Working with a Realtor®

Today I’m sharing a few key points on working with a Realtor® to find the home that best fits you and your family. 

This post has been sponsored by National Association of REALTORS ®. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

A few years ago we packed up our things from our ranch in Wyoming and moved to Oklahoma.  Moving across country is quite the endeavor.  We spent a lot of time online looking at different states and areas where we felt we could continue to raise cattle and finally narrowed it down to one area that we liked.

When we sold our ranch in Wyoming, we immediately contacted a few Realtors® to help us in the search.  They were indispensable in helping us find the best options available. Not being too familiar with the area it was great to have knowledgeable and friendly responses to our endless list of questions and concerns.

We knew what our budget was and we had a few key things in mind that would be necessary for our family, our small businesses and our cattle operation.  These things were essential to the Realtor® helping us find just what we were looking for.

Our situation was a bit unique in that we were searching for more than just a home but all of the processes are the same.  My husband had built every home we had ever owned.  However, we discussed the fact that moving across country and building a new home was not feasible.

We had hoped to find ranch land for our cattle that also had a comfortable home.  In the area we were looking, there were multi-million dollar ranches with new fencing, fantastic cattle facilities and huge mansion type homes and then there were acreages for the cattle with no cattle facilities and no home.  Not much in between.  Unfortunately I’ve not made it to the big time in food blogging and the multi-million dollar places were gorgeous, but way out of our budget.

We needed at least a three bedroom, 2 bathroom home.  We also wanted a little acreage with it.  We were pretty secluded in Wyoming and we were not looking to live in large neighborhood in town.

The Realtors® were wonderful to meet with us and take us on all day tours.  We were able to look at property that would soon be available, not yet listed, we also viewed properties that were brand new to the market and a few that we had asked to see from the Realtor® listing websites.

Even though we had moved quite a few times, bought and sold properties, I have to say this was so overwhelming. The Realtors® were very understanding and fantastic in communicating with us and the property owners about all of our questions and concerns.

The first home we viewed was a nice brick home with a nice kitchen, big bedrooms and a gorgeous landscaped yard and a pine tree lined driveway.

It had a few unique qualities, hardwood floors and tile throughout the living room, kitchen and dining areas and a nice sunroom.  It was near the lake, which we loved.  The only thing I didn’t like was it was only a few acres between it and neighboring houses.

The next house we viewed was referred to as the Elvis house.  The former owners were quite well to do.  The house was huge, with 2 story columns, 5 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, 4 bathrooms and an office.

I think I got lost and I’m not sure I looked at every room. It was in serious need of updating, which was doable but not my preference.  It had a magnificent magnolia tree out front and miles of pipe fencing.  The land was rolling hills of green grass and just beautiful.

If only I could have taken the first house and set it in the second house spot.  If only, right?  The Realtors® were great to let us know about the neighbors, the pros and cons of each of the areas of town and any issues that we might face with each home. They were also knowledgeable about the local amenities and which schools would be a good fit for the boys.

Of course the perfect option was not available.  There wasn’t the miraculous sign I was hoping for in knowing which place would be the best for our family.  One thing I learned was to have an open mind.  It’s good to have a general idea of your preferences and needs but keep an open mind as the Realtor® shows you the options.

If it all seems overwhelming, make a list of your options.  Write down the good and the bad with each option.  Go through these with a Realtor®.  Don’t be afraid to ask for concessions from the owners, many times your requests can be easily met.  Often times a Realtor® has knowledge of how motivated the sellers are and just how to get you what you need to make the deal work for everyone.

Ask a Realtor® questions about the structure of the home. Find out about any major water damage, previous storm damage, wiring problems, plumbing issues, when was the roof replaced, has it been repaired, etc.  All valid questions.

Dig a little deeper than the appearances to make sure the home is structurally sound. A Realtor® will provide you with all of this information and more.

Keep in mind that a Realtor® is going to have access to information about other offers that are coming in on your desired property and will be able to offer advice on putting together your best offer to seal the deal.  They also know the best lawyers, closing agents and procedures to make the buying process go as quick as possible.

When it came down to deciding on our home, we had returned to Wyoming.  We ended up choosing the brick home, the first one that we looked at with the nice kitchen and landscaped yard.

All of the contracts and details were handled by the Realtor®.  That was such a relief because we were so busy preparing for the move along with carrying on with our 2 small businesses.

We have dealt with Realtors® for nearly every real estate transaction that we have made.  There are so many details that the Realtors® take care of and the paper work is so extensive.  It was worthwhile to have an ethical and knowledgeable professional on our team for these life changing events.

This house was the perfect transition for our move from Wyoming to Oklahoma. It suited us well until we found the ranch land that would work for us and where we built our log cabin.

Be sure to look for the National Association of REALTORS ®  logo and visit http://realtor.com/GetRealtor  to know you are working with a tried and true real estate professional.