Posts Tagged ‘Real Estate Agents’

House Buyers – Getting a Real Estate Agent to Help You

A good real estate agent will keep in contact with potential buyers…… but this isn’t always the reality. Here are tips for getting a real estate agent to work for you.

Getting to know you - Get to know the agents in the area you are looking in. Establish which ones have the most listings or seem to most often have the listings the fit your criteria, then stick with them!

Seriously!! - Most real estate agents will not take you seriously until they have seen you around open homes for a few weeks and have had you call them enquiring about properties they have listed. You can also request to go on their emailing database to be sent new house listings and give them a ring each week when the new listings in the office have come out (usually by Tuesday afternoon).

Tell me what you want – Make your ‘Not Negotiable’ list very clear to the real estate agent. A short concise list of requirements saves everyone time.

One on one - A good idea is to arrange viewings of houses outside open home times then you can get to know real estate agents and they can get a better idea of what you are looking for. This relationship can be invaluable, giving you access to properties before the marketing starts and even letting you in on ‘quiet’ listings.

State the facts – Be upfront about your situation. Tell them you have your finance sorted, you don’t have a house to sell and you are ready to move. You are buyer gold! Put it out there.

Soon agents will be knocking down your door, and you will be getting first look at houses fitting your criteria, but don’t let your work on this relationship lapse. If you find they stop calling you, start calling them! This is a relationship that is easier to maintain then build from scratch.

You will meet many real estate agents in your house hunt and you will get an idea immediately as to whether or not you can see any value in building a relationship. You may find that no matter how hard you try, some will not take you seriously, don’t take it to heart, they are not doing their job, just move on.

Just what should you be asking the real estate agent? Find out in ‘The House Hunt’ section of the Propertytoolbox House Buying Guide.

Propertytoolbox Blog Highlights 2011

2011 has seen a lot of great info coming through the Propertytoolbox Blog. Here are my favourite articles for the year.

Sunny NZ Houses

This article about finding out if your house gets sun was a star of the blog this year. The sun aspect is quite often overlooked when buying a house, but it can be an important part of your enjoyment of the house – so check it out ‘Sun Aspect of NZ Houses – Does the House Get Sun’. This article has all the info you need to work it out.

Buyers – Get Your Real Estate Agent to Help You

We’ve told you before – the real estate agent is working for the vendor – but surely they can help you out too? Sure! And in this article ‘House Buyers – Getting a Real Estate Agent to Help You’ we give a few tips on how you can develop your relationship with real estate agents so that you can make the house buying process a bit easier.



Am I a Cash Buyer?

The ‘cash buyer’ term can be a bit of a confusing one and is often used liberally in the house buying process. Propertytoolbox wanted to explain all so that misunderstanding didn’t turn into an expensive mistake! Check out this article ‘Am I a Cash Buyer – Can I Make a Cash Offer’ and find out if you are a cash buyer.

Sale & Purchase Agreement – Checklist

Sometimes the creation and signing of a sale and purchase agreement can happen in a flash! This is a legally binding agreement you are signing so you need to take some time to check it over. In this article ‘House Sale & Purchase Agreement – Checklist’ we give you a list of things to check over before you sign – better to be safe then sorry!

The Propertytoolbox blog is taking a break over Christmas and will be back with a monthly addition in February. Have a great holiday and we will see you then!

Questions to Ask the Agent – Part 1

One of the first groups of people you meet on your house hunt is real estate agents. As you start looking they will be dealing with your enquiries to see houses and showing you through homes. This two part blog series aims to give you some good questions to ask the agent so you can get an insight in to the house and its value.

If you are viewing a house and find yourself interested, it is time to start asking the real estate agent some questions – they are likely to know some relevant information about the house, and surrounds, so make use of this source of knowledge.

But! Remember the agent is working for the vendor – so they are likely to emphasise the positive about the house and area and will tend to leave out the negative points. Therefore, noting what the real estate agent avoids talking about, says they know nothing about, or omits completely from the conversation are probably the most important things to know about - so reseach them!

These price related questions are a good place to start when talking to a real estate agent:

1. Why are they selling? If this information is available it can give some insight into the amount of negotiation you can do on price & whether settlement date is important to the vendor.

2. How long has it been on the market? Why isn't it selling? – The answer to this question can also give you some reference for price negotiation.

3. Have there been any offers? What were they? - It is good to know if there have been any offers, how much they were for, and when they were made. If time has passed – the vendor may be open to considering those same offers again.

4. How much will they take? – Just what is the vendor after? You may be surprised…

5. How much are the rates? – Handy to not have to look this one up yourself – and rates will be an ongoing monthly expense for you if you buy the house so this information is essential…

Next blog post we are going to discuss the condition of the house – and let you in on the questions that will give you an insight into aspects of the house and surrounds that may affect your perception of the house itself or the house’s value.

What to know more about house buying - the Propertytoolbox House Buying Guide has it all!

The Real Estate Agents Authority Gets Down to Business!

The real estate Complaints Assessment Committee (CAC), part of the Real Estate Agents Authority (REAA) has made its first decision. A North Shore real estate agent was found guilty unsatisfactory conduct.

The daughter of a recently widowed woman complained after her mother received a condolence card from a real estate agent soon after her husband’s death that included a business card and a valuation of the mother’s house.

As a result of this solicitation, the real estate agent was found by the CAC to be in breach of the authority’s Code of Professional Conduct and Client Care for the manner she approached the complainants mother.

This is first of many assessments and decisions to be made by the CAC – there are another 200 complaints currently in the pipeline!

If you are buying or selling a home you should be aware that real estate agents are required to comply with the Real Estate Agents Act 2008. This Act introduces changes into the real estate industry that will benefit the buyers and sellers of houses.

One more obvious change brought about by this new Act is that buyers and sellers (before signing a sale and purchase agreement) must get a copy of the New Zealand Residential Property Sale & Purchase Agreements Guide from their real estate agent! This guide has all the essential info that you must know before signing a sale and purchase agreement.

This act also saw the creation of the REAA. The REAA launched in November 2009 with a focus of high standards of service and professionalism within the real estate industry, and to provide increased protection for buyers and sellers of houses. The REAA provides independent oversight of the NZ real estate industry and in conjunction with the Act hopes to promote public confidence in the industry.

The REAA replaces the Real Estate Institute of NZ (REINZ) and now handles licensing of people and companies working in real estate, investigation of complaints from consumers (the CAC), disciplinary action (the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal), setting industry standards, and providing information to buyers and sellers of houses.

Want to know what to expect from a real estate agent – check out the Code of Professional Conduct and Client Care . This code was published as a result of the Real Estate Agents Act 2008 - those working in the real estate industry must follow this code and it is a reference point for discipline.

You can even check a real estate agents license details here, including checking whether they are licensed, finding out how to contact them, check the history of their licence and check their recent individual disciplinary record.