We are in thye process of purchasing our first home. We went to see some models over the weekend and I'm wondering if that was a mistake? I read if you show up without a realtor you cant use one later. If that is true what can we do to secure ourselves? Should we get a reality lawyer or does military legal provide that service?
Because you are asking this question I can tell you right now that if you are going to be buying a home then you need to work with a real estate agent. There is no cost to you for having a buyers agent. It sounds like you are looking at new construction. There are outright ridiculous things that can be put into contracts and you having your own agent can help you avoid them on the front end. Have an agent before you signanything.
I do not know about California, but when we looked in Florida I was shocked at some of the things that a buyer of new construction is expected to pay on top of the cost of the house/condo. We used a buyer's agent and keep in touch with him.
The first set of agents we tried had no idea what we wanted and showed us crap. We decided to interview agents. Some refused to interview and one had a problem closing and her firm could not send a replacement. We pciked an agent we really like - both my wife and I, and that is hard. I would suggest you follow Paul's advise. Before you realy start looking for a house, look for an agent you can work with. They will save you a lot of time telling you about communities, schools, taxes and 'issues'. They will explain the ins and outs of Condo and Home Owners Associations under California law. And they can tell you what builders rock and which suck.
They are not likely to tell you much about communities. In Tennessee and I am sure in other states as well, it is illegal for a real estate agent to make anything other than general comments about communities. They can provide you access to local crime statistics and let you make a determination for yourself.
We interviewed a few realtor and they all seem to only be in it for the money. The one we decided to go with showed us homes that shouldnt be lived in. When we found a home we liked she suggested we pay (240000) way more than what they were asking (205000)to make sure we dont get out bid when the only bid they had was for 215000. Now that we have decided to get a new home we thought we would go look at the homes first to see which ones we like. We found a house and been talking with the girl at the site. She seems to be working with us but I just feel some things dont make sense. I'm just afraid to chose another realtor and we dont get a better deal than what we have already been quoted.
