Your Local Real Estate Expert

 To me your home experience begins with buying a home.  If I have done my job right we should all know at the same time when we have found the right home.  I am a firm believer in looking....a lot!!  No matter who you are it is important that you put your current assumptions about what you want and where you want it through a rigorous test.  You are not making an impulse buy of a candy bar at the check out line here.  You are making a decision that is hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Shouldn't you be making an informed and knowing decision on something of this magnitude.  You are also making an investment.  Shouldn't you know what drives or distinguishes value in the particular market in which you are looking? 

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That gettin' in part is easy...it's that gettin' out part that's tough!!

After the quality of life issues have been rigorously put through their paces, the next issue is how much you pay.  How do you know what a home is worth.  Who is your back check on that issue since presumably you are not an expert?  Is it the appraiser?  No, he or she works for the bank; not you.  The appraisal business is no different than any other industry, the bell curve is alive and well...and generally skewed heavily to the left.  So if not you, and if not the appraiser, who then has got your back?  That would be the Broker with whom you are working.  Who do they represent?  The commission or you.  When is the last time they got a paycheck?  If we have 10 hours in finding you a home or 50 hours, we get paid the same!  Can your Broker do a documented analysis of the home before you purchase it that you can review and feel confidant in the offer price he or she is recommending?  If not, maybe your working with the wrong Broker.  Since your home is likely the largest asset you will ever purchase, do you want to assure your self you have not made a 5% to 7% mistake.  What if you have to sell it, unbeknownst to you in 3 years, can you get out with your rear end intact?  Do you want to start behind the appreciation rate curve by over paying?  Has your broker told you what the appreciation rate is for your particular home and its market?  If they tell you an appreciation rate, can they prove it?  How do you know that the very confidant, very quick answer is correct.  I have frequently over the years put others to the test about a particular appreciation rate for a particular area and am shocked at what comes out of too many of their mouths.  You should know what to expect in terms of financial performance of your home.  This is part of what I call making a knowing and informed decision about your hundreds of thousands of dollars home buying decision...Some folks refer to  it   "representation".    Buyer representation ought to be more than a Brokers ability to show you homes and fill in the blanks on a pre printed purchase agreement.  Depending on who you are, your own personal experiences, or where you are on life's journey the necessity of testing your current thoughts about what you think you may want may vary.  Generally, my philosophy is more applicable to the first time buyer, the move up buyer, or the out of town buyer.  What I like to call my philosophy is "representation".  You are not a customer, you are a client about to make a decision for which no banker in his right mind would ever loan you the kind of money you are about to borrow, except for a house.