Why I Love My Job...

Twenty years ago when I was still a “stupid kid” in my mid twenties I decided I wanted to buy a house. I looked around on my own, almost got conned by a house flipped trying to trick me into buying a home in a flood zone. I found an agent afternthat and I thought I was safe. At the time I knew nothing of the real estate industry and I believed that my agent would watch out for me. 

this agent, who I will not name, must have seen me coming. He took me to see two houses, both his listings, and then “represented” both sides. Needless to say the sellers made off like gold. I on the other hand was a mess. It was one of the most stressful events of my life from step 1. Financing was easy, I had stellar credit. The home inspection (I let the agent choose because I didn’t know any better) was a joke. Though I paid for the inspection the inspector was clearly looking out for the seller not the buyer. He missed so many red flags thatnit was glaring. It’s cost me thousands to fix everything. 

The days leading me up to Closing had me so stressed out that I couldn’t hold down food and lost 20 lbs as a result (not a great diet plan). I finally got to closing and done but the sellers didn’t vacate the property. I was stuck waiting another month till they found a home. In today’s world I should have been compensated daily until they surrendered the home. That obviously didn’t happen.  

Its safe to say the whole experience left a lasting impression on me. As a Real Estate Broker I never want my clients to feel like I did. I’ve taken my experience as a “what never to do” and I go above and beyond to make the experience as smooth as possible. My ultimate goal is a “zero stress” situation or as close to it as possible.  

Buying a home is one of the single most expensive purchases onencan make and you should always feel good about it and understand what’s happening and why. If I’ve done that then I’ve done my job.  

Patrick Harris
Urgent Call To Action

Hey everyone, whether you're already a home owner or planning to buy a home in the near future, please take a moment to contact your Senator and Congressman about this change to our tax system.  This will cost the average home buyer thousands of dollars and will do nothing to encourage a healthy and productive economy!

 

This is a piece of legislation that can only hurt Americans of all incomes!!! 

 

https://realtorparty.realtoractioncenter.com/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4976&utm_source=shorturl&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=tax2017&s_src=website&s_subsrc=shorturl

Patrick Harris
What Makes a Good Agent Great?

Fiduciary Responsibility: it's a term you hear a lot in real estate and finance. It's something I take VERY seriously. Sometimes doing nothing is better than doing something even if it has no benefit to me as an agent.  You can only build a loyal clientele if you demonstrate loyalty in return.

Questions you should always ask:

1. Who are you working for? If you're a buyer what connection does that agent have to the seller or seller agent?

2. Are the homes the agent showing you truly in your price range (preapproval and what you can actually afford are two different animals). Have your mortgage or financial institution work up a list of what your payments with PMI would be at various price points. Stay where you're comfortable.

3. Is your agent listening and noting your likes, dislikes and afore mentioned comfort zone?

4. Does your agent respond in a reasonable amount of time?

5. Do they offer advice that is clear and understandable to you?

This is by no means a complete list but these are things you should be asking and considering anytime you interact with an agent. You need to be able to live with the end result. You have to be able to live with the end result.

Patrick Harris