Dorothy "Dossie" Carter, ABR, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, Agent
Camp Verde Realty
Camp Verde, Arizona

What Others Say About Buyer's Agents

Reader's Digest
Always remember that a real estate broker does not work for you, but for the seller. If you want a broker on your side, get a buyer broker.

US News &World Report
A real estate agent of your own.....Buyers no longer have to fend for themselves.

Money Magazine
House Hunting? Save By Hiring Your Own Broker
By Carla A. Fried
If you ever doubted the value of real estate agents who work solely for home buyers (as opposed to traditional agents who report to sellers, consider this: A recent study by U.S. Sprint found that 232 relocating Sprint employees who hired buyer's brokers paid an average of 91% of a home's list price. People who use traditional agents typically pay about 96%. On a house originally priced at$150,000, that's a difference of $7,500.

Business Week
Smart Money: A Personal Shopper For Your Dream HousE
By Pam Black
When Sallye and Jim Ryan wanted to move from their Tampa apartment to a three-bedroom home this spring, the busy couple used a buyer broker, Beth Tansey, to help. Within a week, they had bid on the house they now own. Sallye liked being able to delegate the house-hunting. "With both my husband and me working, it was a lot easier," she says. "I don't think I would have found this house that I really love without her. There are so many homes for sale here, I would probably still be looking.

Because Tansey is a buyer broker, who exclusively represents the home buyer's interests, the Ryan's trusted her to find the best deal on a house that suited their needs. By contrast, a traditional real state broker is legally bound to work for the seller who pays the commission and therefore may be more intent on selling listed homes than finding your dream house. Even Realtors who don't hold the listing on a given house act as subagents to the seller. So unless a broker says that he or she is working for you -- brokers are now legally obliged to disclose who they represent -- you can assume the broker is working for the seller. Such agents must pass on information such as the buyer's income to the seller, who then has a better idea of what price to hold out for.

Because these brokers are obliged to get buyers the best deal possible, they approach houses with a critical eye for apparent flaws. You'll still need an inspector to uncover hidden defects, however. Buyer brokers also show properties sold by the owner, which can be cheaper because the only commission is what you agree to pay your broker. Sellers' agents usually won't show these homes because they don't make commissions on them.

Brokers representing buyers should also appraise the value of the house, negotiate the price, and pre-qualify you for a mortgage, sometimes at a better rate. Buyers' Agent brokers, for instance, narrow mortgage bids from 15 lenders nationwide to the three best offers -- and then get those three to rebid. "A well-trained, experienced buyer broker is a great asset," says Peter Miller, author of How to Sell Your Home in Any Market ($12, Harper Perennial) and other real estate guides. "You won't do any worse, and you may do a lot better.

Usually, the buyer broker splits the sales commission with the seller's agent, just as a subagent who didn't have the listing would with the broker who did. So the fee still comes out of the sale price. Some people might assume that buyers' agents have an incentive to keep the price high. But again, the broker must get you the best deal. "In my experience, all of them do," says Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America.

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Tips For Home Buyers

Why A Home Is A Good Investment

As a general rule, homes appreciate about 3 to 5 percent a year. Some years will be more, some less. The figure will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and region to region.

3 percent may not seem like that much. Other investments such as stocks or treasury bills might offer a higher interest rate.

But take a second look.

Let's look at one example.

If you buy a $200,000 home, and put as much as twenty percent down that would be an investment of $40,000.

At an appreciation rate of 3% annually, a $200,000 home would increase in value $6,000 during the first year. At 5% annually, a $200,000 home would increase in value $10,000 during the first year. That means you earned between $6,000 and $10,000 with an investment of $40,000. Your annual "return on investment" would be somewhere between 15% and 25%. Sounds like a pretty good rate of return doesn't it?

Of course, you will be making mortgage payments and paying property taxes, along with a maintenance costs. However, since the interest on your mortgage and your property taxes are both tax deductible, the government is essentially subsidizing your home purchase.

You have to pay to live somewhere anyway, why not get something in return for that monthly payment?

Camp Verde Realty, 295 S.Main Street Camp Verde, AZ, 96322 is a licensed Arizona Real Estate Brokerage, Dorothy Carter, Broker.

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