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  • 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
    • Theory Investments
    • Theory Self-Directed IRA
  • 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!

 

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

Brad Rasmussen -

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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 -

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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

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

Rhonda & Rickey Wilks - Buckley

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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

THIS Saturday!! The path to becoming a homeowner s THIS Saturday!! The path to becoming a homeowner starts with getting WSHFC Certified for Down Payment Assistance & learning EVERYTHING you need to know about how to turn your dreams into a reality 💡Our very own Nickie Robbs along with Katie Arnold from Evergreen Home Loans will be your experts for the day as they answer questions, clarify myths, & provide the roadmap you need 😎Snacks will be provided, and the class will be held IN PERSON from 10AM - 4PM! Successful completion earns you official WSHFC Certification for Down Payment Assistance Programs in WA State 🏡 💰If you'd like to attend, please email karnold@evergreenhomeloans.com!📍 217 N Meridian, Puyallup (next to Meridian Cafe and Trackside Pizza, parking is in the back)
🗓 Saturday, May 27th
⏰ 10AM - 4PM
Happy Birthday to Jessica Helms, our Assistant Pro Happy Birthday to Jessica Helms, our Assistant Property Manager with Love My Space! She's been with us for the last 6 months and has been a truly wonderful person to have around. She gets stuff done and has become an invaluable member of the team! Happy Birthday Jessica, we hope you have an amazing day 🥳 🧁
Started the week off right yesterday with a class Started the week off right yesterday with a class from our CFO Erik about personal finance! He talked all about how to set up yourself and your family for a less financially stressful life, from now through retirement. We're always looking for ways like this to help bring extra value to our Team on a regular basis 😎The biggest takeaway from the class? Every great budget starts with a specific, well thought out system. And if you're curious to learn more about how to make THAT happen, you might just have to join our team and come to the next one 😉
Today we're celebrating the birthday of the one-an Today we're celebrating the birthday of the one-and-only Madison "Two Hands" Magruder! Mads has been around since just about the beginning, and was an integral part of the company throughout its early years. We're blessed to have her hang her RE license with us still, and we wish her the best possible day 🙌🥳💃
Happy Birthday, Rizwan! 🎂 We hope you have the Happy Birthday, Rizwan! 🎂 We hope you have the most special day!!
If I were you, I wouldn't pass on this charming Cr If I were you, I wouldn't pass on this charming Craftsman home in Aberdeen with an unmatchable value that you won’t find at this price!!📍 2215 Cherry St
💰 $345,000
👣 1,743
🛏 4
🛁 1.75This beauty features a HEATED 720SQFT SHOP WITH LOFT along with an attached 2-car garage & NEW ELECTRIC PANEL! On the main floor you will find the large Primary BR w/ slider to the back deck – as well as an additional BR, Bath and den/office space. 2 Beds & 1 Bath upstairs. Truly one of a kind, displaying handcrafted woodwork throughout: revitalized fir floors, redwood & old-age cedar counter tops, knotty pine ceilings, exposed post and beam, and custom fencing surrounding the property for added privacy. Driveway/street parking in front, alley access with SECURE GATED ENTRY, RV parking; enough for 6+ vehicles in back! Immaculate landscaping with back deck/patio.
RUN! Dont Walk to take a look at this stunner in p RUN! Dont Walk to take a look at this stunner in person!📍 5024 84th Avenue W
💰 $690,000
👣 2,206 sqft
🛏 4
🛁 3Welcome to this stunning mid-century modern home ideally situated on a serene dead-end street in desirable University Place! With 4 beds, 2.5 baths, multiple living spaces each with a fireplace, fenced back yard, front courtyard, and a 2-car garage, it's really easy to just come home and relax! The open kitchen seamlessly blends with the dining space, creating an inviting atmosphere & the primary bedroom is large & offers an en suite! Don't forget about the AC keeping you cool this summer! The location of this home in UP is highly desirable, offering a peaceful neighborhood ambience while being just moments away from urban conveniences. Nearby, you'll find great schools, trendy shops, delicious restaurants, and picturesque parks!
Incredibly inspiring night with Mike Smith! What w Incredibly inspiring night with Mike Smith! What was your favorite takeaway from this month's Tacoma Connect? 👇

Office

5413 South Tacoma Way
Tacoma, WA 98409

Phone

253-537-HOME

Email

hello@theoryRE.com

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