← Buyer Toolkit
The buying playbook

Stage 3: Your agent and your search

Choosing an agent, the buyer agreement you sign before touring, and looking at homes with clear eyes.

  1. Read 1 · 5 minChoosing a real estate agentHow buying a listing with an inflated price plays out through repeated reductions until days on market erode the seller's position
  2. Read 2 · 10 minThe buyer agreement, before you tourWhy agents working through NAR-affiliated MLSs need a written buyer agreement before touring a home with you, and how state rules can add to that
  3. Read 3 · 6 minBefore you start your searchWhy a pre-approval belongs before the first showing, and how it sharpens a search and makes an offer credible to a seller weighing several
  4. Read 4 · 8 minNew construction vs. resaleWhy the sales rep in a builder's model home works for the builder, and why a builder's agent-registration policy is worth asking about before you tour
  5. Read 5 · 10 minReading a seller's disclosureWhy what a Yes, No or Unknown answer actually means depends on your state and on the specific form — and why an Unknown never settles a question the rest of the evidence keeps raising
Homes Scott is marketing
$384,9003 bd · 2 ba · 1,752 sq ft3778 Summer Breeze Ct NE, Bolivia, NC 28422Listing courtesy of Hamilton Realty Group @eXp. Used with permission.See this home →$1,850,0005 bd · 6 ba · 5,060 sq ft4211 Westland Lane, Southport, NC 28461Listing courtesy of Ben Styers, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage. Used with permission.See this home →$1,299,0001,080 & 2,300 sq ft1330 N Howe St, Southport, NC 28461Listing courtesy of Hamilton Realty Group @eXp. Used with permission.See this home →Price reduced$1,199,0004 bd · 3.5 ba · 3,300 sq ft3791 Ellen Anne Ct, Southport, NC 28461Listing courtesy of Hamilton Realty Group @eXp. Used with permission.See this home →$695,0003 bd · 2 ba · 1,980 sq ft89 Foxfire Trace, Oak Island, NC 28465Listing courtesy of Hamilton Realty Group @eXp. Used with permission.See this home →
Next: Making an offer

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Buying for the first time? HUD-approved housing counselors offer pre-purchase counseling, often at no cost. Find a counselor