Frequently Asked
Questions
How do you
get paid?
You, the
buyer, are the boss, so you decide how we get paid. Some
of our clients want to pay our fee directly, but most of our
clients want the seller to pay our fee. In fact, if you
are buying a "listed" property, you are paying a buyer
agent's fee even if you don't have a buyer's agent of your own
(because it is included in the price)! So it doesn't cost
any more to use us than to use a traditional real estate
company.
What do
you offer that traditional real estate agents don't do?
We
GUARANTEE IN WRITING to work only for you, the buyer, and to
put your interests first above everyone else's, including our
own. Traditional real estate agents can't make that
guarantee. In order for you to understand this, you need
to understand what "agency" means and why it is important.
In Alabama, real estate agencies can work in the following
ways: for only the buyer in a transaction, for only the seller
in a transaction, for both the buyer and seller in the same
transaction, or for neither the buyer or seller. We have
written a Special Insider Report that gives further information.
You can download this or any of our FREE Special Insider
Reports by going to our
Special
Reports page.
What areas
do you serve?
We primarily
serve the following counties: Montgomery, Autauga, Elmore,
Chilton, Coosa, Lowndes, Macon and Tallapoosa. The
communities we serve include (but are not limited to)
Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka, Coosada, Elmore,
Clanton, Slapout, Ramer, Pine Level, Deatsville, Marbury,
Billingsley, Hope Hull, Lowndesboro, Lake Jordan, and
Autaugaville.
I am a
first time buyer. How can you help me?
One of our
goals is to educate you on the home buying process, the local
real estate market, how to look at houses to see if they meet
your needs, how to find the best deal in a mortgage and in home
owner's insurance, and how to develop a negotiating strategy.
All of our buyers find this to be very helpful, but our first
time buyers are especially helped this way.
How do you
help home buyers save money?
Keep in mind
that we put your interests first above everyone else's, even our
own. You are the boss, and we are working only for you.
So it is our job to help you save as much money as possible in
this process. There are many ways we help our buyers to
save money, including the purchase price, the mortgage interest
rate and fees, repairs and other concessions made by the seller,
the homeowner's insurance rates, home warranty commissions, and
more. Each buyer's situation is unique, so the amount of
money we are able to help each buyer save is unique to each
buyer and each transaction.
Why is it
important to know about mortgages?
It is
important to know about mortgages because choosing the "wrong"
mortgage or the "wrong" mortgage company can be very costly to
you. Most people are not aware that mortgage companies
have different interest rates, and that these interest rates can
change every day, sometimes even more than once during the day.
They also don't know that, in addition to the interest rate on
your mortgage, mortgage companies make money by charging fees at
closing. Finding a mortgage company that has not only
great interest rates but also low or even no fees can save you a
lot of money. When it becomes time to lock in your
mortgage, we will shop around to find the company with the best
rates and fees.
Do you
work with sellers?
No.
Since we are an Exclusive Buyer Agency, we never
take listings or represent sellers in any way. We believe
there is a built-in conflict of interest for companies that
represent both buyers and sellers. Since we believe that
home buyers should have their own independent representation, we
represent home buyers exclusively.
What do
other real estate agents think about you?
Other real
estate agents enjoy working with us, since we work with
motivated, pre-approved buyers. Listing agents (also
called seller's agents) can be confident in our buyers' offers
and can encourage their sellers to accept them with few, if any,
changes.
Should I
look at houses on my own first before contacting you?
No. If
you look at a house with the seller's agent, then you may hurt
your negotiating power. The agent named on the real estate
sign in front of the house is not working in your best
interest. He or she is working in the best interest of
the seller. Therefore, anything you reveal to that agent,
such as how much money you make, how much you like the house, or
how much you are willing to pay for the house, must then be told
to the seller. Buyer's Choice Realty, LLC never
takes listings or represents sellers. So the information
we know about you remains confidential, unless we are compelled
by law to release it, or unless we have your permission to
release it.
How many
homes should I look at before I buy one?
There is no
set number of houses that you should see before you buy one.
The point is that you should see as many houses that meet your
particular needs as are on the market, whether it's three houses
or thirty houses.
Will you
show me foreclosed homes and properties "for sale by owner"?
Yes, we'll be
happy to. Most traditional real estate agents hesitate to
show you foreclosed homes and properties that are for sale by
owner. However, we are happy to view these properties with
you.
Do I have
to sign anything in order to search the MLS through your
website?
No.
Please feel free to search the MLS (these are homes listed with
traditional real estate companies who are representing the
seller) at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We do
not require any personal information from you in order to do a
search. And we don't use cookies on this site, so we won't
pester you later for personal information. However, if you
want to sign up for our free monthly newsletter, our home buying
tips, or other subscription products that we offer through our
website, you will need to give us a valid email address.
Are you
trying to "sell" me something?
No.
Unlike traditional salespeople, we do not have any incentives to
show you one property over another or to encourage you to
purchase one property over another. You are the boss, and
our job is to follow your lawful instructions and put your
interests first over everyone else's, including our own.
Our focus is on your needs, and our goal is to help you purchase
the right property for your needs, all the while helping you
save as much money as possible throughout the process.
For more
information, please call us at (334) 595-9873 - we'll be
happy to answer your questions!
©
2006 - 2015 Buyer's Choice Realty, LLC All rights
reserved.
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