Home Buying FAQ’s

  1. What is Agency and how does it affect me?
    • Agency relationships vary depending on which type of agency agreement you enter into with your Real Estate Professional. As a buyer, it is usually most beneficial to be represented by a Buyer’s Agent, meaning someone who represents your interests as a buyer.
    • There are also Seller’s Agents who represent the sellers of a property and sub-agents who also represent the seller. If the Real Estate Agent is representing both you and the seller, they are acting as a Dual Agent who represents both sides
  2. How much does it cost to be represented by a Buyer’s Agent when searching for a home?
    • There are almost no costs to you when you decide to be represented by a Buyer’s Agent in the purchase of your home. At closing, the sellers pay the buyer’s agent’s commission. If you decide not to use a Buyer’s Agent, that commission is paid to their Seller’s Agent instead.
    • The only fee involved when working with our group is a nominal $225 transaction fee. This fee is part of the buyers closing costs and is payable at closing.
  3. Why should I choose to be represented by a Buyer’s Specialists?
    • Our Team sold more than $12 million in Real Estate last year making us one of the most active Real Estate Teams in the Metro Area.
    • By mostly representing buyers, our specialists understand the needs of buyers and have a support staff dedicated to helping our buyers enjoy a smooth closing.
    • Sometimes the best properties are never listed on the open market and it takes an aggressive team to track down those homes. Frequently, we find homes for our buyers by calling through a particular neighborhood or marketing directly to people willing to sell homes that you would be interested in purchasing. There are very few agents or teams with the support staff and dedication to work for you in that way!
  4. How many buyers do the both of you work with at one time?
    • We normally work with between 10 and 15 buyers at once.
    • Each of these buyers will see about 4 homes per week, meaning as agents we see between 40 and 60 homes per week. This allows us to constantly research your needs and only show you the best homes that meet your criteria.
  5. How will I know about a new home on the market?
    • The fastest method of letting you know a new home is on the market is by either email or fax.
    • We search the market 3-5 times per day for new listings and pass along any that meet your criteria immediately.
    • If you don’t have access to email or a fax machine during the day, we will call you with new listings or send them to you in the mail.
  6. If a new home is listed for sale when can I expect to see it?
    • Usually we will show you a new listing the same day it is listed unless your schedule does not permit.
  7. How many homes does the average buyer visit before placing an offer to purchase?
    • On average, most buyers will look at 7-10 homes before purchasing one. Outside factors such as: multiple offers, the time of year, and availability of listings may cause you to see more or less homes.
  8. How will I know how much a home is worth when writing an offer?
    • We always perform a market analysis before writing the offer to help determine what price should be offered for the property.
    • We provide all the information necessary to help you make the most educated and responsible offer possible!
  9. What is the average price a home will sell for in the Twin Cities area?
    • The average home is currently selling for around 98% of its listing price.
    • If there are multiple offers for a property, most buyers will need to offer more than the listed price to have their offer accepted.
  10. What happens after I make an offer?
    • After you place your offer, one of three things will happen:
      • The sellers will fully accept terms of your offer.
      • Most often, a counter offer made by the seller accepting some of the terms of your offer, but changing some terms and sending it back to you for your approval.
      • The worst scenario is rejected offer meaning the seller rejects all terms of the offer leaving nothing to be negotiated. This generally only happens if the offer is so low that the seller feels insulted and refuses to negotiate with you any longer.
  11. What are “points” and how are they used?
    • Points are paid by either the buyer or the seller and one point equals 1% of the mortgage amount and can be used for a variety of things:
      • To buy down the interest rate or,
      • Used toward closing costs.
  12. Can the seller pay for my closing costs?
    • In most cases sellers are willing to pay a buyer’s closing costs. This is done when the seller pays between 1-3 points towards closing costs. Each of these points subtracts from a sellers proceeds and sometimes a seller will ask for the purchase price to be raised to account for the difference.
  13. Would you recommend getting an inspection?
    • In most cases Yes! A home inspection allows a buyer to have an expert opinion on the condition of the home.
    • A good home inspector will teach you how to care for your new home.
    • Home inspections generally cost $290 - $340 and we can recommend some home inspection companies to you.
  14. What if there is something that comes up in an inspection that needs to be fixed?
    • Generally a seller is willing to replace or repair any non-functional mechanical items or items that are hazardous, prior to closing. This is something that is negotiated after the inspection is performed.