FHA Loans Oregon

The next step in buying a foreclosure is finding the right Realtor®. Sounds simple, but many first time home buyers make a mistake and just take the first person that they run across, in some cases that may be the best choice, but in others, it may be the worst choice. Just because your cousin’s roommate’s brother supplements his McDonald’s income by “selling” real estate on the weekends doesn’t make him a professional that you need to help travel the world of foreclosed properties. This is a fairly specialized market and you really need experience on your side in the search.

I am not the world’s greatest expert on Realtors®, however I know the ones that I have worked with and understand professional behavior. I know there are Realtors® that can work as the listing agent and the selling agent, but personally, I believe that a buyer should be represented by their own agent and not risk the possible conflict of having a listing agent as your buying agent. The only thing worse, in my opinion, is having your Realtor® also as your loan officer. Now, that I have that out of the way, how do you determine who the right Realtor® is for you? Here are some of my criteria:

1. Find someone that you respect.
2. Find someone that you trust.
3. Find someone that you will listen to and will listen to you.
4. Find someone that you believe.
5. Find a professional.
   

Do they have to be a man? a woman? young? old? in Eugene? in Springfield? The simple answer is, yes. Your Realtor® should be someone that you decide. Ask them questions and develop a rapport. Tell them what you want. Make certain they are familiar with the area you want to live in.

Can I recommend someone to you? Absolutely! There are a number of Realtors® that are linked to my website and I can recommend all of them highly. For specific recommendations, I have specific people in mind.

A good Realtor® will have access to all of the foreclosed properties in the area you are looking in. This Realtor should be able to narrow the choices from what you have shared but often, the property descriptions are not as accurate as they should be, so you might be looking at properties that are not as suitable as others. Trust your Realtor® and keep faith they will find the right place for you.

Here, I want to talk about loyalty. If you are spending time with a Realtor® and they are taking you to houses that are within your parameters, give them your loyalty. That means that if you go to an open house and the Realtor® at the open house asks if you are working with someone, say yes! If your Realtor® is not showing you what you are looking for, doesn’t return your calls or doesn’t seem to care, then find someone that does. Call me; I will set you up with someone that cares.

OK, this is pretty long, so tune in next time to find out what you need to do once you have found that perfect house (well, it will be after repairs). To understand more about the buying phase, read this article from one of my Realtor® partners, Lori Palermo.