Buying a Home in the Tampa Bay Area

Make sure you have a Tampa Bay area Buyer's Agent with you prior to visiting new home model centers. FYI – most Tampa area builders will not allow you representation if your Realtor (Buyer's Agent) does not accompany you on the first visit. If you must visit the model centers without your Realtor, make sure you don't sign any registration or if you do be sure to list his/her name and company. Tell the builder's representative that you have a Buyer's Agent. Then your interests will be protected. REMEMBER, the person inside that model center who is so excited about your interest in his/her builder's homes WORKS FOR THE BUILDER and has no interest in protecting your interests. That's where you need a Tampa Bay area Buyer's Agent who will look out for you and your concerns. PLEASE NOTE: Working with a Buyer's Agent is a win-win situation. First and foremost, they cost you nothing. Tampa builders welcome Buyer's Agents and are glad to pay them a commission determined by the builder. The pricing on new homes at times has been negotiable; however, as a buyer you will not get any better pricing without your Buyer's Agent. Don't forget, our Tampa Bay area real estate services to you are FREE".


• Your Tampa Bay area Buyer’s Agent will make sure that all pertinent details concerning the purchase of your new home are disclosed to you by the builder’s representative. If anything is missed your Buyer’s Agent will be there to make sure all questions and concerns are addressed. There are many steps that come into play when buying a new home and these should be confirmed and resolved prior to signing the contract with the builder or items need to be listed subject to. It is in your best interest.



• Will you be using the builder’s preferred lender vs. using one from the outside? This is a very important step in the entire purchase process. Many Tampa builders will require that you go through their preferred lender first to make sure you qualify. In some cases you’ll have to make application with the builder’s preferred lender just to be able to go to contract; however, they cannot force you to finalize your loan through their lender. It basically comes down to the fact that if you make application through their lender they will be able to pre-qualify you.
  In addition, most builders will tell you they will contribute X # of dollars toward your closing costs for going through their preferred lender. They also have a tendency to charge a lot of junk fees that eat up the contribution, so in reality, they are not giving you as much as they would like you to think they are. We strongly advise you to shop your lender and make sure you are receiving the very best loan available to you. Your Tampa Buyer’s Agent can assist you with names of various lenders who have proven track records of providing excellent services, honesty, and integrity, which are attributes that you deserve as a homebuyer. When it comes to making one of the most important decisions of your life and the money it will cost you, you need someone you can trust!
  
  
• If you are relocating from another country, state or city, your Florida Buyer’s Agent will be happy to keep in touch with the builder, and make sure that all is coming along well with the construction of your new home. He/She can make themselves available to be there for you and attend the pre-construction meetings, pre-drywall meetings, etc. This is a great asset to the buyer because you are not always available to hop on a plane and head to Tampa whenever the builder decides to call a construction meeting. Your Buyer’s Agent will be there for you and with you every step of the way, from start to finish!
  
  
• During the entire building process your Tampa Bay area Buyer’s Agent will see to it that all requirements are met to ensure that your building process is running as smoothly as possible. He/She will stay in close touch with the builder and keep you in the loop. Once all the construction meetings are out of the way and your new home is almost ready to close and take occupancy, there will be a final walk-through prior to closing. This walk-through is designed to prepare a “punch list” (a list of items, typically minor, that need to be corrected to make the home complete to move into) and this punch list will be prepared by the builder with you and/or your Tampa Buyer’s Agent prior to closing.



• The Closing……what seems to have been a long journey has finally come to an end. The joy, the excitement, the thrill and sometimes last minute headaches are all emotions you’ll experience. A Buyer’s Agent looking out for your best interests can lessen those headaches by being there for you and handling some of those headaches on your behalf. Your Buyer’s Agent will assist you in making sure all of your ducks are in a row, as well as the builder, Mortgage Company and Title Company. He/she will coordinate and keep in close touch will all those involved with your home purchase and closing. From the START to the FINISH, our Tampa Buyer’s Agents will be there for you and with you.
As you can see, there are numerous steps involved in buying a new home. Your Buyer’s Agent can help you, and will help you get through the rubble. We at Florida Homes Realty Professional Group have years and years of experience with home builders and new home construction, and we are proud to say that we have assisted THOUSANDS of home buyers in purchasing their new home very successfully. We will do all of this for you too, and we look forward to placing our “Expertise, Knowledge and Dedication at your Service”. So REMEMBER, when you get the urge to check out those new homes, CALL US and we will make sure all of your interests are our first priority.


• One more piece of very important information; As your Tampa Bay area Buyer's Agent we cost you nothing. The commission on any home you may have interest in placing an offer has already been negotiated with the listing agent and his/her seller. The listing office splits their commission with the Buyer's Agents office, which clearly shows why a listing agent would want any buyer to work with them…………..they get the whole commission and don't have to represent you in the transaction.