Homebuying

Here’s Why You Need A Realtor Instead Of An App

Here’s what some of your friends or family members will say — “why don’t you just use a website to buy a house?”, “Isn’t that what that app is for?”, or “Why do you need a real estate agent?”

Yes, in a perfect world you would have a comeback in your back pocket for all of those questions, but the truth is that you’re stressed and there’s a good chance you’ve asked yourselves these questions during the start of your home buying process too. The key to these thoughts is to not let them live in your mind unchecked for too long.

The second key to these thoughts is to turn to others who can help you demystify the process, which is where we come in. Let’s start here — you care about yourself and you don’t want to make this process harder than you need it to be. That is the best and most important reason why you’ll be turning to a realtor.

If that isn’t enough for some of the voices in your life or in your head, we found 3 more reasons why you shouldn’t even think to do the home buying process without an expert holding your hand.

It’s basically already paid for

Seriously, you’re not saving yourself any money by not hiring an agent to help you navigate because in most cases (read: 99.9% of cases) the seller has already agreed to pay for the buyer’s broker. Don’t believe us? Holly Mellstrom, one of our Suburbit realty experts, sheds more light on it: “No matter what New York suburbs you’re looking for a home in, 99% of the homes are multiple listed which means that the seller has agreed to pay for a buyer’s broker — a real estate agent who works in the buyer’s interest. So, by not having a buyer’s broker you’re giving up representation and you’re not saving any money.”

An app is very cut and dry, the home buying process just isn’t

Think about the nuances and the paperwork and the walk throughs in unfamiliar homes or towns — those are just some of the items that an app just won’t be able to walk you through. “ An app is black and white.  Yes or no. And buying a home is just not that objective. Yes, there are elements that you can plug into a formula to help you start to learn about home values, etc – but there is so much more to it,” notes Kristin Gildea Fox, a Suburbit realty expert.

Mellstrom adds, “That relationship with your agent extends far beyond the closing – sometimes they’re the only ones that you know in the town, so they’ll introduce you to community and get you invited to the block party, get you on the newcomers list, tell you about new restaurants that opened up.”

You need an advocate who stands next to you

An app (or Google for that matter) are great tools to go to when you have time to research questions or any specific aspect of the home buying process, but when the window of opportunity is tight and you need to act fast, an agent is who will make sure you’re not led astray.

“The way you get introduced to a property is always through a website or an app, but that’s just the first step out of ten steps to a real estate transaction,” notes Mellstrom. “Your agent is there to take you from steps two through ten and sit with you at the closing.”

To paraphrase a line from a classic movie (cough: Toy Story) — you’ve got a friend in them and during one of the most stressful stages in your life, that’s what you need more than you need Google. Mellstrom describes them as your “professional friend in the neighborhood” and we have to agree.

If you’ve found the right town and are ready to find your dream home, we can connect you to a realtor who is an expert in that town and will do so much more than just provide listings.