Buying a Home in Salt Lake City, UT

Homebuyer Representation, Inc. offers a free consultation to home buyers.

What does it mean to consult an Exclusive Buyer's Agent? A consultation is a one-time meeting to get any of your real estate questions answered and to find out what it would take to buy a home. The meeting can be in person or over the phone.

It doesn't mean that you have to hire the agent to represent you, or even hire an agent at all.

You should come away from the consultation with enough information to answer these questions:

• Does it make sense to buy vs. rent?
• Is what I'm willing to spend enough to buy a house I would be happy to live in?
• Do I have a large enough down payment to buy a home? 
  and
• How do I find out if I have enough, or good enough credit to buy a home?

Depending on the answers to these questions, you might be ready to move forward.

Thinking about buying a home in the Salt Lake City, Utah area in 2012?

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page for a free consultation today.

©2012 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM 

Salt Lake City, UT - Exclusive Buyer Agents (EBA)

All Rights Reserved

For more information, or if you are relocating to another state, visit GetYourOwnAgent.com

I have been meaning to draft this document for a while, and finally put it together in response to a conversation I had with a potential client last week.

My commitment to you:

1. I will be your Exclusive Buyer Agent (EBA). Because our company does not take listings or ever take on sellers as clients, we will never ask you to agree to less than 100% representation.

2. We will not "switch teams" or change allegiance mid-transaction. You will start with an EBA and you will end with an EBA.

3. I will ALWAYS take YOUR side in negotiations.

4. I don't have any interests in any mortgage, title or inspection companies. There are no financial incentives for me to steer you to any "in-house" vendors.

5. I specialize in working with buyers. I don't switch hats from sellers to buyers. I am ALWAYS focused on what is best for the BUYER in the transaction.

6. I am a Certified Negotiations Expert (CNE). I stay current on training. In just a few weeks I'm flying to San Antonio, TX to take a full-day course on Advanced Negotiation Techniques for Buyer Agents.

7. I will be your consultant, not a salesperson. Because I list no homes, I have no "inventory" to sell. I have no properties that I'm legally obligated to promote to buyers. An agent or company with listings cannot make this claim.

8. I contract directly with you for my fee. If any other party is offering any compensation to our brokerage, I will credit that toward what you owe. Because I know I will get paid in full, I will not steer to you to homes where there is more compensation being offered to buyer agents and I will not steer you away from homes where less (or no) compensation is being offered.

9. You will not double pay for the service you receive. If you buy a home where less or no compensation is being offered, we will lower our estimate of value accordingly. 

10. I will not make more than we contractually agree on. If compensation from another party exceeds the amount we have agreed upon, Homebuyer Representation, Inc. will rebate the difference to you within two weeks of closing.

11. We pass "bonuses" or incentives on to you. If there is a bonus being offered to our brokerage above normal compensation, you can choose to credit that toward your fee or have us pass the bonus on to you in the form of a rebate within two weeks of closing.

12. There is never any chance for me to be influenced by the temptation of receiving a "double commission" or agent "bonus."

13. I will tell you everything I learn about a seller or a property that will help you in negotiations or that could influence your decision to move forward with a transaction or that could change your opinion of the value of the property.

14. I will keep information that could damage YOUR negotiating position confidential.

15. I will use legitimate comparable sales when determining an estimated market value for the home. I will not simply choose the homes that justify the seller's asking price.

16. I may advise you to walk away from negotiations with a seller. Walking away could lead to a better outcome.

17. If it is in your best interest, I will help you take your transaction apart and I will protect your interests while doing so. My goal is to do what is in your best interest... my goal is not "closing the deal."

18. I will show you any available properties you wish to see.

19. I promise full & exclusive representation on any home you wish to buy, not just homes listed by other companies.

20. I will educate and guide you through the process, but all decisions will be yours. I will obey any lawful instructions you give me regarding your transaction.

21. You will always control the price range of homes we consider. I will not try to convince you to raise your price range. If anything, I have been guilty of talking some clients into a lower price range.

22. Although I am not a professional home inspector, I will point out any flaws I see with properties and not just focus on the benefits.

23. I will advise you to talk to neighbors during the due diligence period. If you desire, I will go with you.

24. I will assist in putting you in contact with appropriate professionals to help with your due diligence if desired.

25. I will help you buy with resale in mind. I have shown many thousands of homes to hundreds of buyers. Based on my experience, I will point out to you floor-plan, location and other issues that may negatively impact resale value or the ability to find a buyer down the road.

26. I will try and help you save as much money as possible when you buy so you will make that much more profit when you someday sell.

27. If you wish, I will help you correctly "shop" lenders and evaluate their proposals and offerings. I will prepare an analysis that will show you the total cost of each loan. We typically save our clients 1% of the purchase price (up front) on this analysis alone. Over the life of the loan, clients usually save many times more. Although I will provide a few lenders I believe you should shop, I want you to provide me with some options of your own. This keeps the best lenders honest, knowing they are competing for your business each time we contact them.

Above all, I commit to put your best interest first in your transaction.

Benjamin D. Clark
President & Principal Broker
Homebuyer Representation, Inc.
Salt Lake City, Utah
(801) 969-8989
www.GetYourOwnAgent.com

Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE)
Certified Exclusive Buyer Agent (CEBA)
Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR)
Graduate REALTOR Institute (GRI)
Officer - National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents
Member - National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents
Member - Salt Lake Board of REALTORS
Member - Utah Association of REALTORS
Member - National Association of REALTORS
Author - BuyingAHomeInSaltLakeCityUtah.com

"My Commitment to You" ©2012 Homebuyer Representation, Inc.

I'm currently serving as the Secretary for the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents and prior to the upcoming annual conference I'm taking another negotiations course in Texas. The course, titled "Advanced Negotiation Techniques for Buyer's Agents" will help me develop effective negotiations plans for my clients and negotiate more effectively on their behalf.

Although I earned the Certified Negotiations Expert designation years ago and I regularly read books and articles on effective negotiating, and although I successfully negotiate for numerous buyer-clients each year, I'm excited to pick up a few more tips and tools, brush up on my skills and remember a few things I may have forgotten.

Each transaction and the people involved are unique so it's important to review proven techniques and have all the tools prepared for when they are needed.

Some of the topics will include:

• Emotional factors of negotiations
• Irrational negotiators
• Negotiating from a position of weakness
• Creating additional value in your offers and counteroffers
• Handling difficult negotiations
• Advanced persuasion techniques

Negotiating great deals for my buyer-clients is one of the things I love most about my job! I'm excited to come home an even greater value for my clients!

My Exclusive Buyer's Agent took me on as a client when he was busy with other personal things and yet he was one of the most professional people I have ever worked with.

He went the extra mile to help me find what I was looking for every time.

He never pushed me into anything that I was not sure of. Even when I had made an offer on a place and had it accepted he checked further into one troubling aspect and gave me the information and let me make the decision which was to withdraw the offer. It was something that could have been very costly in the future to me. Many agents would not have bothered as there was already a deal in the works.

I would recommend him to anyone who is in the market to buy a home.

Donna
West Jordan, UT 

If you are considering a home purchase in Utah, don't buy without an agent on your side!

Don't buy without an EBA!

Throughout history, and still today, a big fuss is made over ridiculous "low-ball" offers from Buyers. What's the big deal? Reject them. If your price is right, a buyer will appear. If you keep getting buyers, who appear unreasonable, perhaps you should reconsider who's being ridiculous.

A low-ball offer (or an overpriced listing) requires very little research because the agent doesn't have to narrow down a market value to prepare what is obviously, to everyone involved, an unreasonable offer (or value). How will that help you in the next stages of negotiations (if you get that far)? It won't. It will usually hurt your position and your ability to negotiate the best price and terms.

A reasonable offer (or list price) takes more time to research and prepare and usually achieves a more favorable result. A reasonable offer (or list price) is easily supported by data, facts, trends and acknowledgements of a home's strenghths and weaknesses.

We rarely write "low-ball" offers because we have educated our clients as to how to achieve the best outcome in negotiations and they usually choose not to begin by submitting ridiculously low offers (in spite of a, perhaps, ridiculously high asking price). Still, as agents for our client, we will submit any offer they ask us to prepare. And we will do our absolute best to sell every offer to the seller and/or their agent. There may be specific situations that create arguments for submitting a ridiculous low-ball offer, but I suggest they are very rare.

Enough about ridiculous low-ball offers. Everybody knows what those are. And yes, they can be offensive. Let's talk about ridiculously high asking prices. Most sellers seem oblivious that such asking prices are equally offensive.

I'm here to suggest that most offers from competent buyer agents professionally trained in negotiations will not be ridiculously low. They may be low, but they approach fairness, skewed to their client's favor.

In like manner, most list prices from competent listing agents professionally trained in negotiations will not be ridiculously high. They may be high, but they approach fairness, skewed to their client's favor. This is as it should be.

I find it extremely comical (but not productive) when a buyer makes a reasonable offer on an overpriced home and the seller (or their agent) throws a tantrum.

Most homes in our area are significantly overpriced for the reality of today's market. Some are ridiculously above the highest possible figure a home will appraise for (no comps anywhere near the asking price) yet sellers or their agents take offense when a buyer makes a "reasonable", and sometimes even "more than fair" offer.

If our client likes a home, regardless of the seller's ridiculously high asking price, we will attempt to negotiate. We'll give the seller a chance to be reasonable. We usually go in with a "reasonable" offer. A fair offer. Skewed in our client's favor? Likely. But not so much that a seller should flip out, nor their agent (if they have one) who should have a good idea of fair market value. A competent agent usually understands. If we can convince the agent, they will even go to bat for us with our data. Sometimes we come to terms. But if a seller or their agent chooses not to be reasonable, Sorry. They get to keep the home.

If a home is priced well to begin with, we go in with... a "reasonable" offer. In these cases, however, nobody calls it a "low-ball" offer. Not because the reasonableness of the buyer has changed, but because we are dealing with a more reasonable seller.

Believe me, sellers and listing agents: Buyers and their agents are just as offended by your ridiculously high asking prices. But most of you don't get the chance to see our reaction because we're busy making a deal on a home that will sell for a reasonable price.

Skewed in our client's favor? That's our plan!

BUYERS:

• Do you have excellent credit?
• Are you looking to purchase a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days?
• Are you making a substantial down payment (5% of the purchase price or more) or paying cash for your next home?

If so, don't buy a home without an agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an Exclusive Buyer's Agent! (EBA)

We'll help you navigate the sea of overpriced listings until we successfully negotiate a fair price (if not skewed in YOUR favor) on a wonderful home!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2011 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM

Salt Lake City, UT - Exclusive Buyer Agents (EBA)

All Rights Reserved

I was reading an Angie's List magazine column this morning and I couldn't help but feel for some of the commenters who were (and perhaps still are) distrusting of real estate agents.

For example, one commenter said:

"One caveat about using a home inspector: Make sure you use someone who is recommended by a friend NOT the real estate agent who is trying to sell you A HOUSE. Our "inspector" missed all kinds of major problems that we were not looking for being from another area and not knowing what to look for..."

Another responded:

"...our story exactly. I will never the mistake of relying on the real estate agent's inspector."

As an Exclusive Buyer's Agent, I couldn't help but wonder how these individuals' situations could have turned out differently if they understood the value of having an agent 100% on their side.

Agency Disclosure is a huge problem in real estate, yet nobody seems to be doing anything about it. Consumers need to get smarter and make sure they aren't taking advice from the agent representing the Seller!

As a Buyer, does it make any sense at all to take advice from the agent representing the Seller? It does not.

There have been times throughout my career where a home inspection, a market analysis or a home appraisal has been given to my clients from the Seller or their agent. While in some cases, such materials may be fair and unbiased, in many cases they are given to give the Buyer a sense of security regarding the condition of, or value of the home that Seller and their agent are trying to sell. In such instances, while we will look at the materials and information and we thank them for providing it, we still recommend that YOU (the Buyer) hire your own professionals to do analyses with YOUR best interest in mind. YOUR best interest is not necessarily buying THAT home. YOUR best interest is understanding as much as possible about the home you are interested in so you can decide whether you still want to buy that home, or whether you should keep looking at other properties.

There are agents out there who work only for Buyers. They have no listings. They have no "inventory" to "sell" you. They are just as willing to take you out of a contract as help you get into one, if that is what is in your best interest. And YOU decide.

Such an agent is called an Exclusive Buyers Agent or an EBA. An Exclusive Buyer's Agent works for a real estate company that takes no listings and never represents Sellers. They work for Buyers 100% of the time. They will not try and downgrade your relationship with them to limited or "dual" agency... which means the company attempts to represent both the Buyer and the Seller in the same transaction. An Exclusive Buyer's Agent can promise full service throughout your entire transaction because they flat-out do not represent Sellers.

Ask yourself these 3 questions:

• Do you have excellent credit?
• Are you looking to purchase a $300,000 - $800,000 home within 90 days?
• Are you making a substantial down payment (5% of the purchase price or more) or paying cash for your next home?

If so, don't buy a home without an agent on YOUR side of the transaction!

Make sure you hire an Exclusive Buyer's Agent!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2011 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM 

Salt Lake City, UT - Exclusive Buyer Agents (EBA)

All Rights Reserved

If you are trying to decide whether or not you should rent or buy in today's economy, I ran across this great little tool that can HELP you analyze what might be best for you.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calculator.html

I say "HELP" you analyze what is best because in order for it to be anywhere near accurate, you will have to do some research on each of the variables that are required for it to make a calculation. You will also need to have at least some idea about how long you want to "settle" down in the area you are considering renting or buying in.

What the calculator will do for you (if you input correct variables) is tell you at which point owning becomes better than renting (if ever). So if you plan to be in an area for only 3 years, and the calculator suggests that owning doesn't become better than renting until the 7 year mark, it may just make more sense to rent than own.

As I mentioned before, in order for the calculator to be helpful at all, you will need to input accurate, or at least reasonably educated guesstimates for the variables. If you are considering a purchase in the Salt Lake City, Utah Area, feel free to call me at 801-969-8989 if you need help with any of the variables.

Whatever you do: Don't buy a home without an agent on YOUR side of the transaction!

Make sure you hire an Exclusive Buyer's Agent!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2011 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT - Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

As an Exclusive Buyer's Agent I'm constantly exposed to the inventory on the market in the Salt Lake area.

There are still a ton of overpriced listings on the market, but that's improving.

1. Inventory is actually falling. My gut feeling is that the majority of homes coming off the market are from sellers who mistakenly thought their house was different from the others and that somehow it could commmand pre-bust pricing. Which leads us to point #2:

2. Fewer sellers are putting their homes on the market at ridiculous prices. Homes are finally being discounted to reasonable prices.

Here is the stat I received from the Salt Lake Board of Realtors in an email last night:

• The median sales price for single-family homes sold in 2010 was $220,000, a 6 percent drop compared to a median sales price of $233,900 in 2009.

Here is what I currently see on my Facebook Business Fan Page Real Estate tab powered by Roost.com and Altos Research:

Notice that since late 2008 there appears to be a correlation between home values dropping and the number of homes available for purchase. This is more healthy for the housing market than if inventory were to continue to be added to the marketplace at ridiculously high asking prices.

In other words: Things are getting more reasonable and the market is adjusting in a healthy manner.

That's not to say we've hit bottom yet or that it makes sense for YOU to buy a home in this market.

If you plan to stay in a home in the Salt Lake Valley for 5-10 years, buying now is could make sense as interest rates are still below 5% and housing prices are substantially more reasonable than they were just a few years ago.

Salt Lake is a great place to live, work, raise a family, run a business and have fun!

• Are you or your company relocating to Utah?
• Do you want to buy a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days?
• Do you have excellent credit?
• Are you making a substantial down payment or paying cash for your home?

If so, You Deserve the Best!

Don't buy a home without an agent on YOUR side of the transaction!

Make sure you hire an Exclusive Buyer's Agent!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2011 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT - Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved 

Award reflects company's consistently high level of customer service

Jan 12, 2011 - Salt Lake City, UT - Homebuyer Representation, Inc. has been awarded the prestigious 2010 Angie's List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on approximately 5 percent of all the companies rated on the nation's leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.

"Our Super Service Award winners are the cream of the crop when it comes to providing consistently high quality customer service, as judged by the customers who hired them," said Angie Hicks, founder of Angie's List.

Homebuyer Representation, Inc. is an Exclusive Buyer Brokerage, meaning that the real estate company works exclusively for buyers. The company takes no listings and never represents sellers. Benjamin Clark, Principal Broker and Owner of Homebuyer Representation, Inc. believes that real estate buyers deserve equal, if not superior representation in the real estate transaction. "Most agents and brokerages work for both buyers and sellers", Clark says. "I chose to specialize in buyer representation because I believe that the most critical decisions are made when you buy. I also feel that most buyers of real estate are under-represented." Clark holds the Certified Negotiation Expert designation from the Real Estate Negotiation Institute as well as the Certified Exclusive Buyer Agent designation from the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents where he currently is an officer and where he served as President in 2010.

Angie's List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie's List operational guidelines.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie's List, and members can find the 2010 Super Service Award logo next to company names in search results on AngiesList.com.

###  

Angie's List collects consumer reviews on local contractors and professionals in more than 500 service categories. Currently, more than 1 million consumers across the U.S. rely on Angie's List to help them make the best hiring decisions. Members get unlimited access to local ratings via Internet or phone, exclusive discounts, the Angie's List magazine and help from the Angie's List complaint resolution service.

• Are you or your company relocating to Utah?
• Are you buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days?
• Do you have excellent credit?
• Are you making a substantial down payment or paying cash for your home?

You deserve the best! Don't buy a home without an agent on YOUR side of the transaction!

Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT - Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

5 Tips to Keep Your House Cool This Summer

1. Fans and ceiling fans can make a room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler
2. Install white window shades, drapes or blinds to reflect heat away from the house.
3. Turn off appliances, electronics and lights when not in use. Avoid cooking and baking mid-day.
4. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, they use a fifth the energy and heat.
5. Add insulation to your attic. Upgrading from 3 inches to 12 inches can cut cooling costs by 10%.

I got these tips from RisMedia. The original article is here.

Here's a bonus tip I'm throwing in because it works awesome for me:

Install awnings or EXTERIOR shade screens. I installed a product called SunShade by Suntex, but there are others out there. It's an exterior mount screen that blocks 60-80% of the heat, but still allows light to enter the house and you can still see out. It significanly reduced the amount of heat entering the house and how long I had to run the Air Conditioner.

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

One of the things I recommend Buyers do when considering an offer on a home, or that they do as part of their due diligence, is make contact with the surrounding neighbors.

For one thing, they will tell you all kinds of things about the home, the neighborhood and the sellers. But it also gives you a chance to decide whether or not having them as neighbors might be enough to reconsider the purchase.

Here is a link to an article I contributed to in the Chicago Tribune on this subject:

http://tinyurl.com/talktotheneighbors

This is good advice in any economy.

If you have questions about how, when and why we advise this, feel free to ask!

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Good news may come soon for Buyers who qualified for the federal homebuyer tax credit and were Under Contract on a home BEFORE April 30, 2010 AND whose closings may not be looking like they will happen before the original tax credit closing deadline of June 30, 2010.

Today, the Senate approved an extension of the closing deadline to September 30, 2010. It sounds like the House will also have to pass the amendment before it becomes law.

Stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you are one of the nervous Buyers, you probably want your agent to keep working on getting your transaction done before the existing deadline if possible.

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Effective February 1, 2010, HUD waived the requirement that an FHA Loan could not be issued on a home where the current owner was on title for less than 90 days before a contract to purchase was entered into.

Well, the fact that it was not included in a Mortgagee Letter is causing some problems.

I called HUD today to make them aware of the absence. I have no idea if or when they will actually put it into a Mortgagee Letter or not, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask them to.

HUD and FHA were both on board with waiving the rule back on January 15, 2010. It was supposed to take effect on February 1, 2010. OK... it DID take effect then, but it hasn't been implemented by some lenders because the policy isn't easily found, nor was it included in an official Mortgagee Letter (how many lenders stay current on policy changes).

The waiver is supposed to be in effect for one full year unless otherwise extended or withdrawn by the FHA Commissioner. The Special Assistant to the Secretary of HUD that I spoke to today confirmed that the waiver is still in effect. (June 9 2010)

Some stated goals in instituting the waiver are:

• To stabilize home values
• To revitalize neighborhoods and communities
  
• To expand access to FHA Mortgage Insurance
• To allow for the quick resale of foreclosed properties
  
• To combat the effects of vacant and abandoned homes
• To give FHA borrowers accdess to a broader array of recently foreclosed properties

There are a few requirements that go along with the waiver. Some are:

• Transaction must be arms-length
• Sales price of the property cannot be 20% or more than what the Seller acquired it for. (Well, it CAN, but if so, additional requirements must be met)
• Limited to forward mortgages, (not Home Equity Conversion Mortgages)

Borrowers are not limited to foreclosed properties. They can buy bank-owned, HUD-owned, or privately owned homes (Includes both personally owned and entity-owned).

For more details (and the ever-elusive documentation), see HUD's January 15, 2010 release.

The HUD Press Release about the Waiver

The actual waiver itself

It sounds like the lender we're working with is satisfied with the documentation we provided and the transaction would go smoothly.

Has anybody been able to help a buyer purchase a home with an FHA loan where the seller has been on title for less than 90 days, since February 1, 2010? How did it go? Any problems with Lenders or Underwriters?

Thanks for your comments!

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

A recent RISMedia article stated that only 22% of home buyers are happy with their real estate agent.

I wondered why this might be, and reading the article didn't really shed any new light on the reasons. Strangely enough, the article talked more about complaints from Sellers, such as, "The agent priced my home too high, so it took too long to sell".

Still, there was some mention of Buyers who felt that the process was not adequately explained, loan terms were not adequately disclosed, or simply felt that their agent was looking out more for themselves, and not for the buyer.

I don't know exactly what percent of past clients are happy with our services, but I feel confident in saying that the number approaches near 100%. (Read some of our past client reviews here)

A few reasons clients are satisfied with our Exclusive Buyer Agency services:

• We always represent the Buyer, and ONLY The Buyer. We never list homes or represent sellers.
  
• Our focus is on educating the client and answering their questions, allowing them to make their own decisions; and we respect the decisions the client makes.
• We understand the process and the mortgage process and options. We will help them understand it too, and help them properly shop for a loan if requested.
• We are specialists. We don't wear multiple hats. We are good at what we do because we focus on Buyer representation at all times.
• We continue to improve our own understanding of the home buying process. We stay current with changes to laws and procedures and changes in the marketplace.
• We don't work with grumpy people. Grumpy persons are not a protected class. If you are sour, angry, or otherwise rude, ungrateful or disrespectful, we will not accept you as a client. We enjoy our job and enjoy working with intelligent, happy people. This, in turn, makes us more pleasant to work with as well!

Are you an intelligent, happy person who wants to ENJOY the homebuying experience?

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

After making multiple visits to a property with a size, layout and price that all seemed "too good to be true" my client decided to make an offer. It wasn't until that point when it was disclosed to us that the property had been used as a meth lab and that cleanup of the property had not yet happened. In fact, it was being sold AS-IS, all cleanup and liability was being passed on to the buyer.

Well, now everything made more sense. But what bothered me most was that this information was not stated up front.

We probably spent over an hour in the house. What if my clients had brought an infant and let it crawl around on the floor that whole time? What if one of them had respiratory problems that were exacerbated by visiting the home? As far as we can tell, nobody was harmed by the experience, but we should have known about the hazardous condition before we went through the place, right?

I found some old posts on meth houses and methamphetamine remediation here on ActiveRain which I shared with my client.

Here are a few that may benefit some other people:

Meth Labs

Identifying Meth Impacted Homes

REO and Meth Labs - Read This, It's Good

DEA Meth Lab Registry for homes that were used as meth labs - Did you know?

In every case where we have found properties that are WAY too good to be true... they are.

So, buyer beware!

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

We relocated from California at the end of last summer, and having sold our home there, we were excited to begin looking for a new one in the Sugarhouse area.  Initially, we were using a listing agent that was set up for us by the relocation company. 

When it became clear that this arrangement wasn’t working out, we decided to find an agent that was more attentive to our needs and interests.

Our Exclusive Buyers Agent has been excellent at every stage of helping us to acquire our new home.  We had absolutely no pressure to look in particular areas, or to limit the number of homes that we wanted to see, or to rush as we looked at homes.  He set us up with an account, where we were able to store and track homes that we wanted to see, and rate and make comments on homes that we had seen.

On many occasions, he was able to point out characteristics of a home’s location and condition that would affect its value, that we did not observe ourselves.  Whenever we were narrowing in on a property, he would do detailed research for us, so that we would know what range of price was reasonable, and then upon our request, he would submit our offer. 

After almost 5 months of house hunting, we expanded our search area, and soon after, we found a home in the Avenues.  Our Exclusive Buyer's Agent did a terrific job of negotiating and we got the home for $12,600 less than asking price.  We really believe that our agent wanted the best possible deal for us. 

The communication level with our EBA has been beyond excellent.  If you text, phone, or email him, he gets it right away, and gets back to you quickly.  Although it was not the norm, we did have a few late night phone calls with him when we had an offer pending, or something critical to resolve. His level of service was so high that we felt like his only clients.

One of the best things that our EBA did for us was to have us shop our loan in such a way that we could get an “apples-to-apples” comparison, to find out which loan originator truly had the best deal.  We thought that using the bank recommended by our relocation company, and getting the 1% off the loan that went with using them, would be the best deal by far, but after researching a total of 6 different loan sources, it turns out that the worst deal was the one given us through the relocation company recommendation.

If you are on the fence about using an Exclusive Buyer’s Agent, we can only say that it has been an extremely rewarding experience for us, and in the future, we will only be buying homes with their services.

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Benjamin Clark of Homebuyer Representation, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah, helped me find and buy my home. He was an excellent agent in all ways and I recommend him wholeheartedly to any potential home buyer.

Because he is an Exclusive Buyer's Agent, Ben was wholly dedicated to my cause throughout what turned out to be a 4-1/2 month long process.

He was enormously helpful, dedicated, persistent, knowledgeable, proactive, and consistently agreeable and pleasant.

His negotiating skills are impressive.

He makes great efforts to stay current in his field.

I enjoyed our association and greatly appreciate his work and his approach.

I am convinced that he will always put the interests of his clients first, and will never rush through a sale or fail to point out, based on his considerable experience, potential drawbacks in a property that might adversely affect its value.

Thanks to him, I am now in a lovely home that I purchased for an incredibly good price, at the end of a process that he made as smooth as humanly possible.

If you are looking for an Exclusive Buyer’s Agent of exceptional capability and honesty, you can not find a person better able to represent you than Ben.

Helen
Non-Profit Administration
Salt Lake City, UT

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

U.S. President Barack Obama met Thursday with the President of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents to express his support for the efforts of the consumer friendly non-profit association which educates consumers about their right to equal representation in the real estate transaction.

The President just recently became aware of Exclusive Buyer Agency at a joint meeting of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. He was intrigued by a section within HUD's new guidebook, which details ways in which consumers can protect themselves when buying a home and obtaining a mortgage loan.

In his remarks, he stated that Exclusive Buyer Agency, or hiring a real estate company that will represent only you as a buyer, "just makes sense."

"Now, let me be clear..." he said. "I've bought and sold a number of homes over the years, but I've never heard of Exclusive Buyer Agency. Being guaranteed in writing, up-front, that my agent would not ask me to limit my level of representation... ever... regardless of the home I wanted to buy... I didn't know that type of real estate brokerage existed."

When asked what he thought about the growing trend of buyers to seek out and hire Exclusive Buyer's Agents to represent them in their real estate transactions he said, "These are the types of change we hope to hear about in the real estate and financial sectors. I congratulate the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agency and its members for all they do to educate consumers, and to protect consumers throughout the home buying process. From NAEBA, consumers can get clear information they can understand about the home buying process."

The head of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, speaking at a press conference in Washington last Monday, also gave his endorsement. "Exclusive Buyer Agency levels the playing field in the real estate transaction. Sellers usually have an agent on their side of the transaction. Now Buyers can have equal representation."

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Full Disclosure:

THIS ARTICLE IS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE! (Except the part about buyers of real estate being able to hire agents who will only work for them and not against them. That part is true!)

Exclusive Buyer Agents:

1. Do not list homes or represent sellers
   
2. Work for real estate companies that take no listings
3. Work solely for the buyer
4. Remain loyal to the homebuyer throughout the transaction
   
5. Avoid conflicts of interest inherent in the traditional seller-oriented purchase transaction
6. Never represent the seller in a real estate transaction
7. Are less than 1/2 of 1% of all real estate firms nationwide
8. Offer a unique relationship of trust to real estate buyers
9. Offer a higher degree of loyalty to a buyer than an agent who also works on behalf of the Seller
10. Do not practice dual-agency
11. Are 100% loyal to home buyers 100% of the time
12. Will show buyers any listings, from any company
13. Will show buyers For Sale By Owners, foreclosures, bank owned homes, etc.
    
14. Assist buyers in property evaluation
15. Point out negative, as well as positive aspects of properties and terms
16. Negotiate and advocate for the buyer's best interest without restriction
17. Provide data on comparable sales
18. Assist buyers in formulating an offering price
    
19. Give today's home-buying consumers the level of service they deserve and are increasingly demanding
20. Can help you select other professionals who will be involved in your transaction. Professionals who will also work on your behalf.
21. Will keep buyers' confidential information private
    
22. Will tell buyers what they learn about the sellers and their motivations / bottom line
23. Guarantee buyers undivided loyalty
24. Will not try to change their relationship to "dual agency", "transactional agent", "facilitator", or any other form of limited agency.
    
25. Believe that home buyers have the same full and equal rights as sellers in any real estate transaction

Points taken from a Press Release issued by the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents on December 14, 2009

Buying a home in the near future? Get an Agent on YOUR side! Get an Exclusive Buyer's Agent!

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Lifetime Channel's "The Balancing Act" with Beth Troutman

Get an Agent on YOUR side!

Get an Exclusive Buyer's Agent!

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and sell you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

©2010 Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - "The Real Estate Agents on the Buyer's Side" ^TM - Salt Lake City, UT

Exclusive Buyers Agents (EBA) - All Rights Reserved

Finally...