buying a home in virginia
Buying a home can be scary, especially if it’s your first time! Have no fear! Southern Trade is here to walk you through each step of the process and make it easy for you to buy a home in Virginia!
Should I talk with a bank before looking at homes?
Should I buy or continue to rent?
Can I find a rent-to-own property?
Do I really need a Realtor when buying a home?
Real estate agents (some of whom are Realtors, members of the National Association of Realtors, or NAR) are licensed professionals who work on your behalf and advocate for your interests. In most cases, sellers have a real estate agent working for them — a listing or seller’s agent — so you’ll want someone on your side, a buyer’s agent, who also has your back in negotiations and can help you understand how to make an offer on a home.
A buyer’s agent helps homebuyers in a host of other areas, as well. Here are some of the tasks you’d have to do yourself if you were to buy a home without a Realtor:
- Find homes that match your budget and needs. Real estate search sites give you a sampling of what’s available, but you’ll have to research whether asking prices are justified based on comparable home sales in the area.
- Dig up facts on a neighborhood, including ones that a seller might not disclose that could be important to you.
- Negotiate an offer, including the price and other clauses and contingencies in the purchase agreement.
- Navigate the home inspection, and negotiate repairs or credits with the seller.
- Decipher paperwork that could be filled with complex jargon and terms you don’t understand.
- Request and review seller disclosures. You might not know what to ask for or what sellers in your state are required to disclose.
The bottom line: Unless you’ve been through the process of buying a home before, it can be better to go with a Realtor than not.
LATEST LISTINGS
Check out our latest listings in Gloucester and all over the Middle Peninsula!