Should I get an agent to find a house in Great Falls? (real estate)

[Moving2GF]

We're moving from Georgia to Great Falls this May. DH has a week off in April to house-hunt. Should we get a Real Estate agent or try to do it ourselves over the internet? Is it worth the cost? Can anyone recommend a good one?

[michael11747]

what cost are you talking about? real estate agents take a percentage of the sale. there are closing costs, which you will have to pay regardless. these costs include, escrow and title work, inspection services, and due diligence costs. you can do ALL of this yourself honestly, but for the 3000 or so, out of 150-250k you will be paying in great falls for a pretty nice home, it is well worth it. if you are selling a home, always look into selling it yourself. realtors are like waiters. they have to convince you of something and present it in this kind of fashion, but you really know what you want, and how to get it. i have done both jobs for years, and they are very similar. if realty is way out of your line of work, i would just hire a realtor. make sure they do your DUE DILIGENCE for you! they need to earn the few thousand they make per sale. make sure they get everything regarding disclosures in writing and signed by the seller.

IF you can find two realtors which will want to work together, they will split commission FOUR ways. half will go to the brokers, half to the realtors, and half of each share respectively split evenly (usually). if you are buying a home from the owner directly (FSBO), you will traditionally not even be allowed to have a realtor (in this market though, a seller will consider working with a realtor). i mention this because there is a disproportionate number of homes in montana being sold by the owners. i think it all comes back to the character of montanans. the i can do it myself attitude is strong here. all very interesting once you look at the stats, and get a feel for the people.

if you are thinking of hiring an agent to just guide you to homes which you MIGHT like, i would say NO! this is what happens off of HGTV in real life: a realtor, will take you to a few houses, which you probably not like, and give up on you. otherwise they will want earnest money upwards of a few thousand dollars (returned upon purchase) from you to keep you as their client. this is all ludicrous to me. make them negotiate with each other for a commission if you will hire one.

[jimj]

Good question! First, I'm not nor have I ever been a realtor or related to one, I just have alot of personal experience.I would suggest starting on the internet before you go so you have an idea of what's available. As someone who's purchased and sold 11 houses so far (all over the country) I'd say absolutely YES, find a buyers agent to work with. Contrary to what the previous poster insinuated you don't pay the agent the seller does and trust me you won't get a discount for using their agent not to mention their agent works FOR THEM, not for you.
Since you're from GA (we moved here from Alpharetta) things work very differently here than there and you do need someone who is A. Familiar with what's available. B. Aware of local laws,regulations,building inspectors etc.

Do a search on realtor.com in your price range and house size, identify some possible homes you'd like and then look up realtors that are in the area you're looking to buy (most national companies are here) or, have an agent you trust there refer you to someone here.
Call a couple of them and spend some time talking to them to see if y'all will get along and explain what you're looking for. Have them send you some current available houses and ask them if they're buyers agents. The way the market is going in this state at the moment you shouldn't have too much of a problem finding something you like since there's lots of inventory depending on price range.
As for FSBO's, I'd still use a buyers agent, most people here (again contrary to the last post) try FSBO and then end up with a realtor since you can't get on the MLS as a straight FSBO and have to use a discount agent to get on, and they only list it, they perform no other service like the legal work.
Think of it this way, you're making a huge purchase with lots of potential pitfalls in a market that you've got zero experience in. The question one has to ask one's self is "if I were being taken to court for many thousands of dollars would I walk in there after reading a paper on law and try to defend myself"? No, you'd hire an expert, especially if you're not paying the bill!!!!

You can listen to the previous poster but be forwarned, there's no real consumer laws here so buyer beware is the rule of the day and if you do it all yourself thinking you'll save a little money then your taking fate into your own hands and if something goes wrong you could spend years in court as that is the ONLY recourse in this state.
If there is any question about what I've just written, go to the realestate forum and post your questions and see what answers you get....

[AQHA]

Get an agent. They take care of all the details, they show you houses you might not find otherwise-- they make life very easy. I have bought and sold several homes and been very lucky to have some great agents, never a bad experience with them.

[Stephan_K]

Yes yes yes....Definetely get an agent. It will not cost you anything ! In this market if you talk to any reputable/agent you will get excellent help at no cost. If they help you find what you are looking for and you purchase it, they get paid. It is that simple.

I have been looking for property there for a bit now and found quite a few listings I thought to be interesting via the internet. I contacted an agent there and so far they have been super helpful. I sent them a list of MLS's and he sent me every stitch of paper on every one of them. I went through everything and eliminated the ones that were not for me. The ones I had questions on, he was actually willing to take a ride out to confirm some things for me. Like I said, very helpful and this guy has not received a dime from me.

After giving him the list of lots that I liked, he now has an excellent idea of what I am looking for and has been sending me listings with similar features to what I have already picked out. I plan on making a trip out there next month to purchase one of them and he is already planning and putting together a schedule for me to visit each of them and maximize my time there. He is also giving me info on lots that are not listed too as he is very familiar with the area and nows what I am looking for. Guy has been local there for 30 years I guess.......

If you are serious about buying, get an agent. One that does this for a living, not on the side or part time !

[michael11747]

Originally Posted by jimj

Good question! First, I'm not nor have I ever been a realtor or related to one, I just have alot of personal experience.I would suggest starting on the internet before you go so you have an idea of what's available. As someone who's purchased and sold 11 houses so far (all over the country) I'd say absolutely YES, find a buyers agent to work with. Contrary to what the previous poster insinuated you don't pay the agent the seller does and trust me you won't get a discount for using their agent not to mention their agent works FOR THEM, not for you.
Since you're from GA (we moved here from Alpharetta) things work very differently here than there and you do need someone who is A. Familiar with what's available. B. Aware of local laws,regulations,building inspectors etc.

Do a search on realtor.com in your price range and house size, identify some possible homes you'd like and then look up realtors that are in the area you're looking to buy (most national companies are here) or, have an agent you trust there refer you to someone here.
Call a couple of them and spend some time talking to them to see if y'all will get along and explain what you're looking for. Have them send you some current available houses and ask them if they're buyers agents. The way the market is going in this state at the moment you shouldn't have too much of a problem finding something you like since there's lots of inventory depending on price range.
As for FSBO's, I'd still use a buyers agent, most people here (again contrary to the last post) try FSBO and then end up with a realtor since you can't get on the MLS as a straight FSBO and have to use a discount agent to get on, and they only list it, they perform no other service like the legal work.
Think of it this way, you're making a huge purchase with lots of potential pitfalls in a market that you've got zero experience in. The question one has to ask one's self is "if I were being taken to court for many thousands of dollars would I walk in there after reading a paper on law and try to defend myself"? No, you'd hire an expert, especially if you're not paying the bill!!!!

You can listen to the previous poster but be forwarned, there's no real consumer laws here so buyer beware is the rule of the day and if you do it all yourself thinking you'll save a little money then your taking fate into your own hands and if something goes wrong you could spend years in court as that is the ONLY recourse in this state.
If there is any question about what I've just written, go to the realestate forum and post your questions and see what answers you get....

the second sentence of my post stated that you do not pay the agent anything. please do not take my post out of context. my main statement was that you shouldn't get an agent, because they will only show you houses in which they can have a commission split.

let's see who is left out of this equation: FSBO. this means the normal mom and pop selling their house on their own who don't want to work with realtors will be left out. and i can tell you from experience, these houses are in great shape and are diamonds in the rough. if you miss out on these, you are really missing out. especially when it comes to something like buying a home and moving across the country when you haven't seen all your options.

let me suggest a more moderate road, get your realtor, and then look at some houses on the side which are FSBO. there is no law against that, unless you sign an exclusivity agreement.