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Debbie Bloyd is a contributing author to Weekly Real Estate News and can be contacted at 469-768-0337 or  [email protected]

What do agents need to have this year?

A great mortgage lender that they can call or one that can sit in the open houses with them on the weekends.

Why?

So many people out looking with absolutely no idea of how to buy a house – how to put in an offer – with no representation.

Yes –  I said that !!!!  I have been sitting in open houses the last three weekends and the amount of people that are out looking is great for the market – but what is not great is that they may or may not have representation and they may or may not know how the process works and they need someone to explain it to them.  Where are their agents?  Many clients told me that they have agents – and the agents say go out and look at the open houses and let me know if you see anything you like.  These aimless people don’t have a list  – they are just driving around like years and years past.  I am surprised they don’t have out paper maps.  Where are their agents?  Why are they letting them waste their time on homes that don’t fit what they are looking for.  Are the agents busy or just lazy?  Either way – it is wrong to have your clients out looking with no idea of what they are looking for.

I have seen clients asking me about rooms and are there bedrooms down stairs – they need that –  but this home that I am in clearly does not have that.  They seem so upset and disappointed  and go ahead and look anyway trying to make the best of it but why?  If their agents had given them a list of the open houses then they would not be wasting their time with all wrong houses.

Financing is another issue with people out looking. Many have no idea what the loans are that are available or what they qualify for and when I ask them they are not even approved or pre-approve or pre-qualified.              Again – where are their loan officers?

A word of advice for all the agents and loan officers out there – go out with clients – help clients and don’t just wait on them to wander upon a house and see if they like it.  Help them strategize on the pricing and how to make offers.  I try to educate all the lookers out there with options on how to make an offer and use seller’s contributions as a way to buy down points or update things in the future.

If people have questions and there is no one there to help – they will stay just looking and renting until they understand the process…. Please get a loan officer to sit in your houses with you and if you are a broker or lender – get out there on the weekends and educate… educate and educate – both agents and lookers… we want them to be buyers and your biggest fans.

This article is an overview for a general educational purpose only.  The information presented should not be relied upon without the advice of counsel.

Debbie Bloyd is a contributing author to Weekly Real Estate News.  She can be contacted at 469-768-0337 or  [email protected]