Holiday Etiquette to Buy a Home in Sacramento

The Holidays are still a good time to buy a home in Sacramento.

Although the real estate activity dies down a bit at this time of year in Sacramento, which is what allows this Sacramento Realtor the luxury of working from Hawaii, people are still interested in pursuing real estate. There might not be an urgency to buy a home in Sacramento, yet that doesn’t stop buyers from looking for a home. If they have a little free time in their holiday schedule, buyers are more than happy to tour homes.

Besides, you never know, even though the intent might be to simply check out homes for sale in Sacramento with no real inclination to buy a home in Sacramento, that possibility is not entirely ruled out. If a buyer was to stumble into the perfect home, well, just about anything can happen and does. Suddenly, the buyer might be very interested in pursuing an offer.

I know some agents are very stringent about how and when they show homes. They have their own rules such as the buyer must have a preapproval letter. In part that’s because the buyer can’t make an offer without a preapproval letter. Also, because the agent knows the buyer is serious. That brings up the question of whether an agent should show a home if a buyer is not preapproved.

That’s a personal question that I can’t answer for every agent, but in my own mind, I say it is OK. Not every buyer wants her credit pulled if she is not ready to buy a home in Sacramento. As long as the buyer has the ability to quickly obtain a preapproval letter, say, within 24 hours, I would show homes to a buyer. In addition, this more relaxed time of year offers the perfect opportunity to show a buyer around town, drive different neighborhoods and point out the amenities, and when that buyer is ready to buy, even if it’s next year or next spring, we as agents hope the buyer will call us.

It is not a time to call an agent and ask to see homes if your own agent is out of town because that kind of unethical behavior is frowned upon. That would be taking advantage of an agent and asking that agent to invest time and energy in you, to work without any form of compensation, and that goes for calling listing agents, too. Most listing agents would expect to represent a buyer.

Your best plan of action is to call your agent, even if you know that agent is on vacation, that agent will arrange for another agent to help you. If your agent is non-responsive, call the broker of that real estate office.