Buying a Home

All our sales people are required to be honest and to treat people with respect. Once you sign an Exclusive Buyer’s Agency Agreement, you are effectively saying that we are committing to be your best friend and that we have your back. Now we owe you complete loyalty as long as it is within the limits of the law we are going to recommend what’s best for you, protect you in the process and follow your instructions.

Yes, confidentiality is a very big thing to us. If you call a Seller'sAgent (the one on the sign in the yard) they will most likely treat you fairly but they do not owe you confidentiality. That is a big deal in the process of agreeing on a price, negotiating repairs and who will pay for them. Choosing an attorney, home inspector, repair man. In all scenarios a Seller's Agent MUST look after the best interest of the Seller. All you get is fair treatment. If you sign an Exclusive Buyer’s Agency Agreement, it’s similar to ‘doctor-­‐patient privilege’. You can confide in your agent about any aspect of the property or sales process and he or she would not and could not speak a word of that. It protects you throughout the process.

You definitely can and should pay for buying services however the simple answer is NO, unless otherwise agreed to in writing. As the Buyer, you do not "pay" for the services that you are getting from our company; the confidentiality, the honesty, the loyalty, and experience. All of those services that your Anything Real Estate Agent is going to provide for you is actually paid for out of the Selling agent's commission (The one with the sign in the yard). Georgia law says that the Selling agent's Broker (the person who has "exclusive rights to sell" a property) is the person who will actually collect a commission, and the Seller's agreement states how much the Seller is willing to offer a Buyer's Agent to cooperate on the deal. This is a very good business practice. If you do not use a Buyer's Agent then the Selling Agent (the one with the sign in the yard) potentially and in most cases makes the entire commission. The problem with this scenario is the Selling Agent is NOT required to look after your best interest but they make ALL of the commission.

Experience: You’ll receive the full benefits of our 30 years of experience in vetting all of the peripheral professionals that you are going to need to complete the process. Not only will we hold your hand through the process, but we’ll share exclusive insight like:

• Which attorney you do/don’t want to use
• Which mortgage broker’s fees are too high
• Which mortgage company has the fastest processor
• Which mortgage companies consistently extend closings because they can’t get people qualified in time
• The best way to deal with underwriters
• Who has the cheapest closing costs
• Which contractors can complete punch list items on time
• Which home warranty programs are best

Knowledge: We’ll explain the entire process and handle your expectations from search to closing. We’ll cover the details of your HUD statement and what those exact costs are to you. We’ll go through your Truth in Lending statement with you when you talk with your mortgage broker.

Assistance: Effectively, anything that you aren’t able to do or that you don’t want to do, your agent would handle that for you under the Exclusive Buyer’s Agency Agreement. Some examples include meeting with movers, home inspectors and contractors to ensure that your closing is completed on time.

One of the biggest myths of not signing an exclusive Buyer’s Agency Agreement is that it saves you money. Let’s consider a typical scenario. You’re out on a Saturday afternoon and you decide that you want to take a look at some homes. You pass by a house and believe you’ve found the house of your dreams, but you don’t have your agent with you, so you call the phone number on the Selling agent’s real estate sign. You’ve just contacted the person who has the seller’s best interest in mind, not yours. It’s a common misunderstanding that if you don’t bring another agent in, then you can save money on the contract, but most times it doesn’t happen that way. The commission will stay the same whether you have an agent representing you or not. The question is really whether all that commission will be paid to the Selling agent or split on some predetermined level with another agent (one who represents you and has your best interest at heart). Not having clear and confidential representation could end up costing you a lot.

There are actually two types of Buyer’s Agency Agreement that you can sign, and they both are exclusive to Anything Real Estate, Michael Carr & Associates, Inc.

One Property: The first one is specific to one property. With this option, you do the searches on your own and you’re effectively saying that you don’t want to be assigned to an agent. You simply want to look at one particular piece of property, and you sign an Exclusive Buyer’s Agency Agreement specifically for that piece of property. If you end up buying that piece of property, then we would represent your best interest in dealing with that Selling agent.

Specified Time Frame: The other option is to sign an Exclusive Buyer’s Agency Agreement for a specific amount of time. This option is far more common, and six months is the average amount of time, but it could be shorter or longer depending upon your needs. In this particular case, it doesn’t matter which properties (or how many) you wish to view. There are no restrictions. We’re going to be your Exclusive Buyer’s Agent and represent you on any property you wish. From that moment on, it’s as simple as telling every agent you encounter that you are dealing with an agent from Michael Carr & Associates, Inc. You’ll be protected and guided through the process properly.