When you're buying or selling a house, it's often best to work with a real estate agent. An agent provides useful services that can help you find the ideal house quicker or find a buyer faster. However, buyers and sellers work with different types of real estate agents. Here are the different types of agents and why it's in your best interest to have your own agent when you buy a new house.

The Real Estate Agents Involved In Buying A Home

Someone who sells a home works with a listing agent who puts their home on the market and advertises it. When you're looking to buy a home, you work with a buying agent. When you start the paperwork to close on a home, your buying agent becomes your home selling agent. It may seem complicated, but the good thing is that when you work with a real estate agent, you have someone to guide you through the entire process, start to finish.

A Buyer's Agent Helps You Find Your Ideal Home

A buyer's agent works on commission, so you don't pay anything for their services. Both the buyer's agent and the listing agent take their commissions when the home sells. Since the agent works on commission, they usually work hard to find your ideal house as quickly as possible. You typically meet and provide the agent with the things you want most in a home, and the agent chooses the best matches for you to tour.

Your agent can also offer advice as an experienced real estate agent and provide information about neighborhoods and home prices in the area. However, much of this information has been factored into the choice of homes for you to tour based on your preferences. This helps streamline the home selection process to increase the chances of finding a home you love in a great neighborhood at the right price for your budget.

A Selling Agent Guides You Through The Process

Once you've found a home and put in a bid, your agent leads you through the rest of the process that might include having an inspection, doing a title search, and filling out legal documents. Your buyer's agent may be called the selling agent at this point because they're the one who actually caused the house to sell. However, they still work for you and have your interests at heart.

If you've never been through the home-buying process before, you'll probably be overwhelmed by all the steps involved. It could even be foolish to try to buy a house on your own when you're inexperienced at buying real estate. Even if you've bought homes before, you'll probably feel more secure knowing someone with knowledge and experience is supervising the process so you feel confident that you're making a wise financial decision.

Contact a home selling agent or a buyer's agent to learn more.