Real Estate Information

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Relocating? Top 5 Reasons to Find the Right Real Estate Agent

Believe it or not, even though selling and buying a home is one of the most stressful, most important financial and lifestyle investments you’ll ever make, most people spend very little time in selecting a real estate agent to work with. Even worse, most people tend to believe that all real estate agents are the same and possess the same skill sets and capabilities.

As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, an elite group of real estate agents that requires members to meet a series of stringent criteria before joining, I know all too well how wrong the above perceptions are. When confronting any real estate decision, especially one that involves relocating to a different region or state, it is critical to select an agent with the necessary skills, experience and proven results.

Here are the top 5 reasons to use a professional real estate agent to handle your relocation:

1. The amount of homework involved. Moving to a new area means conducting a lot of research to learn about school systems, recreational activities, community services, etc. A seasoned, qualified agent will do most of this work for you and will suggest accurate resources for you to search out on your own.

2. The need for sounding boards. A relocation places a fair amount of stress not just on you, but on your entire family. There will be lots of concerns, questions and anxieties involved. A professional real estate agent has dealt with this situation hundreds or thousands of times and will know how to listen and respond with the right information to allay the fears of your entire family.

3. Settling into the new area. Successfully acclimating to the new area means quickly finding access to your favorite sports, hobbies, interests, etc. A professional real estate agent is well-steeped in his or her community and will help get you and your family involved in the things you love to do right away.

4. Gathering the right paper work. From school records to medical information, there is a lot of paperwork that needs to relocate with you. Your real estate agent should be able to provide you with a checklist of all the materials you will need to gather and transport well in advance.

5. A network of professionals. Successfully relocating to a new area requires not just working with a professional real estate agent, but many other credible professionals as well, such as builders, landscapers, handymen, child care providers…the list goes on. The right agent is well entrenched with many proven professionals in all of these fields and more, and can serve as a single hub for great referrals. Top 5 Members have access to a large network of other Top 5 Members across North America, ready to assist in your successful relocation.

Handled correctly, a relocation is a positive, exciting experience—a fresh start, not a painful mistake. If you’d like to learn more about ensuring a smooth and happy relocation, feel free to e-mail me and I’d be happy to share what I know. Please pass this e-mail along to family and friends who might also have a relocation in their future.

I'm often asked if this is a good time to buy a home. Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already. They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy. The problem with this approach is that you don't know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you've missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.