Working with us

  • A real estate agency represents both buyers and sellers, whereas a buyer’s agency works only with buyers. At 4 Buyers, we never represent sellers, so there’s never a conflict of interest. Our focus is on you, the buyer, and your best interests.

    • Since we work only for buyers, we have no vested interest in getting you to buy any particular house or condo – only the home that’s right for you.

    • We’re never negotiating on both sides of a sale. We have no conflicts within the office that would cause us to hesitate when negotiating the best price and terms for you.

    • We also learn with buyers in mind. Over the years, we’ve gathered a huge war chest of tricks and tactics for helping buyers get their best deals in any market.

  • The commission is negotiated as part of your transaction. In the vast majority of purchases, we are paid at closing at no additional cost to you. The buyer and seller can agree to include the commission in the sale price; that’s part of the negotiation process and it benefits both you and the seller.

  • Making sure you choose a good place and are happy with our service is in our best interest as well as yours – satisfied clients are eager to work with us again and refer us to others (just check out our reviews!).

    Our goal is to help house hunters make good decisions. This may take more time, but it’s worth it to us.

  • Quite the opposite! Since listing agents represent home sellers, they have an incentive to get the highest possible sale price for their client, not the lowest. This means they can’t represent you with your best interests in mind as a buyer – it’s a major conflict of interest. You’re also left on your own for judging the quality and value of a property, with no one to advise you on pricing or terms.

    Many agents will offer an inside scoop on their properties if you work only with them, but this limits you to just the few homes they’re selling at any given time. If they find out you’re talking to other listing agents, they will no longer give you that inside information.

    With a buyer’s agent, you’re a client to be advised. You benefit from our knowledge about property value, experience with any issues that might come up today or in the future, and ideas on how to negotiate for the best price and terms.

  • You work primarily with one agent; however, if your agent runs into a challenge, you get the benefit of the experience of the entire staff to solve it. If your agent is away or sick, there will be someone to work with you.

  • We face seller’s agents – also called listing agents – in negotiations. We know from this experience which agents know how to market properties successfully.

    Based on this, we have a list of seller’s agents who will market your home, give you good advice, keep your confidences, and do what you need to get your property sold for the best price and terms. We can introduce you to quality agents locally, and through our contacts at the National Association of Exclusive Buyer’s Agents, we can network to find good seller’s agents throughout the country.

Finding your new home

  • We’re licensed to work anywhere in the Commonwealth. However, if we don’t think we’re the best fit for where you’re looking, we can refer you to an agent you can trust.

  • Generally, people need to see six to nine properties before they have a clear idea of what the market is bearing. Our typical buyer is in a position to make offers sometime after that. 

    Because we advocate good money management, our clients may be outbid by people who are spending more. So, it may take more than one offer before our typical client has an accepted contract on the house or condo of their choice.

  • In the current market, our clients see 15-25 properties before they have an accepted Offer to Purchase.

  • It’s a good idea to limit the number of properties you see in a single day to four. Otherwise they’ll blend together, and you won't remember one from the other. 

    If there are a very large number of possible open houses on a given day, we suggest that you rule out as many as you can before heading out. Any house that doesn’t have the living space you want before looking at any other details can be left off the list.

  • Yes. We use our personal networks, including past clients, to identify houses that will be coming onto the market, but have not yet been listed. We also seek out properties that have been mis-marketed, not listed, or otherwise overlooked. These have less pressure from competing offers and can be good deals for you.

    Plus, since we don’t list properties for sale, we’re more acceptable to sellers who want to sell their property without a listing agent.

  • Our agents work every day of the week. We can show properties during the hours that are convenient for you, as long as the sellers or tenants will allow us in. Generally, sellers and tenants don’t want you in their properties before 10 a.m. or during dinnertime.

  • We limit the number of clients we each take on at one time so we can provide the best service and education to our buyers. We also walk through every property with you and take the time to make sure you understand what’s going on at every step of the process.

    Interested in becoming one of our valued clients? Contact us!

  • We have ways to present your offer in the best possible light. These confidential techniques have become standard practice for us since we know they will give you an edge over someone with similar price and terms. 

    Everything we do and say around listing agents is part of the negotiation – from the moment we introduce you to the agent at the showing, and onward. We have studied every phase of the process and use small, subtle tactics that can make a big difference. For example, our agents have been using an accompanying letter since the 1990’s, and know what to say for it to work.

Closing the deal

  • Generally, it will take about a week or two to conduct inspections and complete your Purchase and Sales Agreement. Then you apply for your mortgage, and that will take three to four weeks. So the total time from offer to closing is four to six weeks.

    If you’re buying a property without a mortgage, the process may be shorter. You need the same time to complete your Purchase and Sales Agreement. After that, you need a completed Title inspection and to clear your funds for closing. That’s two to three weeks.

  • Absolutely! The housing stock here is old. Much of it has had multiple repairs and updates. Some are done well and some are not. Even with new construction, inspectors will find things done wrong that could harm you later.

    Learn more about why you should never forgo a home inspection.

  • We’ve been learning from home inspectors for many years. Your inspector will spend hours in the house showing you what is built well – or not – and how the house runs. We’ll discuss it with you afterwards to make sure you understand how it affects the value of the property.

  • Real estate attorneys are required for closings. They know which small changes in contract language could go badly for you; real estate agents don’t. They will review your Purchase and Sales Agreement, and can also review your condo docs for an additional fee (generally under $1,000).  You, as the buyer, pay their fees through your mortgage closing costs. We think it is well worth it for you to have this objective look at your contracts.