loader image
Close
Mobile Full Width Tablet Small Desktop
  • Home
  • About
    • All About Theory
    • Meet the Team
    • Theory Companies
    • Theory Cares
    • Fill The Barrel
    • Blog
  • Buy
    • Buy With Theory
    • 2023 Homebuyer Guide
    • Home Buyer Bus Tour
    • Your Guide to the PNW
    • Featured Listings
    • Home Search
    • Sign In
  • Sell
    • Sell With Theory
    • Free Home Estimate
    • 1 Hour Cash Offer
    • Sold By Theory
  • Invest
  • Construction
  • Property Management
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • About
    • All About Theory
    • Meet the Team
    • Theory Companies
    • Theory Cares
    • Fill The Barrel
    • Blog
  • Buy
    • Buy With Theory
    • 2023 Homebuyer Guide
    • Home Buyer Bus Tour
    • Your Guide to the PNW
    • Featured Listings
    • Home Search
    • Sign In
  • Sell
    • Sell With Theory
    • Free Home Estimate
    • 1 Hour Cash Offer
    • Sold By Theory
  • Invest
  • Construction
  • Property Management
  • Careers
  • Contact

Do You Still Need a Real Estate Agent to Buy a Home?

It’s 2022. Your entire life is online, and you can DIY just about anything. This begs the question: do you REALLY still need a real estate agent to buy a home? If you’ve thought about buying, you’ve probably wondered whether using an agent is necessary. As you know, it is a huge financial decision. It’s likely one of the biggest and best investments you will ever make!

But, there’s no doubt the costs associated with the process can be intimidating. The purchase price alone is enough to scare new buyers away. That’s also without mentioning things like closing costs, agent fees, and more. Doing it yourself may seem like the way to go because of potential savings on these costs. But in actuality, it could end up costing you WAY more in the long run. We’re going to cover 3 reasons why this is the case!

Do You Still Need a Real Estate Agent?Expertise


Reason number 1 is expertise. Real estate agents help people buy and sell homes for a living. Your agent will make sure you’re seeing every home within your budget that comes on the market. Contrary to popular belief, websites like Zillow do NOT show every house for sale. If you’re searching by yourself, there’s a good chance you could miss out on finding your dream home.

You also need an agent who is an expert on the local market. They will know how to scour neighborhoods you may not be aware of that could potentially contain your dream home. This could even mean obtaining you a home through an off market deal. This is when a home isn’t listed for sale, but the owners are still open to selling. Agents often have many connections in their network that will make them aware of these kinds of deals. Having an expert guide you is VALUABLE.

Do You Still Need a Real Estate Agent?Negotiation


Reason number 2 why you still need an agent is negotiation. Many people feel that direct negotiation between buyers and sellers is more transparent. They might believe that it allows both parties to look after their own best interests. That’s understandable, and could be true if everyone was rational and reasonable all the time. Truth is – tensions are high during a real estate transaction. If a buyer makes a low offer, it may insult the sellers. Buyers might also get overly excited about a house and offer more than they have to.

What if you, as a buyer, like a home but despise its outdated, bright orange kitchen? When you work with an agent, you can discuss how much it’ll cost you to upgrade the space – without insulting the owner. Your real estate agent will then convey your concerns to the sellers’ agent, acting as a messenger. Thus, putting them in a better position to negotiate a discount or work to be done on the house before closing. This will prevent a situation that could kill the deal.

Additionally, if you try to do this yourself, you could miss problems with the house that agents are trained to notice. There are MANY physical aspects of a home that buyers are not aware of. Without an expert, you could end up paying too much for a home that has issues. Which you won’t be aware of until it’s too late. 

Do You Still Need a Real Estate Agent?Protection


Reason number 3 is protection. When you make an offer to purchase a home, the “purchase and sale agreement” contract is in place to protect you if anything goes sideways. For example, if you plan to buy a home with a mortgage, but you fail to make financing one of the conditions of the sale–and you aren’t approved for the mortgage for whatever reason–you can lose your earnest money deposit. The seller could even sue you for failing to fulfill your end of the contract. An experienced agent deals with real estate contracts every day. They will protect you throughout your real estate transaction.

Additionally, there are MANY complicated aspects to a real estate transaction. There are countless forms and documents with tricky legal and technical jargon to account for. If you are not trained to handle these, it will be very easy to make a mistake. Or worse – be taken advantage of.

Do You Still Need a Real Estate Agent?

Next Steps

We hope you now have a better understanding of why it’s important to work with a real estate agent when you buy a home! If you’re thinking about buying, whether in 2 months or 2 years, a member of our team would be happy to meet with you and provide a free, no obligation consultation to answer any questions. We are here to work with you on YOUR timeline, not pressure you into something that you’re not ready for.

As we’ve said before, buying a home is one of the best investments you will ever make. We want to help ensure that you enter into that investment on solid footing, in a way that works for YOU. We have even helped buyers that weren’t able to get into a home for several years, and we stuck with them the entire way. If you would like to chat with us please contact us here, or give us a call or text at 253-537-HOME!

Or, if you want to attend a comprehensive course that will teach you what you need to know about the buying process, prepare you for being a homeowner, and get you certified for down payment assistance, come to our Virtual Home Buyer Bus Tour!

 

“

“I think that’s the easiest it’s ever been for me to buy or sell a home!”

Brad Rasmussen -

“

We had a distressed property in Tacoma that required a lot of repair before we could sell. The task soon became overwhelming and that’s when we contacted Theory Real Estate.  They purchased the property “as is”. Within 3 weeks,  we closed on the deal. The Theory team is amazing!!  Every person we came in contact with was friendly, professional and efficient.

John and Diane Simchuk -

“

We are new investors to this market. We met Isaac and Alan through a good friend, and we are so thankful to have met them. They are the nicest, caring, most professional, kind-hearted people we have met in a long time. We would recommend these guys to ANYONE.

Anthony & Sarah Wooden - Tacoma

“

We have bought 2 homes and sold 1 home with Theory. We would recommend them to all our friends.

Rhonda & Rickey Wilks - Buckley

“

We worked with Theory to find our perfect house, but ran into a couple obstacles with the seller. The Theory team was always there with answers and went above and beyond all of our expectations.

Ceirra & Kenny Williams - Spanaway

LET'S GET SOCIAL

Tranquil and highly desired 55+ community located Tranquil and highly desired 55+ community located in the heart of Kent with easy access to public transit, shopping ,dinning and parks.📍 1510 Maple Ln Unit #19, Kent
💰 $110,000
🛏 2
🛁 2Within the community you will have entry to the Green River where you can fish or take in evening sunset of the beautiful Northwest. Inside enjoy spacious open living , dining and kitchen open to one another. A large primary Bedroom with 3/4 bath and spacious secondary bedroom. Enjoy 2 covered decks, this home also includes an outside locked storage and space for 2 parking spots on carport. This charming double wide is sure to be the next place you call home!
Taking time to connect with our team makes us stro Taking time to connect with our team makes us stronger. We celebrated Pi Day last week with happy hour at Pint & Pie in Downtown Tacoma. Work hard, play hard!
We're looking forward to hosting our next Tacoma C We're looking forward to hosting our next Tacoma Connect all about Airbnbs and Boutique Hotels. We have a 🔥 🔥 lineup of expert panelists, and as always we'll have some awesome live music. If this is an industry you have a passion for or are interested in becoming a part of, we'd love to see you here!🗓 Wednesday 4/12
⏰ 6 PM - 9 PM
📍 Edison Square (5415 South Tacoma Way)
🎟 Tickets at TacomaConnect.com
⭐️ Sponsored by Team Justice - Paramount Residential Mortgage
Help us wish Aaron a very happy Birthday! We're th Help us wish Aaron a very happy Birthday! We're thrilled to have you on the Theory team and love watching you grow! 🥳
Pending Sale: This magical rambler in the Echo Gle Pending Sale: This magical rambler in the Echo Glen community has a fabulous open and spacious floor plan, that boasts of U-shaped kitchen with tons of counter space.📍 6642 57th Avenue SE, Lacey
💰 $460,000
👣 1,807 sqft
🛏 3
🛁 2The living room is right off of the kitchen which is a great space to cozy up next to the fireplace. This home has an additional den/bonus room and dining room which make this home ideal for entertaining! Vaulted ceilings and skylights create a light and airy feel. The primary room features a 5-piece bath with jetted tub and a nice little walk in closet. Rare oversized lot with a newer furnace and AC!!! Welcome Home!!
What a great evening to CONNECT! If you joined us What a great evening to CONNECT! If you joined us for the latest Tacoma Connect on "Building your dream business", let us know what your favorite part of the event was!
Calling all investors & house hackers! INCREDIBLE Calling all investors & house hackers! INCREDIBLE opportunity for a townhouse style duplex in Puyallup!📍 12602-12604 119TH St Ct E, Puyallup
💰 $774,950
👣 2,648 sqft
🛏 6
🛁 5Conveniently located near freeway access, shopping, entertainment, & more! Each side has a spacious 3 bed 2.5 bath layout & access to backyard space. Entry opens up into the living room that pours into the dining area & kitchen w/ bar top seating. Half bath on the main floor along w/ a dedicated laundry room & access to the attached 2 car garage! Upstairs features the primary room w/ an ensuite, 2 more bedrooms, full bath, & a small bonus/flex room! Plenty of off street parking for both units in the driveway that fit 3 cars for each side! Both sides have gas fireplaces! 1 YEAR HOME WARRANTY INCLUDED!
The Home Buyer Bus Tour is THIS Saturday 10 AM - 3 The Home Buyer Bus Tour is THIS Saturday 10 AM - 3 PM!If homeownership is one of your goals for 2023 or beyond, Theory’s Home Buyer Bus Tour is the perfect place to learn more in a stress-free environment with NO pressure to buy before you’re ready! This course is 100% FREE.We will teach you the ENTIRE home buying process, how to prepare for homeownership, and everything you need to know about financing. We’ll also take you on a tour of several Tacoma homes on the Theory Bus and show you what kinds of things to be aware of as a buyer.Register here to join us! 👇
https://www.theoryre.com/homebuyerbustour/

Office

5413 South Tacoma Way
Tacoma, WA 98409

Phone

253-537-HOME

Email

hello@theoryRE.com

© 2023 Copyright Theory Real Estate.  |  Privacy Policy  |  Site by Deep Root Design