Exactly agents can help you buy a home in the current market

By Laura Briedis

When it comes to real estate, first is not necessarily best.

However, more than 80 percent of people work with the first real estate agent they meet, according to the National Association of Realtors.

“The most important thing when buying or selling a home is partnering with an experienced real estate agent,” says Kevin Wasie, founder of Exactly, a boutique real estate company with a reputation for its expert knowledge in the local market. “You really need to look for an experienced agent who can help you devise the best plan, not just a friend of the family or someone you meet at an open house.”

This especially rings true for buyers who are searching for homes in this current seller’s market, where homes are attracting multiple offers and often selling way above listing price.

“We just sold a house in Medina this month for $40,000 over asking price,” says Kevin, noting there is such a low supply of homes on the market and a high demand.

While it may be an ideal time to sell a home right now, what can someone do who is looking to buy?

Since the inventory is low right now, oftentimes there are multiple offers on a home. This is where Exactly’s expertise comes in handy to help buyers write an offer on a home that has the best chance of being accepted. Kevin recommends that you:

• Find out what is important to the seller. A homeowner does not always just take the highest offer. Often it comes down to timing, financing and inspections.
• Write a personal letter talking about what you like about the home and give it to the homeowner. When someone is selling a home they raised their family in, they are emotional and it is good to connect with them.
• Write an escalation clause. This means you write a contract stating, for example, that you will buy the house for $200,000, but if there is a higher offer you will beat that offer by $1,000 up to $240,000.

“There are pros and cons to escalation clauses, so make sure you consult with an experienced agent who knows how and when to use them,” says Kevin. “A couple years ago only a very few offers had an escalation clause, whereas today more than half of offers might include this clause.”

“Experience really matters when working with a real estate agent in this market,” he says. “It is a wonderful time to sell a house right now, but extremely hard to be a home buyer.”

And if you are buying and selling a home at the same time you have unique needs, and an experienced real estate agent can make all the difference.

“We get to know our clients and devise a game plan before we ever start looking at homes,” says Kevin. “Depending on every homeowner’s situation, we help to evaluate what order of operation to move in, whether to buy first or sell first. We look at your finances and risk tolerances, as well as how to best eliminate stress so you don’t disrupt your life while buying a new home and selling your current home.”

Exactly brings together a knowledgeable team that has decades of experience selling homes, but with a new approach. The cornerstone of the company is a flat-rate fee structure when listing properties. Exactly handles everything from the initial in-home consultation to delivering the keys to the buyer for a $4,800 package fee, instead of a percentage of the sale.

For a free consultation or for more information, call 866-515-6789 or visit ExactlyUSA.com.