessary to offer over asking, being faced with a cash only offer and more.
You can prepare by having a list of “must haves” to bring to the meeting. Think about size, amenities, location, budget, school district and more. While all of your “must haves” might not be realistic, your realtor can give you a much better idea of whether they’re at least possible. You might have to pay more or sacrifice the Olympic-sized swimming pool, but knowing your most important features will go a long way toward finding the right property.
Come with questions
Finally, come with questions for your realtor—they know that most buyers and sellers have them, and they should know the answers right away. For example, you can ask about fees and commissions, how many homes they’ve sold in their career, how long they’ve been in business and how many homes they’ve sold in your desired area.
Ask them what an appropriate list price is for your home, or whether your budget fits with your basic needs (such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms or square footage). You can also ask what you need to know, as a local buyer or seller, based on their past experience.
Your real estate agency in Maricopa County, AZ should serve as a trusted guide to the buying and selling process. Call Ellen White Real Estate to get started.
