Owning a piece of Southern California real estate has been the dream for many potential homeowners. There’s access to an abundance of local amenities, the weather is beautiful nearly year-round, and owning your own home in this area can be more beneficial than renting. Especially when you’re looking at the current prices for luxury homes in La Jolla, buying a home in this area can get tricky. More people are looking to buy than sell, and competition over a listing can be brutal. If that wasn’t a factor in buying a home in La Jolla, there are other things to consider when purchasing property in a coastal area. These challenges may be worthwhile trade-offs to living in an area with excellent schools, shopping, and dining. If you’re aching to own one of La Jolla’s luxury homes, working alongside an experienced La Jolla real estate agent would be in your best interest.
Why you should work with a La Jolla real estate agent
A code of ethics shapes their business practices
When a potential real estate agent is working towards their certification, they must familiarize themselves with the National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics. This code binds them to rules that make their business fair to their clients, the public, and themselves. If you’re skeptical about working with a real estate agent over any number of worries, including confidentiality, the code is here to settle your mind and allow you to move forward in your home purchase process with the help of a professional.
Some pieces pulled from the Code of Ethics:
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Standard of Practice 1-9“REALTORS® shall not knowingly, during or following the termination of professional relationships with their clients; reveal confidential information of clients, use confidential information of clients to the disadvantage of clients or use confidential information of clients for the REALTOR®’s advantage or the advantage of third parties…”
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Article 2“REALTORS® shall avoid exaggeration, misrepresentation, or concealment of pertinent facts relating to the property or the transaction.”
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Standard of Practice 3-11“REALTORS® may not refuse to cooperate on the basis of a broker’s race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
If you’re interested in reading the full Code of Ethics document, the National Association of Realtors makes it easily accessible.
They’re an expert in the area
Photo Courtesy of Torrey Pines Golf Course
La Jolla is a beautiful city in San Diego County, and there’s a lot more to know about the area than that. Dining on seaside patios and shopping at upscale boutiques such as Be Boutique are daily activities for La Jolla residents, not to mention participating in outdoor hobbies which promote leisure and recreation. Whether you’re itching to try out the fairways of a Torrey Pines Golf Course or swim at La Jolla Cove, there’s truly something for everyone.
If any of these amenities or attractions is a pivotal landmark to base your home search around, your agent will know the best places to look for available properties. Any agent worth their salt will know exactly what types of homes and amenities can be found in the area. They’ll also have a solid grasp of the real estate market, including how long listings are spending on the market, whether they’re being sold at or above the asking price, and whether it’s leaning in the buyer or seller’s favor. La Jolla is currently experiencing a seller’s market, meaning that homeowners looking to sell should take advantage of the market at its current placement before rates start to go up over the rest of the year.
Photo Courtesy of La Jolla Mom, Be Boutique
You have questions, and they’ll have answers
If you’ve never purchased a property before, or it’s been several years since your last purchase, it’s essential to know the ins and outs of the process. There’s more that goes into buying a home than just an exchange of cash. Regardless of where you’re at in the process, your real estate agent will be able to answer any and every question you have along the way. An experienced agent will educate you about the important facts you may not know, including what inspections will need to be done before closing and which documents need to be signed.
Not only are there several things to learn when buying a new home, but sometimes they can be hard to deal with. You may not expect emotions to arise before you’ve made your purchase, but the road to homeownership can be bumpy for some. If the property you’ve got your eyes on sells before you can make an offer, your offer is rejected, or you can’t find a home that meets your criteria, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with the process. Your agent has undoubtedly seen this scenario happen before and can help you keep a calm, clear head until you’ve found your home and signed all the paperwork.
They’ve got a complete view of the current listings
Any prospective home buyer can jump online and find listings for homes for sale in their area. While there are many sites out there that are dedicated to allowing you to browse through listings, none can match the level of care and effort delivered face-to-face with a real estate agent. You lose the personal touch, but you also don’t see all of the listings available. It’s often a seller’s choice to make the listing viewable on these platforms, and not all sellers choose to list in that way.
Working with a real estate agent provides you with a bird’s-eye view of all the available listings. Whether these are foreclosures or newly listed properties, your agent will be able to access more home and property listings than what’s possible for you to find on your own. This is because they have access to the Multiple Listing Service or MLS. They will be able to comb through and find listings that meet all or most of your criteria.
Their professional contact network is easily accessible
There are a lot of pieces that need to fall into place for a home purchase to be completed. You need to put in an offer on the property and it needs to be accepted, inspections need to be completed, the closing paperwork and money transfer need to go through, and so on. Whether you need a contractor, inspector, or legal representative, your real estate agent should be your first point of contact. If you’re in a hurry to get all of the boxes checked off, you may not have time to do the research it takes to find a quality company or individual to hire. Luckily, your agent has spent time in the area and knows who some of the most trusted names are, no matter your need.
They’ve honed their negotiation skills
When it’s time to place an offer on a new property, the seller has a few choices they can make. The seller can accept your offer, refuse the offer, or they may try and enter into a negotiation. While you may have confidence in your own negotiation skills, it’s often best to leave it to a professional unless you want to pay much more than you initially intended. As part of their professional training, your real estate agent has learned and mastered some of the best negotiation techniques. Closing time will come, and you’ll need to make sure you settle on a price. This can become more difficult whenever there are multiple offers on the home, and the seller is potentially receiving better offers. Take advantage of your agent’s ability to draft a solid offer letter to try for a strong positioning from the start.
They will waste less time
An average person may consider themself to be qualified enough to manage the purchase of their own home, but they’d be wrong. The fact is, looking for your next home without the benefits of working with a real estate agent is significantly harder. You’re limited by what’s readily available to the public. You have to research and interview your own contractors and inspectors.
You’re required to fill out all your own paperwork, which can be risky if you’re unfamiliar with legal jargon. Ultimately, you’re going to save yourself time and energy by hiring a real estate agent instead of hitting the pavement alone.
Are you buying or selling a home in La Jolla?
The California coast is beautiful, and the La Jolla homes for sale allow prospective homeowners to soak in as much of it as they desire. If you’re ready to take the next step toward a home purchase or sale, get in touch with a La Jolla real estate agent equipped with the experience, knowledge, and expertise needed to manage your property with ease. Tiffany Torgan has been working with properties in La Jolla and San Diego since 2000 and has handled more than 1,200 home sales in the area since then. Reach out today to see what Tiffany can do for you!
