When buying a new home, prospective homeowners are looking for the best deal possible, giving them the best home and amenities for their money. Many buyers mistakenly believe that bypassing a Realtor will save them commission dollars, as they are cutting out the “middleman” who will certainly take their own cut. In some industries, direct buying is a wise, money-saving choice, but in real estate, foregoing the services of a Realtor can cost you big in the long run.

When selecting a new home for purchase, a Realtor can help you to select the features that best fit your needs. Many times, when working directly with a builder, buyers are offered excessive upgrades or substandard materials at a premium price. A Realtor can assess your financial situation and lifestyle needs to help you determine exactly what you need and can afford in your new home. They also will help to protect you from shady builders, looking to make extra money by tricking buyers into allowing them to use a lower quality product.

Employing the services of a Realtor, particularly when purchasing a newly constructed home, will give buyers an extra line of defense against many of the common issues that arise during the buying process. Rather than battling the builder directly when problems arise during construction, your Realtor will take matters into their own hands and work to assure that any problem is corrected in a way that is suitable to you. With plenty of mediating experience between buyers and builders, an experienced Realtor knows what needs to be done to get the desired results.

Many people are fooled by builders and contractors into believing that dealing directly with them will offer big discounts. It is a rare case in which this is true. Most builders who ask to work directly with a buyer will park the price of a new home up to include what would have been paid to the Realtor. Buyers who take advantage of these “deals” direct from a builder’s representative will pay the same as they would when using a Realtor but will lose the benefit of having an experienced voice working to help them with their purchase and any issues that may come up with the builder.

Realtors are also experienced in contracts and contract negotiations. While the wording of a contract may be somewhat cryptic to the buyer, a Realtor can clarify any confusing wording and work to get changes made to contract stipulations that are unsuitable. This will help to prevent misunderstandings and misleading contract terms that are binding, once a purchase agreement is signed.

While have successfully purchased homes directly from a builder, buyers should ask themselves if this is a risk that they are willing to take. In most cases, the peace of mind and protection that is given by using a Realtor is well worth their commission. By choosing to purchase a newly constructed home through a Realtor, the likelihood of a positive outcome is almost assured, from start to finish.

Whether you plan to purchase a residential or commercial property in Sarasota, buyers need to keep in mind that certain details need their attention before acquisition. Taking this project into the planning stage ensures success on the first try and avoiding possible pitfalls along the way.

Type Of Property To Purchase

The first thing a property buyer needs to keep in mind is to determine in advance the type of property they need to purchase in Sarasota real estate to suit their purpose. Residential and commercial properties differ according to size, shape, type, and of course, the facilities in it.

For example, residential properties in the city and in all of Florida for that matter have variations. For example, single-family homes are found in the outskirts of the city, and condos are considered to be luxury homes with facilities you can find in the latter. The same also goes for commercial real estate properties.

Location Is Important

Another factor that needs to be considered in the purchase is to determine the exact location of the real estate property this is very important for business functions. It is important to find a location that contains your target market for the high demand for your products and services. At least you won’t have to go far just to get a tidy profit.

Settle Your Budget

Property buyers should determine their financial purchase before proceeding with the purchase. This will help you narrow down your search for a property during lookup. If you are planning to get the best commercial or residential property in Sarasota, then you might want to apply for a mortgage loan to give you the leverage you need in picking one out that will fit perfectly with your purpose.

Realtors

Keep in mind that purchasing a property entails tons of negotiations and processes between the seller and the buyer. It is safe to say that not everyone has experience in this matter. Property buyer needs to understand the purchase a property is not like buying a can of milk in a supermarket; there are tons of legalities involved that needs to be taken cared off to ensure a successful acquisition.

Such is the case, property buyers should look for a realtor to help them out in the acquisition. In most cases, realtors can help you find the perfect property that will suit your purpose in the shortest possible time. Also, you need not meet with the seller since the realtor will do all the negotiations and processes for you.

Investing in stocks, bonds, bank certificates or other over-the-counter investments is easy. Just go to a bank or stock brokerage house, give them your money and you’re done. Real estate investing on the other hand is a little more complicated–but you will find that the returns on your real estate investments will be substantially higher than the institutional investments.

There are many types of investment real estate-some examples include:

• Raw land
• Commercial Industrial
• Commercial Retail
• Hotels
• Mobile Home & RV parks
• Apartments
• Duplexes and fourplexes
• Single-family homes

If you do not have any experience. I suggest starting with single-family homes. Single-family homes are plentiful and with the proper knowledge can be purchased with very little or no cash.

Some of the things you will need to get started include:
Time, energy, motivation, knowledge, a car, a cell phone, office supplies, a computer, a small recorder, maps, access to money, a system for determining property values, and a good team.

Your team should consist of a mentor, a real estate attorney, a CPA, a title company, an insurance agent, one or more realtors, bankers, mortgage brokers, investors, a maintenance contractor, grass cutters, handypeople, house cleaners, and carpet cleaners for a start.

To get started:

1. Pick an area–choose some zip codes or mark a section on a map.
2. Set your criteria… How many bedrooms, bathrooms, and parking areas. The size, age range, price range, and extras you want and don’t want such as pools and spas.
3. Decide on a starting strategy or two. Locate properties that are for sale by the owner, from ads in papers, in foreclosure, or just empty homes. You might also try real estate owned by banks, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Veteran’s Administration (VA), or you could attend commercial property auctions.
4. Use your strategies to find some promising properties. Get into the habit of making daily contacts with realtors, REO bankers, wholesalers, auctions, and FSBO. Set a goal of making for example ten calls each day and talking to at least three sellers. This daily activity will move you toward your goal. Make owner contacts to find properties that have possibilities.
5. Ask questions to identify motivated sellers and set up appointments to look at properties. At first, you need to put your feet inside several houses each week. How many houses you look at will depend on how successful you want to be. If you want to purchase one home this month you should plan to visit at least fifteen homes this week.
6. Do research, determine the value, and prepare offers. Check with your realtor for current values. While visiting the properties make a list of all the needed repairs.
7. Prepare to make offers. Get together maps, tax values, the MLS sheet, comps, and your Turbo-Bidder results. Be sure to offer an amount that will allow you to profit when you sell or rent the property. If presenting an offer to an individual homeowner prepare three offers-all cash, cash and terms, and all terms.
8. Prepare contracts and place your bids for the auctions and/or present your offers to sellers. Negotiate with sellers for the best terms possible and get a signed contract to lock in the deal.
9. After you have a contract-start preparing for the closing. Get all the money you will need together for the down payment and closing costs. Have your title company prepare the closing documents. Be sure to inspect the closing documents for errors and have them corrected before the day of the closing.
10. Go to the closing, sign the papers, and take ownership. Give the address to your maintenance contractor so that he or she may complete the fix-up and start the marketing process to rent or sell the property.

Wow-that sounds complicated!

It is-but there is a much easier way to get started, have some early success and avoid beginner mistakes.

The easiest way to learn how to get started investing in real estate is by employing an experienced real estate mentor. There are two ways to acquire knowledge and those are learning from your own mistakes or learning from others’ mistakes.