For Home Buyers:  I know who I am working for and what they want to accomplish and it is ALWAYS for a buyer.

For Home Sellers: Having sold many homes of my own I know that it is not easy. However, sellers almost always have someone working to get their house sold at the price they want.  I use my skills for buyers - not sellers.

I think of myself as a buyer’s “due diligence” tool.  Due Diligence: It is more than “to be diligent”. When one enters into a contract they should not do so blindly.  Yet, they generally don’t have the background to personally make a complete and sufficient evaluation of all the things they should consider before making a commitment.  Can they fill that gap by hiring an attorney? Maybe, partly.  An attorney will give legal advice. The attorney may also give business advice that is not within the scope of his/her area of expertise.  Example: Generally an attorney does not have the knowledge or background to help you determine if a purchase is a ‘good deal’ or even fair. They can tell you the repercussions of the various segments of a contract. Beyond that, most attorney's are out of their area of expertise.

Your due diligence goes far beyond that. When you look at a house you should attempt to determine if there have been additions (or a finished basement) that were done without permits.  Your attorney can tell you the implications of that.  It does matter.  You agent should be able to help you determine such things. You agent can help you determine many other things you should know.

What did comparable property sell for in the last 6 months?

Can you get a better deal on financing?

How long has the property been listed?

What inspections should you have done?

When did the house last sell?

Does the condo development you like qualify for your FHA financing?

Does the stream your property backs up to in the Spring become a swamp in the summer?

Who owns and maintains the small lake your house on the water overlooks?

Every purchase is an adventure. My job is barely started by the time you place an offer.

The path from there could be a stroll down a quiet path. Or, I may need to lead you through a minefield of the undisclosed and unexpected. I expect the unexpected.

Areas I serve:

Camden, Gloucester, Burlington, Mercer and Middlesex and Ocean counties in NJ.

About me:

My office (since 2002) is in Cherry Hill NJ near Cherry Hill Mall. We are about 15 minutes from downtown Philly. My office is an "Exclusive Buyer's Office". (There are only about 200 of those nationwide.) At this point most agents reading this are a little confused because they have always been taught "The money is in the listings!" Certainly there is money in listings (representing sellers) but for me it is an ethics issue.    'Dual agency' or representing a buyer and seller in the same transaction involves a conflict of interest.  I couldn't bring myself to do it so here I am (and happy to be here because surprise - there is money in diligently representing buyers as well.)  

I tend to be a little analytical (my graduate degree is in economics) and a little techi (I don't always spell right though).  I'm also REALLY handy and can fix stuff in a house.  That turns out to be very useful as I can give my clients additional insight when looking at homes even before they make an offer and get in contract (at which point they also ALWAYS do a home inspection). If a client indicates to me that they do not intend to have an inspection done I won't work for them.   

I check for additions or renovations to homes and check to see if permits and reassessments were done if required. That is due diligence. If not done the buyer could end up in the construction office in a year or two asking why their taxes just jumped up and why “no one told them” that the addition had not been approved.  

If you watch my blog you may see some things that I do differently because I run an exclusively for buyers office.

 Paul -

Thank you SO much for everything. You have been the absolute perfect agent for us. You already know that your OCD - ish emailing & checking in was just PERFECT for me :).

Thanks for making everything work out & for keeping us (me) calm :)

You're the best.

Stacy and Ramon

(a note by paul howard OCD is obsessive compulsive disorder. I guess she didn't really see the emailing as a negative  -she loved it .  Every email I send out get copied to my buyer client, whether it is to the lender, seller's agent, whoever.)