Buyer's Advocate Directory

Why should you use a buyer's advocate or buyer's agent?

Tags: buyers advocates buyers agents

There are many compelling reasons to use a buyer's agent or buyer's advocate. These reasons mainly boil down to:

• Saving you time
• Saving you money
• Removing emotion from the decision to purchase a property
• Reducing the emotional stress of purchasing a property
• Accessing significant expertise in the property industry
• Accessing the properties and auctions as you live or are traveling overseas or interstate
• Making you money in the long term by helping you select a better property

These are all incredibly important factors for home buyers and investors alike.

Although buyer's advocates are seen as, and can be, expensive, if any of the factors above are important to you then engaging a buyer's agent could be a smart move.

Why would you engage a buyer's agent?

Because, during the property search period they:

• Help you clarify your goals
• Help set your expectations
• Provide consistency in the property search
• Can find houses off the market or inaccessible to an ordinary home buyer or investor cannot
• See many more houses than an ordinary investor does
• Independently and unemotionally evaluate properties
• Have a broader understanding of the market
• Know experts who can come in and help assess properties
• Know the real estate agents and can give you a better understanding of market price
• Can provide you with market or area research to help determine whether this property is right for you
• Provide a sounding board for your ideas
• Make you feel that somebody is looking after you while you make one of the biggest decisions of your life
• Only charge a small engagement fee until you buy a property

And during the sale or negotiation period they:

• Set your expectations
• Negotiate with the real estate agent
• Make sure you pay what you want to pay
• Use their expert negotiating skills to offset the advantages of the seller
• Use strategies to control the auction
• Get out if the price is not right
• Act rationally not emotionally

Who should use a buyer's advocate or buyer's agent?

• First home buyers
• First time investors
• Investors
• Expatriates
• Overseas investors

Last modified: May 16, 2008 8:42 PM