Wow, where do I start relaying my experience of buying our first house? First, I guess you can say that my husband and I are very cautious people. We do a lot of research before buying any large-ticket item, whether it be a lawnmower, a washer, a car, etc. So when it comes to a HOUSE, I started researching a year before we even began to look.
I spent hours researching on the Internet, and I even began watching HGTV shows that involved buying houses to get an overview on the home-buying process. It was from watching some of these shows that my eyes were opened about the reality of real estate agents. I saw how important they were.
For the sellers, it's usually the fastest, easiest, and often the most lucrative way to sell a house, despite the fee. For buyers, it's kind of mixed. See, I saw how some buyers were supported every step of the way by their agents and they ended up with a good house at a good price. But then I saw some where the buyers' agents seemed to be selling the houses to their clients like a car-salesman, pointing out all the good things about each house and dismissing any bad things. I felt that those agents weren't helping the buyers very much.
The problem? Those buyers had agents who worked in the company that listed the house. So they WERE trying to sell houses to their clients rather than helping their clients find the best house for them at the best price. I even saw one episode where one agent was actually employed directly by the seller AND the buyer in a transaction. The agent's loyalty was divided, and there is no way that the buyer could have gotten a fair shake.
After seeing that episode, I focused a little less on researching the overall home-buying process and more on how to get a good agent who will work in the buyer's interest and help them through that process. That is when I learned about Exclusive Buyer's Agents. After learning about them, I knew it was the only way to go. If you hire a true Exclusive Buyer's Agent, the agent works in a company that never lists properties, nor does that agent ever work for sellers. The buyer gets 100% loyalty. The Exclusive Buyer's Agent will show you any house on the market without ulterior motives. And if you get a good agent, he will willingly help and guide you through the entire home-buying process. And I must say that Benjamin Clark is not only a good agent, but an excellent one.
In all honesty, Benjamin Clark came through for us in every aspect of the home-buying process. From helping us find the right house (including driving us to twenty houses across three towns in one day) to being by our side on the day we closed, not once did he let us down. As I said before, my husband and I are very cautious people, and because of that we had several questions in every stage of buying our first house. Benjamin always answered our questions not only in a timely manner, but also in great detail. He gave us a Buyer's Due Diligence Checklist which was extremely helpful throughout the home-buying process. When I had a question about how to go about something on the checklist, he'd do everything he could to help me with it.
For example, one of the things a buyer has to do is find a title company. Benjamin not only explained what a title company does, but he gave me questions to ask each title company to aid us in making an informed decision. He also gave us estimates on what a good title company would charge for certain things, and provided us with three names and numbers of title companies that had worked well for clients in the past. Though he provided us with some names, he still encouraged us to research others. Ultimately, after researching multiple companies, we found out that the first one on Benjamin's list was the best option for us. This happened with finding an inspector, a mortgage company, and a home warranty company too. We received an incredible deal from the mortgage company he recommended, and even the agent from the title company that handled our closing was astonished at what a great loan we had. Benjamin simply made it easy for us to accomplish the things we needed to do, and with the best results. He continued to help us even after closing, getting us a good deal on a carpet and home cleaning.
Not only was Benjamin great at helping us accomplish the things we needed to do as buyers, but he did amazing work at accomplishing his tasks as an agent. He helped us find houses that fit our criteria and made it possible for us to see the houses we wanted to on short notice. He personally drove us to every house on our list. We asked him to point out any flaws he might notice in the houses we looked at, and he did that readily and knowledgeably. When he saw a neighbor outside, he'd go talk to them and ask about the neighborhood. He even pointed things out about neighborhoods that ended up being important in our final decisions on several houses. He also showed us features that would increase resale value of many houses and we found that to be very helpful. When we had narrowed our choices down to three houses, he ran a detailed market analysis on all three in a short amount of time. This was very helpful in deciding on what to offer on the house we chose... And last, but certainly not least, he did an astounding job in the offer and negotiation process.
I cannot imagine how we would have gotten through the offer and negotiation process without Benjamin. He made things as smooth and stress-free as possible. He fought long and hard to get us the best deal possible, re-negotiating the contract many times for us. The sellers were not the easiest people to work with, but Benjamin was still able to bring them down in price, include closing costs and fix almost everything the inspection had shown to be a problem. He was excellent at reading the motivation of the sellers and the sellers' agent, and used that knowledge to help us in negotiations. He even labored hard for us on little things, working out many details in our favor (for example, he persuaded the sellers to give us the new refrigerator they were planning to keep). In short, we couldn't have gotten a better deal with any other agent. Benjamin Clark is amazing.
Besides being a helpful and logistically sharp agent, I have to say Benjamin is also a delight to be around. He has a great sense of humor, a warm heart, and a sharp mind. He is fun, easy-going, and a family man. He is an all-around great guy, and I am so happy we had the chance to work with him. I'd recommend him to any buyer, both new and experienced.
Boyd & Tracy McKinnon - Roy, Utah
If you are moving to the Salt Lake City area,make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction!
If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $250,000-$750,000 home in the next 30-60 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.
©2008 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ™ Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved
Exclusive Buyer Brokerages do not list homes and never represent Sellers. Their agents represent Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. They work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy...
©2008 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - Salt Lake City, UT
Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved
Finally...
Because of my work, I was required to relocate to Utah. As with my previous home search effort in Illinois, I decided to use an exclusive buyer agent rather than a traditional realtor. A traditional realtor normally cannot fully represent buyers since they are legally bound to work for the sellers. Also, from a pure business aspect, traditional agents have incentive to promote their own listed properties—and not other agent’s.
A seemingly impossible task, the experience was actually enjoyable, and we found a home on the second day. At that point, Ben really went to work.
A New World
(Please reread the title with sarcasm. Good.)
First Quarter 2008 showed only small improvement in home prices and the number of SOLD homes was also down.
Salt Lake City actually pulls in at Number 6 on Forbes' list of the top 10 Recession Proof Cities in the nation