Whether you are purchasing your first home to begin a new life in or your dream home that you plan to retire in, finding and buying a new home is a very exciting time! Owning a home is part of the American Dream and an essential part of gaining long-term financial independence.

It is imperative that you have a buyers agent represent you during this process. You are making a financial decision that can affect your pocketbook for the rest of your life and real estate transactions can be complex, with many pitfalls for those unfamiliar to the process. The great news is that having an agent represent you when you are buying does not cost you a dime! The agents commission is nearly always paid by the seller!

There are five key qualities that you should look for in your buyers agent:

1. Listening and acting on your needs. Communication must be clear and open. Your agent must listen carefully to your needs and act in the clients best interest throughout the process. Your agent may also ask you to fill out a form such as the Dream Home Finder

2. Locating the perfect home for you. Once your agent has a clear understanding of the home you are looking for, they will begin an intensive search and not stop until you have located the perfect home. This process can take anywhere from two days to more than one year depending on what you are looking.

3. Providing expert advice. Your agent should know the home buying process inside and out. They should represent people buying and selling home every day and they will advise you in making good decisions.

4. Negotiating vigorously on your behalf. Negotiating is an art that can never be perfected, but excellent negotiating skills are super-important when buying real estate. Your agent should be an excellent negotiator which can save you thousands of dollars when you hire them to represent you in a new home purchase!

5. Excellent service- before and after the sale. Your agents' goal is to make the purchase of a new home as seamless as possible for their clients by providing world-class service from the first contact and continuing long after the purchase is completed. Small gestures, hard work, and service after the sale help ensure that clients are completely satisfied.

So how do you take advantage of all these benefits? The trick is to choose an agent to represent your interests who is highly skilled and professional.