Whether you’re buying or selling a home in Austin, Texas, real estate is a team sport. Making a transaction work requires to co-operation and expertise of several different, yet complimentary, specialties. Close of escrow is their primary goal, a seamless close of escrow is their ultimate objective.
Specialties You Need on Your Side
If you have ever been involved in an Austin real estate transaction that was falling apart and was ultimately saved, it was probably salvaged because of the skill and diligence of someone other than yourself. I’ve been a real estate broker for over 30 years and during that time I’ve learned to appreciate the talents of the people who actually make real estate happen. Let me recognize six professional specialties whose proficiencies advance real estate transactions to the closing table.
Escrow Officers
Escrow officers are an integral participant – a neutral third party – whose job it is to organize, control the flow of paperwork and account for all the funds distributed in the transaction. They are an under-appreciated lot and the best escrow officers are truly deal-savers. Most people don’t appreciate the skills a genuinely talented escrow officer brings to the transaction until they work with someone whose skills or performance is deficient. Escrow officers are the glue that brings the transaction to closing.
Loan Officers and Mortgage Brokers
Loan officers and mortgage brokers can make or break a deal. Since the mortgage meltdown, the constraints and requirements imposed upon borrowers by lenders have been severely tighten. Working with an experienced, knowledgeable, reputable loan officer will increase your chances of a smooth transaction. Poor loan officers can be a nightmare of frustration and never ending problems. The best loan officers are the cornerstone of a successful deal because quite simply “he who has the gold rules.”
Home Inspectors and Contractors
No home is perfect, every home has issues. The home inspector’s job is to identify defects and deficiencies and the contractor’s job is to determine how much and how long it will take to fix it. Sellers need to know which items need to be repaired to make their home marketable, and buyers want to know what it will take to fix the problem. Getting these answers in a timely accurate manner is critical for a successful sale/purchase. Working with quality professionals will help achieve this goal.
Home Stagers
Selling a home is part presentation and part marketing. A great stager can make a home can create an ambiance that most home owners cannot because the stager does not have a personal attachment to the home. Studies show that staged home sell faster and for more money than home that are not professionally presented. Great staging helps to make great photographs and photographs are essential to successful marketing.
Engineers
Austin is known for its expansive soil conditions. The expansion and contraction of soil with the seasonal changes can cause foundation and structural stresses leading to what some may label as “bad.” An experienced structural engineer has a critic’s eye and the experience with architectural, building practices, soils and other natural conditions to be able to identify or dismiss issues, assess their magnitude of importance, and make non-alarmist recommendations about what it would take to remedy them – or to protect the property from predictable structural changes in the future. Simply labeling a foundation as “bad” is unacceptable and unprofessional.
Real Estate Attorneys
Attorneys have a very clear mandate: to protect the legal rights and best interests of their individual client – not the other guy. Real estate brokers or sales agents are prohibited from practicing law without a law license, so questions about or interpretations of legal issues is beyond the scope of the real estate license. When you need an attorney a real estate broker will not do. All too often attorneys are vilified as being “deal killers” when in my experience its’ more common for them save a transaction or protect people from big mistakes. I think that falls into the category of doing their job.
You May Not Need All These Professionals in Every Transaction
Many of these professionals work behind the scenes, so you may not come in contact with them on every real estate transaction. But, if you need one, you will be thankful you knew where to turn. We can help recommend professionals when needed and also save you money when they aren’t needed. As Austin Buyer’s Agents, we counsel you through every step of the transaction.
Ready to Start the Home Buying Process?
We can help you, just as we have hundreds of buyers over the last several decades. We know how to help you evaluate real estate, negotiate great deals and make sure everything goes smoothly. Check out our Austin Home Buyer Representation Program to see how we’re different. Then, fill out our Buyer Survey, call us at (512) 827-8323 or email us at info@11OaksRealty.com to schedule a no obligation consultation.
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