 
          10
        
        
          Three advantages to buying
        
        
          your home through a
        
        
          real estate agent
        
        
          Buying a home is a major transaction; it may even be the
        
        
          most important one of your life. Are you wondering what
        
        
          advantage there is to doing business with a real estate agent?
        
        
          Read on to learn why it’s a wise choice.
        
        
          
            1. EXPERTISE
          
        
        
          Real estate agents or brokers can help their clients success-
        
        
          fully conclude a home purchase. How? They accompany
        
        
          them through every step of the process, including nego-
        
        
          tiating the price, avoiding any risks and optimizing the
        
        
          transaction. When new properties appear on the market,
        
        
          they contact their clients to tell them which ones may be of
        
        
          interest. During home visits, their knowledge and objective
        
        
          analyses are invaluable.
        
        
          
            2. PROTECTION
          
        
        
          Real estate brokerage is a regulated activity; brokers are
        
        
          obliged to verify any information before giving it to clients.
        
        
          In fact, all the responsibilities of a real estate agent are
        
        
          designed to minimize any risks to you during a property
        
        
          transaction. It’s also worth knowing that all personal infor-
        
        
          mation you share with an agent is considered confidential.
        
        
          
            3. NETWORK
          
        
        
          Real estate agents are also a great source of information
        
        
          regarding all types of experts in your region. They have
        
        
          access to a network of experienced professionals and can
        
        
          direct their clients towards trustworthy financial advisors,
        
        
          building inspectors, lawyers and tradespeople.
        
        
          There’s no doubt about it: to save time and avoid worries, it’s
        
        
          worth using the services of a real estate agent.
        
        
          
            
              Your real estate agent ensures
            
          
        
        
          
            
              that the properties you visit
            
          
        
        
          
            
              meet your search criteria.
            
          
        
        
          PHOTO: JUPITERIMAGES / THINKSTOCK