Contract-to-Close: A Step-by-Step Manual for Buyer Agents

Real estate isn’t rocket science, at least on the surface: Put buyers and sellers together, help guide them through the negotiation and on to a successful settlement, collect a commission check, exit stage left, repeat. Alas, the devil though — as they say — is in the details. And details there are. Many of them. It seems that each year real estate sales become increasingly more complicated. The “contract-to-close” period is among the most important in real estate. All the hard work of finding a buyer for your listing, working with the buyer’s agent and negotiating the offer, and getting that offer ratified are just the beginning. Failure to attend to even one of a myriad of details during this period can threaten to undermine even the most solid-looking sale — which could jeopardize not only your commission but your relationship with your client as well (which could consequently put an end to a referral stream). For these reasons, as real estate agents, we must take these processes very seriously. This book aims to help you anticipate and avert those mini-disasters that could derail your transaction. Whether you’re a brand-new agent who doesn’t want to reinvent the proverbial wheel or an experienced agent who simply wants to hone your own contract-to-settlement checklist, this book will help you continue guiding your clients to a successful settlement, collecting commission checks, and cultivating long-lasting personal and professional relationships with your clients.