Colorado Springs Vintage Homes Blog
719.287.1049
How to choose a Buyer’s Agent
How do I find a Buyer Agent?
For a free Buyers Guide, Email Kathy Torline at KTorline@msn.com
Finding homes for sale in Colorado Springs can be overwhelming task, especially for first time buyers. So, how do you go about selecting a Buyer’s agent to help you?
For starters you may want to put together a check list of questions to ask potential agents.
- How many transactions did you complete last year?
- Do you primarily work with buyers ?
- What is your commission? How do you get paid?
- Do you work as a Buyer’s Agent? Have you had any special training to work with buyers?
- Do you have recent references I can contact? Read the rest of this entry »
Open House tips
It is Open House Season
The following information is the forth in a series of Buyer Tips to provide tips for both the first-time home buyer and the most experienced home buyer. The goal is to help the consumer to become better educated about purchasing real estate in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area. This article includes tip #10.
For a FREE Buyer’s Guide, Email KTorline@msn.com
Many Colorado Springs Realtors hold open houses; and do so on many weekends during the spring and summer 
time. It can be a great way for a Realtor to get additional exposure for their sellers and it can also provide a way for Realtors to meet other potential buyers and sellers.
Also, many potential home buyers like to visit open houses. It’s a great way for them to get educated about the marketplace and to see a wide variety of homes in different neighborhoods. It helps them to see what is for sale.
When a buyer visits an open house; it’s important for them to understand who the Realtor is representing. (See my previous article about Who is Representing You?) Many people visiting an open house; don’t realize the Realtor at the open house may ONLY be representing the Seller.
In Colorado, potential clients can be represented 3 different ways, as a Buyers Agent, as a Seller Agent, and as a Transaction Broker. (See my previous article on Buyer Representation.) As a potential home buyer Read the rest of this entry »
Top 3 websites for home buyers
The following information is the third in a series of Buyer Tips to provide tips for both the first-time home buyer and the most experienced home buyer. The goal is to help the consumer to become better educated about purchasing real estate in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area. This article includes tips #7 – 9
For a FREE Buyer’s Guide, Email KTorline@msn.com
Home Buying Resources on the Internet
As I started to put together this article, I originally was going to write it about the wonderful resources that HUD provides on the Internet, but as usual, my blog article evolved into something much more. The Internet provides all of us an amazing opportunity for education, and home buying is no exception. Remember, knowledge is power.
Tip #7: My favorite site for Home Buyers: HUD web site. In fact, when you google “buying a home”, the first site that comes up is HUD’s site. The site provides an easy way to find out about all of the loan products offered through HUD/FHA, but equally important it offers perspective buyers great advice on all types of things. One of my personal favorites is the quick easy list they have on the 9 steps to buying a home:
Nine steps to buying a home
- Figure out how much you can afford
- Know your rights
- Shop for a loan
- Learn about homebuying programs
- Shop for a home
- Make an offer Read the rest of this entry »
Shop for a Lender like you shop for a house
The following information is the second in a series of Buyer Tips to provide tips for both the first-time homebuyer and the most experienced homebuyer. The goal is to help the consumer to become better educated about purchasing real estate in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area.
For a FREE Buyer’s Guide, Email KTorline@msn.com
Tips #2 – 6
2. Consult a mortgage lender prior to looking at homes. Lending requirements seem to be changing daily, so make sure and know your mortgage options and what you qualify for. Don’t wait until you find a home to get pre-qualified.
As a Colorado Springs Realtor, this is probably one of the biggest mistakes I consistently see made by all home buyers. It’s important to know in advance what you are qualified for. If you qualify for $150,000; don’t look at houses that are worth $250,000; you’ll just get discouraged and disillusioned. It’s similar to looking at a Lexus SUV, when you can really only afford a Nissan SUV.
3. Shop around when it comes to mortgage lenders, as rates and closing costs can vary vastly between lenders. The “Best Rate” isn’t always Read the rest of this entry »
Who is Representing YOU?
The following information is the first in a series of Buyer Tips to provide tips for both the first-time homebuyer and 
the most experienced homebuyer. The goal is to help the consumer to become better educated about purchasing real estate in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area.
For a FREE Buyer’s Guide, Email KTorline@msn.com
Tip #1
Who’s working for you?
A Buyer’s Agent represents the buyer in a real estate transaction. The Colorado Springs real estate agent becomes the Buyer’s Agent by entering into an agreement to represent the buyer, usually through a written buyer representation agreement. Under this agreement, the Buyer’s Agent owes his fiduciary responsibilities to the buyer. According to the Colorado Buyer’s agency agreement, a Buyer’s Agent has the following additional duties: Promoting the interests of Buyer with the utmost good faith, loyalty and fidelity, Seeking a price and terms that are acceptable to Buyer, and Counseling Buyer as to any material benefits or risks of a transaction that are actually known by Broker.
The State of Colorado has a form called Definitions of Working Relationships, which does 
Read the rest of this entry »
