Dear Phyllis,
We are new to La Crescenta and are renting while we look for a home. Before we moved, I contacted a Realtor® I found online. She did advise us that the market is very competitive and to be patient. Now that we moved I thought she would reach out to me and tell me about new listings. I found a couple of homes online which she showed us. It seems that I am doing all of the searching. As we are first time buyers I am uncertain about the mechanics of home buying. Should my Realtor be more aggressive?
Anxious to Move
Dear Anxious,
Welcome to our community!
I am assuming that you have your real estate ducks in a row. By that I mean you are prequalified (if not preapproved), and your real estate agent has proof of your down payment. In addition you should start to compose a letter to the seller about you and your family. You can finalize this when your Realtor® submits an offer. The letter will mention each family member and a bit about them, try to get some connection with the home seller (perhaps you both have a daughter the same age). Your agent can explain what the letter should contain in greater detail.
Because you will likely not be the only offer a seller receives, your offer should be submitted to the seller’s agent with proof of your down payment and your letter. You and your real estate agent may need to act quickly, so now is a good time to get this taken care of.
It is not your job to find homes to view. To answer the question: Should my Realtor be more aggressive? Yes! Ask your Realtor® to put you on an automatic MLS search. Your agent simply inputs your criteria into the MLS and you will automatically be emailed new listings and those that have fallen out of escrow which meet your criteria (size, price range, location, etc.). Of course if you see something online, let your agent know.
Almost daily I receive phone calls from local Realtors® asking me what upcoming listings I have. And as a homeowner, I receive several letters a week inquiring if I want to sell my home. It is certainly fine to be patient. But in this highly competitive real estate environment, there are other things proactive (aggressive) real estate agents can do: such as advertising, networking, cold calling, door knocking, and sending letters to owners whose listings have expired.
