Hassle-Free Homebuying

Perhaps you'd like to take advantage of today's great buyer's market in housing but feel a little intimidated by everything that's involved.

You know the routine: finding the right locale and the right house; negotiating an agreement; putting together a down payment; and selecting the best mortgage available.

There are two things you can do to make every step run smoothly. The first is to select a really professional agent who knows the real estate business, knows your local market, has both a solid reputation for integrity and a solid record of success, and clearly is eager to respond to your needs.

The second is to make you agent your teammate in the literal sense of the word, using teamwork to be sure that the house you ultimately buy is the house you've always wanted.

Making your agent your teammate requires choosing an agent you feel able to trust both as a person and as a professional. And that's no small matter. In real estate as in all areas of business - as in all aspects of life, actually - trust can make all the difference in the world.

True teamwork is nearly impossible to achieve unless you stick with one agent throughout the buying process. Buy all means you should shop around - and shop around carefully - when you're still deciding which agent to work with. Once you've made that decision, however, don't reverse it unless (and this rarely happens to people who are careful in the first place) something specific happens to make it clear that your choice was unwise.

Teammate status is all the motivation a first-rate agent needs to go all-out in finding houses that suit your needs. And if you're concerned about what it is you're looking for and how much house you think you can afford, your agent can save you huge amounts to time and effort.

If you're not sure how much you can afford, be candid with your agent about that, too. He or she can provide you with some helpful preliminary guidelines and can put you in touch with mortgage lenders who know how to get you focused on an appropriate price range.

It's always a good idea, as you look at listed homes, to give your agent a lot of feedback on what you've seen. Good feedback will refine and sharpen the agent's understanding of your likes and dislikes, which in turn will make it easier to find the house of your dreams.

The ultimate payoff, once again, is that you get to your goal more quickly, expending less time and less effort along the way.

Anyone who have ever done it this way will assure you of one thing: it pays off.

About The Author

W. Troy Swezey is the author of "HASSLE-FREE HOMEBUYING." As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul & Associates, he has helped many individuals with their real estate needs. Visit his web site to download his free e-book, "REAL ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED." http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com or mail to: TroyC21@usa.net

MORE RESOURCES:

Learn to Profit from Real Estate - Even in Tough Markets - MarketWatch

Neuberger Berman Real Estate Securities Income Fund Inc. Announces ... - MarketWatch

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Neuberger-Berman-Real-Estate-Securities/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B618BBA1C-45ED-4BC6-A6AA-A656072847FF%257Dcid=1277177500ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNFBWYoQrQQMfkU81XCgMvbZ7GAFDQNeuberger Berman bReal Estate/b Securities Income Fund Inc. Announces b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b in the markets for its portfolio securities, and in particular, common and preferred stocks issued by bReal Estate/b Investment Trusts (quot;REITsquot;). b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-1fd=Rurl=http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp%3FaId%3D81322cid=1277177500ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNEQKxknVIiTT6b-bXraYQffjzPGHgMarshall Capital Partners launches new $500 million fund for b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrWebWire (press release)/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1277177500hl=ennobrall 8 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Tokyo Replaces Shanghai as Best Asian City to Buy Real Estate - Bloomberg

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-0fd=Rurl=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601101%26sid%3DaIP5Kj6fVj6M%26refer%3Djapancid=1277107960ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNGZ27Mm-XFKiyzW01y4phQCfF_m8QTokyo Replaces Shanghai as Best Asian City to Buy bReal Estate/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBloombergnbsp;-/font nobr5 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-14 (Bloomberg) -- Tokyo overtook Shanghai as the best Asian city to buy breal estate/b as investors seek less risky investment for 2009, a survey by the Urban b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-1fd=Rurl=http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUST27950420081203cid=1277107960ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNGIWz1CddIzrHvMr-iVpCc7EFugVwKeen to invest in Asian breal estate/b, consider Tokyo/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReuters/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1277107960hl=ennobrall 12 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Nokomis Real Estate Ventures LLC files bankruptcy petition - Bizjournals.com

UPDATE 2-Sibir market value halves on real estate buy - Forbes

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Icahn Sues Real Estate Company Over Debt - New York Times

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-0fd=Rurl=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/business/03realogy.html%3Fref%3Dbusinesscid=1276968847ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNFfIh7WK-_nrSA2zLnJdazX5plQIgIcahn Sues bReal Estate/b Company Over Debt/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fNew York Times,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr20 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Mr. Icahn’s investment firm filed a lawsuit last Wednesday against a breal estate/b company controlled by Leon D. Black, a prominent Wall Street buyout b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-1fd=Rurl=http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE4B27IQ20081203cid=1276968847ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNH1YO0dOpoeve-_R333bX2q3VY-pwIcahn sues Realogy over debt deal/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReuters/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1276968847hl=ennobrall 21 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Former employee sues real estate mogul Kushner - Reuters

Whitehall Funds Lose Their Luster - Wall Street Journal

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-0fd=Rurl=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122826598899374457.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglenews_wsjcid=1277094278ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNGlGncs7Ex3KWJCJLrfECSyPzw8TAWhitehall Funds Lose Their Luster/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWall Street Journalnbsp;-/font nobr16 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By ANTON TROIANOVSKI and LINGLING WEI Goldman Sachs Group Inc.#39;s Whitehall family of breal-estate/b funds is struggling with weak performance and potentially b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-1fd=Rurl=http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSN0351371720081203cid=1277094278ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNFR7GA16zbIscO21rTEY9qYSbs_3AGoldman Whitehall head warned of firm#39;s exposure/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReuters/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-2fd=Rurl=http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSBNG24933320081203cid=1277094278ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNFEMtRxCRaEa44R5ip7t_7s6Vy_EAGoldman Whitehall funds hit by property slump-WSJ/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReuters/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1277094278hl=ennobrall 9 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

What Lies Ahead In The Real Estate And Financial Services Industries - The Metropolitan Coporate Counsel

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Inland Real Estate Auctions, Inc. Sells Industrial Site in Seneca ... - MarketWatch

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-0fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Inland-Real-Estate-Auctions-Inc/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B11D52A18-4076-4474-9C4A-F7F53F1C183D%257Dcid=1277200823ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNEQ3zM1pooFK45kOVcJ5X2mf8iZpwInland bReal Estate/b Auctions, Inc. Sells Industrial Site in Seneca b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1One of the nation#39;s top auctions firms, conducting transactions from coast to coast, Inland bReal Estate/b Auctions, Inc. is a leading provider of accelerated b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-1fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/KPMG-Corporate-Finance-LLC-Taps/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B0B78E8A1-8AEC-4007-AF82-59A1AB3B7581%257Dcid=1277200823ei=vvc2SeivN6DM8AT-toGrDwusg=AFQjCNEPGszdjkIqRrYcjJXylpHM7tOg5QKPMG Corporate Finance LLC Taps Renowned Auctioneer Frank J b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarketWatch/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1277200823hl=ennobrall 11 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Real-Estate - Google News

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