I am not exactly a first time home buyer. The first time I bought a home it was a new home, after much trial and tribulation, argument, search, and final agreement. That was 15 years ago. That house was taken by my ex in our divorce, and ironically, offered to me by him yesterday so I will move back to Fresno. That answer was a resounding no.
This time around is a little different. I am in a different city. I am buying this home by myself, so there is no one to argue with. I am limited by the high school my son is already going to. He has been with the same kids since the 6th grade, he knows them, and he gets along with everyone. For a kid with Asperger's, that means absolutely everything, so there is not a question about moving to a different school to save a little money. So, I am locked into a very expensive area and searching for a home on a limited budget.
I really did not know what I was doing two weeks ago. I found a site with local property listings on Google, I was contacted by a nice-enough agent, I found a house I was interested in, and I called my agent to take me to go look at it.
My mistake. This agent gave me all kinds of song and dance and could not answer even my simplest questions. We made an offer on the house. Supposedly he was in contact with the seller's agent, they were considering my offer, etc. etc. They came back with a counter offer $5000 over the asking price of the home. I knew there had been a severe communication breach, and I knew my agent was responsible.
So, I called a few friends from outside this area, and I consulted on what an agent is really supposed to be doing. I confirmed my suspicions that perhaps my agent had not quite done the job he was surely happy to accept that commission check for. I called a new agent, at the recommendation of a friend of a friend, possibly the best thing I ever did.
Things an agent should do:
1. Listen to you about what you need and want in a home.
2. Help you find appropriate listings that meet your needs in your price range.
3. Show you the listings you are interested in after talking to you about the merits of each one on the list, why you like it or don't, etc.
4. When you find a house you like, this is when a good agent is invaluable and worth every dollar they get paid.
5. They communicate with the Seller's agent and find out as much information as possible.
6. They find out why the house is on the market.
7. They find out what other offers the seller has on the property. <----- ESSENTIAL!!!
8. They find out what the lowest price for the house could possibly be, and why (in my case the seller has a contingent offer on a town house in a different area, so any offer has to allow him to get into his town house).
The house I was looking at is priced higher per square foot than any other comparable home that has sold in the area. As it turns out, this is reasonable, because the house is on a massive lot, has a heated pool, has travertine marble throughout (even in the closets), and a brand new kitchen. The house has a lot of upgrades, is in great shape, passed inspection with very little worth noting, has a new roof, the list goes on and on. Comparable houses in the area don't even come close in terms of the upgrades that were done to them or their condition.
My first agent didn't bother finding out any information. He had one call with the seller's agent, during which he managed to offend the agent by insulting the house, and that is why the offer was $10,000 off from what my agent predicted, and $5000 over the asking price of the house.
My second agent got all of the details, we wrote the offer together, we explained why we felt the house was a perfect fit for my son and I, why the pool would help with his Asperger's syndrome, why the property and extra space mattered so much, all of it. The seller took one look at my offer and cried, and decided to accept even though it was lower than another offer he received, and we have now had enough conversations to know that the house was his mom's. She had done all of the work and the upgrades and the maintenance. This house was her home, her baby, and she had suffered from cancer during the last four years of her life inside it's walls. I could feel her presence when I walked in, and I knew this house was for us. There were a lot of other signs as well. The floors are the same floors I chose when we ripped the carpet out of the first house I had owned years before. The wooden shutters on every window are the same wooden shutters I had installed in the other house. The white walls were the same as the way I most loved my first home, open and airy and beautiful. And out back, there was a clothes line that looks very similar to the one my grandmother had in her back yard in Nebraska my whole childhood. The seller and I both cried a little when we met (he went out of this way to meet me after reading the letters included with my offer). He knows his mom would want my son and I to have the house. I know it is the perfect house for us.
My first agent called me at 9 am this morning (he knows I work nights, he woke me up anyway). He finally had three listings for me to take a look at, and wanted to know if I would be interested in a town house. I did not have the heart to tell him that I am already in escrow on the house he messed up on over a week ago, that I already did the home inspection yesterday, and that there is not a chance of me ever buying a town house. Hopefully one day he catches on, but in the meantime, it feels good to know we will soon have the incredible home we are meant to have.
My first agent, when I asked him to find out if there were other offers on the home, told me it was not possible to get that information. For every question I had, he had an excuse. I don't have time for excuses. I don't make them, and I don't deal with people who do.
My second agent not only salvaged the deal on the house I really wanted, she showed me a few others at the same time. We made offers on two houses last week. The other agent didn't even show me one.
I am not paying any more for a good agent. They cost the same. But what I am getting for my money from one over the other is invaluable.
If anyone wants the name of my second agent, I am happy to recommend her. She is fantastic, has well-priced home inspectors and handymen she works with, and she knows the market here. When she finally saw the house I was so obsessed with she couldn't believe how nice it was. She knew the market and was able to tell me with confidence that I would never find a house like that in my price range again, especially not in the area where I was looking. Her confidence gave me confidence.
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