Exclusive Buyer Agents Help Homebuyers Make Informed Decisions
BETHESDA, Md., March 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — As a real estate agent working exclusively for homebuyers, Dana Hollish Hill is used to helping people find and purchase homes. What they don't realize is that she spends quite a bit of time conducting extra research on their home selections and many times ends up telling her clients not to buy a home. While this may sound strange, it is common practice at Buyer's Edge, the MD-based Exclusive Buyer Brokerage firm where Hill is a Vice President and an Associate Broker.
"At Buyer's Edge our focus is on helping buyers find the best homes, at the lowest prices with the best terms for their personal wants and needs," says Hill. "Analyzing properties up front is the important first step in that process. We point out the things we see as negatives in the home so that buyers can make an informed decision before they make an offer on a home. This is especially true when buyers find a home they like early in their search and they haven't seen a lot of homes to compare."
In her experience, Hill notes that people frequently fall in love with the wrong home for a variety of reasons. Some are attracted to a home that 'looks pretty' where everything looks new and move-in ready when in fact they are really cheaper versions of very modern fixtures and appliances. "Sellers and house flippers who know what buyers like are going to make their home look fresh, de-cluttered and clean," she says. A home that is staged well can often hide major flaws. Some people like a home because 'It's better than my rental.' When first time homebuyers see a home that looks much nicer than what they've seen on the rental market, they want to move on it because that is what you do when you see a good-looking rental property. And, there are those clients who think more is better. "When a home is priced above the other homes they've been viewing, it can cause them to want to go for it because it's bigger, or has more of something they want," she says. "The question is, are the extras worth the increased price tag, and is the home a good deal in this high price range."
Helping clients evaluate properties correctly is "our most important job," says Steve Israel, President of Buyer's Edge. "This means investigating the strengths and weaknesses of properties and advising clients so they can make an informed decision. Because we exclusively represent homebuyers, our goal is to protect their interests and save them money. We accomplish this through experience, research, tough negotiation and many times advising our clients that a particular property isn't the home for them."
For further information, contact Dana Hollish Hill at Buyer's Edge, 4849 Rugby Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Tel: 301.657.1475 or 800.207.6810 (toll free), Fax: 301.657.4494, email or visit www.buyersagent.com.
About Buyer's Edge
Buyer's Edge is metropolitan Washington DC's only buyer broker real estate company, exclusively representing Home Buyers in Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia since 1992.