3 Criteria for Selecting the Right Professionals

No one buys or sells a home alone. You need the help of a professional – and likely a whole team of professionals – to assist you in achieving your goals and protecting your interests.

A real estate transaction can be stressful enough. So when it comes to choosing professionals to help you – before, during and after the transaction – be selective.

Typically, you will require a REALTOR® and a lawyer to complete the purchase and/or sale. But you may also need a lender, home inspector, insurance broker, home improvement contractor, landscape specialist, tradesperson(s), interior designer, etc. Here are three important factors to consider when making your choices:

1.       Qualifications
Before you hire any professional, make sure they have the appropriate qualifications. Ask specifically what degree, certification or training they've received. Many professionals in the home industry are licensed or certified by their respective professional or trade associations. Ask to see these documents.

2.       Experience
As author Douglas Gray points out in Home Buying Made Easy, a lawyer with ten years experience may only have spent six months handling real estate transactions. Remember, you'll be relying heavily on the skill, advice and insights of each professional you hire. Make sure they have experience in the specific field you require.

3.       Reputation
Ask for client testimonials and references. Be sure to call these people and ask for their candid opinions of the services provided. Talk to others in the industry. Word of a good, as well as a bad, reputation gets around.

Choosing the right professional is like picking the right players for a baseball team. The better you choose, the more likely you are to win the game. (Or, in this case, the home of your dreams.)

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Beware of a Conflict of Interest

Imagine this scenario. You hire a Home Inspector to inspect a house you've made an offer on. The inspector goes over everything with a fine tooth comb, outside-to-inside, basement-to-ceiling.

Great so far.

Then he presents you with his findings, points out areas that need repairs – and then offers to do this work himself because he's also a contractor!

That's called a "conflict of interest". You cannot confirm whether the home inspection was done honestly, or with the aim of getting more work from you.

When hiring any professional, make sure that the advice or opinion you'll be relying on is unbiased.

Energy Costs Going Through the Roof?

Make a Power Switch!

If you’re looking for ways that you and your family can reduce your energy use, keep track of your consumption by saving your bills, and noting the dates of any major changes (eg. severe weather, new appliance, change of routine, etc.). Then compare your consumption and spending to previous years’ results. Meanwhile, here are some "electrical switches" you can make right away, for a noticeable cost reduction:

• Switch to newer, smaller fluorescent bulbs.
• Switch large or multi-light fixtures to dimmer controls.
• Switch to water-saving showerheads.
• Switch your laundry wash to cold water – most washing energy is spent making hot water.

notable, quotable... quotes!

“Happiness is a butterfly which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

Nathaniel Hawthorne

“I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through, then follow through.”

Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”

Alexander Graham Bell