Email Us

 


Service That Saves You Money

      "Intangible service provider." As an exclusive buyer agent, Homebuyer Associates provides services which are difficult to quantify, that is, they are intangible in many respects.
      Sure, I can prove statistically that Homebuyer Associates' clients pay less for their homes than buyers who use the traditional real estate system to buy a home, but there are many service intangibles that can't be quantified. This sets Homebuyer Associates apart from other real estate firms.
I'd like to believe that consumers who want to buy a home search for and buy superior service and knowledge in the agent they work with. Research, however, shows that most homebuyers do not, nor cannot, fully evaluate the true differences in real estate services.
For example, when I first meet with clients I tell them Homebuyer Associates exclusive buyer agent services make so much sense that there are really only two reasons not to use us.
"Sure, I can prove statistically that Homebuyer Associates' clients pay less for their homes than buyers who use the traditional real estate system to buy a home... "

       
      1. We are a small company and will always remain a small company. Americans like big companies so maybe people won't use Homebuyer Associates because we are
small. I can't do anything about that because I believe strongly in servicing client needs from the beginning to the end of the process. A small company allows this approach. Our agents manage a file from start to finish which helps Homebuyer Associates provide consistent service.

      2. Some people don't use our services because of my personality. I'm an exclusive buyer agent. I realized a long time ago I'm not good at selling stuff. If I don't think a home is a good home or is a poor investment at the asking price, I will tell you that. Lynn Sarver and Paul Wollersheim, two long-time Homebuyer Associate exclusive buyer agents, are long time Homebuyer Associate agents because they provide that same honest assessment of homes.
As an aside, are you aware that if you ask a traditional agent what they think a home is worth they are required by regulations to say, "It is worth the asking price." If a traditional agent says anything other than that they are breaking a rule. Breaking this rule would be breaking a confidence with a seller. If confidences are so easily broken then you need to consult another agent because a confidence broken on one side surely can be broken with you.
As exclusive buyer agents, Homebuyer Associates can give our clients an honest assessment of value. We can tell you what we thing a home is worth. We take our confidences seriously. But what about the intangibles?


Interview Agents

      You've read it here before, if you want a friend...get a dog. When you invest in a home, it is an investment that will be the foundation of your financial future. If your friend or family friend is a very good real estate agent that is fine, but "friend" and "real estate agent" are really not connected in anyway. Too often agent selections are made based on friendship or company size, or company advertising, when in fact such extraneous criteria have little to do with the skill required to make a sound home purchase.
      If your friend or family friend is a real estate agent and not an exclusive buyer agent you have a friend who under state statute doesn't work for you. With friends like that.....
I recommend you interview agents and evaluate and judge them on their philosophy of homebuying and the service they provide. Don't "buy" a real estate company's perceived personality - a personality purchased with advertising dollars. Rather, take the time to interview and evaluate the person and firm that is going to work with you on this major financial investment.


Select Service - Not Spin

      Implied expertise is a staple of good advertising. Bigger is pronounced as better.
As a homebuyer you should try to identify expertise based upon qualifications, history, track record, philosophy and skills - not based on advertising or company size. Ask questions and thoroughly interview agents.
      I invite you and your friends and family to evaluate Homebuyer Associates approach to homebuying and welcome the opportunity to answer questions about why we do what we do, how we do what we do and why it benefits you. Some questions to ask agents in your interview.

  • How long has the company and agent been acting as a buyer agent?
  • Does the company also sell homes? If yes, how does the company deal with a home listed by that company when an agent of that company is also acting as a buyer agent. (In essence working against the company)
  • How many homebuyers has the buyer agent represented in his or her career?
  • How is the agent paid?
  • How many homes does the agent sell per year representing the seller? How many homes does the agent represent buyers on per year?
  • Has the agent found himself/herself working for a buyer trying to negotiate against an agent from the same firm representing the seller? How was that conflict handled?


          Find our answers to these questions at: www.homebuyer associates.com

      Earlier I said I can't sell stuff. What I can sell is Homebuyer Associates' honest and ethical approach to homebuying. We call it the boring, methodical approach to locating and acquiring a home - a process that allows homebuyers to make informed choices based on information, not emotion. Homebuyer Associates has never pretended to work for anyone other than our clients (homebuyers) in 15 years of business. We know who we represent 100% of the time. There's not another company doing business today, large or small, that can make that claim.


A word (or three) about our Principles

      Loyalty (Absolutely): A cornerstone of Homebuyer Associates since 1985. We don't sell homes (we use the term "buy") so we don't face the conflict of interest that all other companies have - showing you homes to buy while working for the seller's interests. Or my other
favorite, agents who are traditional agents but also operate as "buyer agents." That sounds suspiciously like "being a little pregnant."

      Service (no, I really mean it): When I call someone I like a call returned as soon as possible. When I ask someone to check on something I like it checked on. When I ask someone to do something, I like it done. Service. My company approach on behalf of our clients is to think before we speak, then do what we say we are going to do, and then do it when we say we are going to do it.

      Honesty (no, I mean this too): In 15 years of business, I've probably had 5-6 clients stop using Homebuyer Associates after having started using us. I'm convinced that they wanted me to tell them a home was worth what the seller was asking...but it wasn't. I'm convinced they wanted to be absolved of the decision making but I couldn't. The home simply wasn't worth anywhere near the asking price. I'm not holier than thou but homes have a value and very often the value is not the initial asking price (Agents, in competing for listings, make false promises as to a homes value to get listing to sell). It's all about making informed choices, not being "sold."

      I know this reads suspiciously like Boy Scout stuff so let me tell you upfront, I believe in the approach outlined above, but I was kicked out of boyscouts at the age of 13. I guess I didn't follow the rules. Of course, the real estate system said the same thing when I started buyer agency in 1985.