Believe it or not, planning a wedding and buying a house are two major events in your life that are very similar in nature. Since weddings have a lot of moving parts and, depending on the parents, can quite be expensive, it's always a good idea to meet with a wedding planner prior to actually planning the event. If you don't, it can become very overwhelming, and you may find that you don't have the appropriate resources to put it all together.
Well, when you're buying a house in central Florida, it's no different!
Since buying a house is typically one of the biggest investments that a person will ever make in their life, it's very important before you start the home search that you partner with a knowledgeable buyer specialist. Just like a wedding planner, a good buyer specialist will find out what's important to you when buying your home and can then put the proper resources in place to make it happen. They will also update you on the local Orlando real estate market, educate you on the local buying process, and have a list of trusted vendors which could be used during the closing process (i.e. home inspector, termite, home insurance, etc.).
Unfortunately, in the Orlando real estate market, some agents don't take time to sit down with their buyers prior to helping them with their home search. They typically just find out your criteria, put you on an email notification system on the web, and tell you to call them when you find something that you like. Then, they simply show you the house because they have the key to get you in.
On the other hand, when you partner with a good buyer specialist, at the initial consultation they will actually ask you the right questions to find out what's important to you about buying your next home. They will then find out the details of what type of home you are looking for and why those details are important to you. The buyer specialist will then start searching for that perfect house for you by setting up a search on the local MLS. Rather than having all of the new listings come to you, they look through them first to make sure they match your criteria; then, they will send it along. They will also talk to other agents about your requirements to try and find new properties that are not on the market yet. For example, if there is a particular neighborhood that you are interested in and there is nothing for sale that matches your criteria, they will call the homeowners in the neighborhood to try to find someone who may have been thinking about selling their house.
The difference is clear: under the passive approach, you as the buyer are doing most of the work during the home search process, while with the aggressive approach, the REALTOR is actually doing the work in finding you your next home. Ultimately the aggressive approach will save you both time and money in the long run, plus a much better central Florida home-buying experience!
