We really, really encourage our buyer clients to drive by the properties they want to see on their own before we show them. While it may seem counter-intuitive at first, we've found it's absolutely the best way to buy a home. Here's why:

1. We've found that 75% of the time, you can exclude or include a property for further consideration based on a drive-by. You can see where it's situated on the lot (too close to the road, etc), you can see who the neighbors are (any cars in the front lawn?!), you can get a feel for the neighborhood, and what shopping, etc. is nearby, what traffic is like, how close or far it is from your work, etc. We've made this process extremely easy. You can use our search toolsto find homes on the MLS and then borrow our free GPS machine loaner to easily navigate your way to the homes. Driving by on your own first allows you to pick out the homes that you really want to see the insides of, which allows us to be much more efficient when we go see homes, because you'll be seeing the ones you really want to see, instead of a bunch of homes that don't meet your criteria.

2. We enable you with access to tools & information without asking for a commitment from you. Once we start showing you homes and spending time with you, we ask you to sign our buyer representation agreement so we know we'll get paid a commission (it's paid by the seller, not you!) when you buy a home. We think it's a fair trade: You can get educated & informed on our dime, and when you're ready to get serious and you want our time & expertise, we know we'll get compensated by the seller for spending time with you. So, by driving yourself around first, before we meet with you, you can be sure you want to engage our services when you see homes you like. To learn more about how Realtors get paid, click here