"TO BE A SMART HOMEBUYER,
YOU'VE GOT TO PUT YOURSELF
IN THE SELLER'S SHOES!"

Imagine yourself as the seller of a house on market....

You've interviewed at least three different Realtors for qualifications and capabilities.
You've had at least three different market analyses showing current properties for sale in your area.
You've seen properties that have sold in your area.
You've reviewed the amount of time that available properties have been on market.
You know the time it takes to sell.
You've seen list-price/sale-price ratios and projections for market value.
Typically, this is how a smart seller prepares, prior to going on market.

Buyers, however, are often a different story. Very few buyers, in our experience, consciously prepare for purchasing like sellers prepare for selling. They often meet an agent at an open house or call a company regarding a For-Sale sign, describe the type of home they'd like, get in the car of the first agent they meet and suddenly they're "on-market", without knowing what that agent will or will not do for them. Almost always without knowing how aggressively that agent will represent their interests with the sellers of homes they will be seeing!

How does a buyer truly compete in that environment?

Now, imagine yourself as a smart buyer...

You've reviewed the same market analysis of homes for sale in the area you're interested in as a seller would. 
You know the Multiple Listing Service statistics for your area, the typical market time of the style of home you wish. 
You know the average sales price, you know the list-price to sale-price ratios of the homes in the areas you wish to look. 
You understand the intricacies of the MLS computer system and listings being placed on the system. 
You understand the idiosyncrasies and the timing ramifications of your areas of interest in Seattle. 
You know about different types of listing agents and agencies and how you can use that knowledge to your advantage. 
You know how to look at potential homes through your eyes, the lender's eyes, appraisers' eyes, future buyers' eyes (those who will look at your home when you ultimately re-sell) and structural inspectors' eyes. 
You're aware of major environmental and toxic concerns in current-day terms.
You've interviewed the best structural inspectors available, you've interviewed two to three of the best mortgage representatives available. 
You've already written a "mock-offer" to fully understand the intricacies of the new purchase and sale contracts being used. You've read the "Fine Print" of a contract with a detached mind-set (not under the emotional pressure of writing a real offer).
You understand the different contingencies available to you and when you would or would not want to use them to accomplish your goals. 
You understand the lending process, you understand title insurance, appraisals and escrow companies. 
You've had your agent do a reverse-computer search, to determine who your competition is in terms of other buyers and agents trying to find the same type of property. 
You know that when you see the home that works for you, you have all the knowledge you need to write an offer that suits your needs and matches the specifics at hand. 

You accomplish this only by being assisted and represented by two of the most experienced Buyer Representatives in the Northwest, Donna Bertolino and Bruce Phares, looking out for you and your interests only, from the first minute of your interview to well after closing. Two Realtors who will counsel you at every turn to assist you in making the best decisions possible in choosing MLS and FSBO properties, lenders, inspectors, negotiating and closing. Two agents who have been representing buyers for years, prior to it being "popular" and prior to the big companies being forced to adopt buyer representation as consumer awareness has risen. 

It is said that knowledge overcomes fear. Bruce Phares and Donna Bertolino's buyers operate outside the realm of fear. Their experience is a feeling of confidence when they decide to purchase a home. Being knowledgeable through the preparations described above and having seen enough properties to have a higher-than-average sense of property value (price), property conditions and negotiation skill, our buyers are able to move confidently and aggressively to attain their home of choice!