Today we’re coming at you with a two-part series, where we answer the question “What happens when the agent becomes the buyer?” For the second part of this series, click here.

So, what exactly happens when the agent becomes the buyer?

Paul Popp, our transaction coordinator and operations manager, is purchasing a property right now, which means he’s going through all the same steps our clients go through when buying a home.

So far, Paul’s been calm where he didn’t expect to be calm and feeling different emotions in situations he thought he’d know how to handle better. Being in the same shoes as you are has helped him understand the process better.

“This experience has been invaluable to Paul as an agent.”

“It’s been unique,” he says. “It’s a constant reminder of where our clients are at different stages of the process and how those stages are being influenced, either by the other agent, the seller in this situation, the home inspector, timeliness of response—all of that stuff is really kind of communicated in a heavy, tangible way what our clients are going through.”

The amount of documentation buyers have to provide to their lenders has stood out as the most vivid part of the process for him. As easy as lenders make that exchange, he’s found that it can still be tense as far as the level of detailed knowledge they have about you. Once he finished getting pre-approved and entered negotiations, keeping his end-goal in mind helped him deal with the emotions of that situation and navigate all the hypothetical scenarios that arose.

“Continually coming back to the goal made it crystal clear what we were trying to accomplish.”

In the next part, we’ll discuss what happens during the home inspection. To watch the second video in this series, click here. In the meantime, if you have any questions or are looking to buy or sell a home, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to help.