Buying

For most people buying or selling a home is the most significant and important transaction they experience; therefore it should not be undertaken without the help and advice of a professional real estate agent. At Sarah Smith Realtor we always make the effort to understand your special needs and concerns. We understand the many demands you have on your time and work tirelessly to make your search for a new home as quick and enjoyable as possible.

Working together to find a home

The relationship between a buyer and their agent is one built on trust and respect. Occasionally we have buyers who think that they need to have multiple agents working on their search in order to see the most alternatives. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We also have buyers who think that if they do not have an agent they will be able to buy the home net of a commission. A seller who has their home listed is obligated to pay a commission to the listing company, who in turn pays a portion of that commission to the selling agent. If you are not represented, the full commission goes to the listing Realtor and you lose the benefit of having someone on your team looking after your interests. You need to establish a relationship with one agent based on either intuition or reputation. That agent has access to all of the listings in the areas of interest plus the advantage of an established network with other agents in the marketplace. If they know you are working with them exclusively you will benefit from a full commitment of their energy and time.

The search for a home

Today’s Realtor has quick access to more information than at any time in the history of our industry. As members of a web-based listing service we can instantly search over 35,000 listings in the greater Atlanta area. We are able to read the history of a listing and know when someone should be concerned about a particular home. As agents we receive daily updates of all new listings and have the ability to program our listing system to alert us to any new listing that fits our search criteria. Because we network with other agents in our company and other companies, we frequently know about available homes before they come on the market. When an agent looks at a home on the computer, they already have knowledge of the market and can instantly envision that home in the context of a neighborhood and/or a particular street.

Contract to closing

Finding the right home is just the first step in a complicated process that leads to owning your new home. Negotiating a contract is not something the average person does on a regular basis and in today’s complicated world there are many ways to make a serious and/or expensive error. With a Sarah Smith Realtor agent by your side the negotiation for a new home will unquestionably go a lot smoother. An experienced agent can further facilitate the process after contract negotiations by assisting in the inspection re-negotiations, advising on financing, arranging for an appraisal or survey and keeping the transaction moving toward a closing.