Can You Buy a Home Without a Realtor?

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I keep getting more and more questions from potential homebuyers about whether they need a Realtor to help them through the process or not. I thought I’d just talk a little bit about all of the things a Realtor can and can’t do for a homebuyer.

Obviously, you can start the home buying process yourself online by looking at homes. You can find all the homes for sale on the MLS right here on our site. However, do you know how to interpret that data?

If you manage to get an offer accepted on a home, the next step is dealing with the due diligence period. Do you know a licensed home inspector? How about a pest inspector or a radon inspector? A good Realtor will have contacts that can assist you through every step of the transaction. This includes a good title company and mortgage lender who can assist in getting the contract to closing.

"Buying a home on your own isn’t easy."

In addition to all of that, there will be more to take care of if you’re buying a home within a Homeowners Association. There may be a monthly fee or large transfer fee that you have to pay. If you don’t know about it in advance, you might be out of luck when the time comes.

As you can see, there are a lot of moving parts to pull together when buying a home in order to have a successful closing. Do you really need a Realtor to help you buy a home? You may and you may not. I have a brother who does his own taxes. However, he’s also a CFA working at Goldman Sachs, so he’s completely qualified to do that. Can the same be said for you if you’re trying to buy your own home?

If you need any real estate assistance, I’d be glad to help. Just give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.