Andi Grant's Blog - Everyday Real Estate with a Twist

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I don't need an agent because I'm buying a new home from a builder

"I don't need an agent because I'm buying a new home from a builder"

It never ceases to amaze me, how many NEW HOME HOMEBUYERS WILL GIVE UP ALL OF THEIR LEVERAGE TO HOMEBUILDERS when it comes to purchasing a brand new home. The home buyer will use the SELLER'S sales consultant/agent and the SELLER'S title co and SELLER'S lender to contract the deal. Where in that threesome is the unbiased BUYER representation?

The buyer has always had a choice to use his/her own Realtor® (at no cost to buyer, seller pays fees) and shop for a lender that will offer the best rates, points and fees, etc. But yet and still, many homebuyers choose to go it alone, because in most cases, the home builder is dangling closing costs (a whopping $6000 - 8000?) and other blingy "right now" incentives in front of them for going with the seller's preferred agents and lenders, possibly costing them well over that over the life of their loan and in some cases after the home buyer has sold and moved on.

God Bless Nevin Williams for the article!  I couldn't have said it better myself! 

 

Via Nevin Williams, Conventional,jumbo & FHA (First Priority Financial,specialize in jumbo & conventional):

signGet real!  Why would I want to have an agent act as a middleman when I can deal with the builder?  I can get the house for less because there will be no commission to pay. Why should I lose thousands of dollars just to have you walk in with me? If you are a home buyer how often have you thought this?  If you're a Realtor how often have you heard this?

When the cat is away the mice will play.  There are so many things that can work against a home buyer when they aren't properly represented. Check out  the latest scandal by some home builders.  No agent to review your paperwork and you aren't an attorney or well versed in deciphering a harmful clause in a real estate contract.  Glad I'm not you.

People will pay legal fees to protect themselves in a small civil case but think they can "wing it" on their own when buying a structure costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. As I recall a lot of people were taken advantage of by builders.  For example, everyone in the real estate community in Sacramento knew to steer clear of this company.  These unlucky home buyers who went at it alone ended up with a huge mess on their hands. A mortgage on a home they couldn't occupy.

Don't think this is an isolated incident.  Visit www.ripoffreport.com and type in your favorite builder and see what pulls up.  Most complaints are made by buyers who were not represented by an agent.  To further drive my point home, how many of you reading this post think oversight of mortgage lenders and investment people is a good idea?  Who is going to oversee your new home purchase?  The agent who is paid by the builder?  Uh huh, you catch my drift.

You're not  hiring a person who lets you look at the inside of houses or a shuttle driver.  You're hiring a professional who's little subtle re directions during the transaction helps you avoid disasters.  You think it was a great idea and we know it was more than that.  It saved you from a lawsuit.  These lawsuits aren't always contractual either.  Many can fall into the form of discrimination.  Some blatant most subtle.  I didn't know is no excuse in a courtroom.

Even if your theory of a home being sold for more holds true, hiring a Realtor to represent you in a purchase of a new home is much cheaper than the potential mounting legal bills or paying for a home you can't even occupy.  Agents know contracts, federal and local laws, have the inside scoop on bad and good builders and always stay abreast of breaking news that could affect the area you are buying in or the credibility of the builder.  If the builder thinks they can pull a fast one on you to make more money, then there's a good chance they might.

 

 

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Comments

Andi -  Thanks for the re blog!

Posted by Nevin Williams, San Diego's best mortgage pro! (First Priority Financial, San Diego jumbo & conventional ) over 1 year ago

Hey Andi -- our re-blog must be in sync, I re-posted this one too!  It's a great reminder.  However, I am very BIAS when I represent my clients ;-) 

Posted by Carla Muss-Jacobs - Exclusive Buyers Agent Portland | Portland Real Estate | (503-810-7192 | BuyersAgentPortland.com) over 1 year ago

Great article!  Sooo true.  I had a cousin (real estate attorney at that) who didn't use me when he purchased from a builder!

Posted by Brittany Stewart (Elite Realty Group of Jacksonville) over 1 year ago

"I don't need an agent because I'm buying a new home from a builder" Andi all can say is "yeah right."

Posted by Charita Cadenhead, Your Birmingham, AL RealtorĀ® & Property Manager of Choice (Bham WIiRE Realty LLC ) over 1 year ago

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