Fresno Real Estate! Fresno online mls homes properties

This is very important for you. However, many buyers feel that they can purchase a home and do just as well without the services of a buyer's agent.

Below are a few examples to demonstrate why you need a buyer's agent.

Visiting Open Houses
It's Sunday afternoon and a lovely day. You've been living in an apartment for three years, saving money to buy a home of your own. You are pretty sure you want to stay in the same neighborhood since your commute to work is very convenient. You drive around the neighborhood for a while and spot an "Open House" sign. You go in the house and are immediately greeted by a friendly person who asks you to sign the registry. Once you have given your name, perhaps address and phone number, you are given a brochure and invited to tour the home. But, there is really much more to it than what appears.
The most important fact, and it may or not be disclosed in the brochure, is that the person welcoming you to the open house is AN AGENT FOR THE SELLER of the home you are visiting.
The home you are visiting is very nice, similar to others in the neighborhood, and in nice condition, you think. There is no one in the home but you and the friendly gentleman holding the open house, THE AGENT FOR THE SELLER.
The AGENT FOR THE SELLER asks you how you like the home and you reply that it is very nice. He asks if the house is in your price range. You reply that you really aren't sure. He then asks if you would like for him to quickly qualify you for the house. Since you haven't been working with your own agent and you haven't spoken with a lender, you really aren't sure how much you can borrow to finance your home purchase.
STOP RIGHT THERE. Do you know that the agent holding the open house is the AGENT FOR THE SELLER and, therefore, owes the SELLER the following duties of fiduciary:
You are ready to provide the AGENT FOR THE SELLER information about your income, savings, employment, need to purchase, prior home buying experience, when you need the home, and a lot of other personal information that might be important in negotiating a good contract of sale FOR YOU.
Calling On Yard "For Sale" Signs.
You've just accepted a new job in the area and realize you need to get serious about where you will live. You are due to report for work in two months, so you have time to find a home now and have it ready to move your family in on arrival. A co-worker suggests that you might want to look in the neighborhood where he lives. He says it's very nice and there are lots of children your children's ages. So, you get directions and drive to the neighborhood and start to drive around. You spot a "For Sale" sign in front of a home ahead. In fact, there are quite a few "For Sale" signs in the neighborhood. You take all the numbers and go back to the office and begin to make telephone calls.

That afternoon you have messages from three of the numbers you called. The first is a very friendly lady who invites you to her office to meet with her and she will gladly show you the house. You make an appointment for tomorrow morning. The second call is from a gentleman who offers to meet you at the house to show it to you right away. You make an appointment for later that afternoon. The third call is from an owner who had his number on the For Sale sign. You were not expecting the owner to call, but his home is listed with a "For Sale By Owner" service.

What is wrong with the three scenarios above?

The first agent has invited you to her office to see the home. Certainly nothing wrong with that, you say, but were you advised when making the appointment that the person speaking was the AGENT FOR THE SELLER?The second person offered to meet you at the house, but did they advise you that they were the AGENT FOR THE SELLER? The third, the owner, will show you the home, but, while he is not represented by an agent, neither are you.
In the first example, if you meet the listing agent in his/her office, you will probably feel an obligation to work with that person thereafter. That is the purpose of inviting you to the office. Of course, the AGENT FOR THE SELLER should also qualify you to see if you have the ability to purchase the house. Again, you are giving vital information to the AGENT FOR THE SELLER.
In the second example, the agent who offered to meet you at the house probably did not explain to you that no matter what you did after that, even obtain your own buyer's agent, that the agent who showed you the home might have a claim on any sales commissions paid if you purchase the house. What that means to you, is that, even if you obtain the services of your own agent in the future, the listing agent who showed you THAT HOME, might have a claim on any commissions paid to a buyer's agent working with you. And, if you go back to the agent who showed you the home, he/she is the AGENT FOR THE SELLER. In the third example, there are few buyers or sellers who have access to the database available to buyer's agents to determine if the home is fairly priced. Only YOUR buyer's agent will give you that information. Also, did the owner selling their own home make the Transfer Disclosure Statement or Disclaimer, which is required by law. If it is an older home, pre 1978, were the lead based paint disclosures, required by federal law, given to you?