Do you want a buyers agent
... or do you just want to do it yourself.
Do you want to just "use" an agent for information ...
but not use a buyers agent to help you with the purchase
I get a lot of requests for information and actually, I'm glad to provide whatever helpful information I can when someone inquires about a home for sale in the Charleston real estate market in an effort to establish a future business relationship. (I hear from many people that I was the only real estate agent to respond to their inquiry so what are other agents too busy doing.) Of course, not everyone who asks me for information ultimately asks me to help them buy a house.
Do you want me to show you a house ...
because your agent is busy ... or you don't want to use a buyers agent ...
and you think that I am the listing agent because you found the house searching the Charleston MLS on my website and you think you can save money dealing directly with the listing agent (every house for sale on my website is not my listing). But can you really ...
Is it the cost ... or do you not see the value that an agent might bring to the transaction ...
Stop and think about the cost of the home you are considering and just for the sake of an example, use $100,000. If you had a $100,000 tax problem, would you hire an accountant or would you try to solve it yourself. If you were involved in a $100,000 lawsuit, would you act as your own attorney or would you hire the best attorney money could buy. And don't get me started on the high cost of health care but consider the idea of performing surgery on yourself in order to save money.
Is it feeling pressured or hurried ...
If you want to find and buy the perfect home at the best possible price with the most favorable terms and know your interests are being represented, hire a buyers agent. And best of all, there really isn't any cost to you since the seller traditionally pays a commission to both the listing agent and the selling (buyers) agent (other than the obvious fact the seller pays the commission from funds provided by the buyer and the mortgage).
You can buy a house on your own ... but why would you.