by Sheri Dettman, Resort Lifestyle Realtor
Would you walk into a car dealership to purchase an expensive vehicle without doing your research ahead of time? People who do likely regret the price they paid, what they received for their trade, and even the terms of the agreement once they recover from their initial emotional – and not very logical – purchase.
Attending Palm Springs open houses (in fact open houses almost anywhere) presents a similar issue.
As a buyer, when you walk into an open house and place an offer on the property one of two circumstances can arise:
- The seller’s agent sitting the open house will wind up representing both you, the buyer as well as the seller of the property (like the car salesman who represented both you and the dealer);
- An associate of the seller’s agent is hosting the open house because this agent has no clients of his/her own.
Many New Agents Start Their Career Hosting Open Houses
Hosting an open house is a great way to meet prospective Palm Springs area buyers by investing nothing more than a little time. If you, as a prospective buyer, want to invest in the training of a new agent, hopefully she/he will thank you for your help later.
If you discover an agent hosting an open house who you’d like to do business with that’s great, but why not take a few minutes to first check out your prospective agent’s references and experience? Take a look at the agents real estate website to research:
- How many successful transactions were completed last year?
- Does the agent have a professional web presence?
- What do client testimonials say about the service they received?
- Lastly, has the agent invested in providing you with extensive online resources which can give you additional information about your prospective communities and aid in helping you to be an informed buyer?
A Better Way To View Palm Springs Open Houses
The smart thing to do before going to an open house is to choose an agent to represent you. Then, when the agent hosting the open house pounces, you simply tell him/her that you are represented by (name your agent). The agent will appreciate this and offer you their full professional courtesy in showing you the home. If you like what you see, you’re own buyers agent will get the inside info on the property and represent you in any negotiations.
And, If You Really Love That Home…
And, if you really love a home you visited, please don’t let on to the seller’s agent how much you like the property. Instead, let your buyer’s agent know (you did choose a buyer’s agent, right?) so she/he can begin working for you in getting the full scoop on the property for you without letting the other side know how emotionally attached you already are to the home.
One final point, if you choose to use the open house agent that is also representing the seller, that agent must be neutral to both parties during negotiations. Do you think that’s the best way to approach buying a home?
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