The First Steps - Buying Real Estate in Asheville, NC

The first hurdle to cross for any buyer is to determine your REALISTIC spending ability. Be fair an honest with yourself. Most of us like to think either, a) I am not capable of buying anything and therefore you give up before the search has even started, or b) I am able to buy exactly everything I need. In either case, 9 times out of 10, you have come up with these assumptions on your own and that can be very dangerous.

Talk to a Mortgage Specialist in Asheville, NC

DO NOT GO IT ALONE, sit down and talk to a loan officer, whether it is at the bank where you do business already or with a company that specializes in home mortgage lending. When you have this sit down, be frank and honest, do not embellish on any of your financial details. The loan officer can only help you if they have the correct information. When you leave this meeting you should be armed with the knowledge of knowing exactly where you stand, if you are capable of purchasing you will have the number that you can spend, and if you are not capable at the moment you should have the information and a step-by-step approach to get yourself to where you can buy.

Find a Buyers Agent in Asheville, NC

Your second hurdle to cross, is to find an experienced real estate agent in the Asheville, NC real estate market to represent you as the buyer and help in your search. Here again, DO NOT GO IT ALONE, in this day and age of the internet many buyers strike out on there own to do all their own searching and investigating of the real estate market in an area. If you are just looking around Asheville, Weaverville or Mars Hill to see what it has to offer, that’s great. If you are serious about buying a home in Asheville, Weaverville or Mars Hill, find an agent in that market and put them to work. Having a buyers agent in most scenarios costs you the buyer absolutely nothing and the seller of a listed property has their agent aggressively representing them.

How Real Estate Agency Works in Asheville, NC

Here is how real estate agency works. A listed property that you have found on the internet or through some other form of advertising has the commissions the real estate agents are to be paid already built into it. When that property is sold the listing agent and the buyers agent split this commission, which is paid by the seller of the property. The fee is already included and being paid out whether you have an agent representing you or not. Some times you and your agent look through what is currently listed without finding an appropriate property. However, we still have the For Sale By Owners (FSBO’s) to go. In the event you look at a FSBO in Asheville, Weaverville or Mars Hill, having a buyers agent becomes even more important because the seller is not under any obligation to disclose facts to you. North Carolina is very much a buyer beware state when it comes to real estate. While you may end up having to pay your real estate agents commission, he/she will earn every penny of it by making sure the price you pay is right, drafting purchase contracts that protect you the buyer, making sure all the appropriate inspections are completed on time, by helping you hire an attorney to close the transaction and helping you avoid all the stress.

Hiring a Real Estate Agent in Asheville, NC

• What should you look for in choosing a real estate agent in the Asheville real estate market? That’s a good question and there are numerous answers that apply. First and foremost, make sure your real estate agent is a Realtor©, because Realtors are held to a higher standard and follow a strict code of ethics.
• Secondly, find an agent that you communicate well with and that listens to what you are saying. You’ve all seen the commercial where the real estate agent keeps taking the clients to the same type of homes even though they have already expressed their desire to see something else. We all chuckle, but this happens. If the agent you are currently working with is not listening to you, find another agent. There are a lot of real estate agents in the Asheville, NC market
• Thirdly, and in a tie with second, find an honest agent. Does your agent tell you what they honestly think about a property? Both the good and the bad. Does your agent play devils advocate, or just sit there and try to talk you into a house you know is not right. While it may sometimes cost your agent the sale, they are working for you and are helping you find what you want. If they can not objectively play this role, find another agent. This brings me to a very important point. DO NOT sign a Buyers Agency Agreement until you have spent a little bit of time with that real estate agent. They might tell you it is company policy or that they have to, but they do not and neither should you. There are many other answers to the question, but these I have mentioned are the most important.

Ok, now you know you have the funding and you know you have the right agent for you, let us look at finding a home in Asheville, Weaverville, Mars Hill or other locations.

Next Chapter - Viewing Real Estate in Asheville, NC