You need a Realtor on your side

A good agent could be the answer to finding the right price for your next house. If paying a full 3 percent more in commission might send you over your budget on the perfect deal, consider asking your real estate agent to give up part of the commission.

#1: tenant representative: a tenant “rep” is a commercial real estate realtor that represents the interests and rights of the individual tenant instead of the landlord. Although not a legal representative per se, it’s a bit like a tenant having their own lawyer to use for lease negotiations. The tenant rep can offer advice and help identify office space needs, negotiate with the landlord or landlord representative on lease terms, try to ensure you pay the most reasonable amount of money possible, keep you from agreeing to unfavorable contract terms, and in general help free up your time so that you don’t have to take on the entire responsibility of the process by yourself. Tenant reps earn their fee by splitting the commission with the leasing agent.

According to the popular job board site, monster, commissions tend to be higher for commercial real estate agents vs residential real estate agents, despite commercial real estate having a slower sales cycle. Due to these factors, the average commercial real estate realtor salary (nationwide) is $85,000* per year. According to the national association of realtors (NAR), this high salary is also due to the fact that commercial realtors are more likely than residential realtors to make 100% of the commissions (and consider that the average commercial deal is around $3 million vs $154,000 for the average price of us home) and they are more likely to hold a broker’s license.

Purchasing a new home can be a difficult and stressful process. This is made even more complicated if you try to handle all the different aspects of a real estate transaction alone. I highly recommend you work with a certified real estate broker in order to guide you through this tough process.

 

Here is a top ten list of questions for your real estate agent :

 

1. How much can you really afford?

Banks will often prequalify you for a large mortgage amount. Being able to afford this mortgage once you’ve purchased your new property is another issue entirely.

 

2. How do I qualify for a loan?

The mortgage process can be confusing and lengthy. A qualified Woodlands Texas realtor makes this process easy to understand and helps you budget your time accordingly so that everyone can close on time.

 

3. How is it possible to buy a home with little or nothing down?

Your realtor has access to a mixed bag of loans and loan providers. Talk with them if you have concerns about down payments.

 

4. What does it take to get approved for financing?

Your realtor knows exactly what banks and other financial institutions are looking for. Ask them!

 

5. How much will your payment be?

Mortgage calculators online often overlook city and county taxes. Your realtor knows these figures and can help you budget accordingly.

 

6. What tax advantages are there to buying a property rather than renting?

Your realtor has worked for years in the real estate industry and understands how to use the tax code to your advantage. Ask them for some tax hints and tips that will make your investment lower your tax liability.

 

7. What are the pros and cons of renting vs. buying?

Yes, your realtor makes money off of home sales and not off of home rentals (usually). But you should still discuss with your realtor when renting might be a better option for you than buying or selling.

 

8. How do you negotiate the purchase price of a new home?

Most real estate agents are professionals at getting you the best price for your new home. Ask them their advice when making offers or counter-offers.  They understand the area best and can help you with this.

 

9. How should you prepare your home for showings?

Realtors know many little tips and tricks that can help your home show better. Ask them what they suggest you should do to prepare your home.

 

10. What legal hang-ups can slow our transaction down?

Sometimes you get to the closing on your home and you find out that a permit hasn’t been closed on the new edifice you finished last summer. Or you find out someone’s placed a lien on your home and you can’t sell it. Your realtor can help you look out for these problems before they happen.

 

Buying and selling a home is difficult enough. Don’t make it even more stressful by trying to do it yourself. Leave the dirty work to the professionals. Your realtor can be the key to not only your new home but also a pain-free and empowering sales experience.