Your buyer’s agent should draft clear and unambiguous contract language when you buy your Sequim home. Your agent should also help you negotiate the best possible price and terms, and assist you through the due diligence process all the way to closing. There will inevitably be some challenging and adversarial issues that come up with the seller in the process, and the single most important person in the transaction who can either kill your transaction or save it is your buyer’s agent. Of course, from the seller’s side, the listing agent can also either kill or facilitate.
Is Your Buyer’s Agent Articulate?
Using the English language to communicate clearly and without ambiguity is not as common as you would think in the real estate business. This is very fundamental, but it is one of the greatest weaknesses of real estate agents I’ve seen in three decades in real estate. I have seen language in addendums that would make you laugh, or cry if you were a party to the transaction. Ambiguous or poorly drafted language could cost you your transaction, or it could cost you thousands of dollars.
Buyer’s Agent and The English Language
I’m picking on attorneys in these quotes, but I can do that since I was an attorney for 20 years. Now I’m a Sequim real estate agent, and real estate agents use unclear and ambiguous language all the time. I got an email from another agent, and I had no idea what she was trying to tell me. You cannot afford sloppy English in your real estate contract. You cannot afford a buyer’s agent who has not mastered drafting clear language in your contract or who cannot email or talk clearly with others about your transaction.
Do Your Due Diligence on Your Next Buyer’s Agent
My daughter and I have a hobby. We watch for reader board signs that have misspelled words or have unintended meanings. Some are hilarious, and if you watch for them, you’ll be surprised how many you see now. Signs that are screwed up is one thing, but your real estate documents and all the communications between your agent and all the other parties in your transaction must not be like that reader board that everyone laughs at. I hope your buyer’s agent will help you with precise language and will articulate your position accurately throughout your transaction.
Last Updated on September 6, 2019 by Chuck Marunde
