I recently purchased my first home.  Home ownership, as I have learned, can be both challenging and rewarding.  Shopping for a home was somewhat difficult, because I was living in South Florida, and looking for houses in Northern Georgia.  I first tried using a Real Estate Agent who was in the area I wanted to move, but she quickly became slow to respond and not very eager to assist.  I needed help. And thats when I learned about NAEBA.

So I'm sitting in an optometrists office waiting to pick up my daughter's new glasses.  To pass the time, I picked up an issue of Money Magazine sitting on the table and was thumbing through it.  Then was when I came across an article titled something like "10 steps to make home buying easy".  I read through them, and honestly most of them were common sense.  The one that stuck out for me, though, was one that said simply "Get an EBA".

What is an EBA?  Well, there's a drawn out explanation of an EBA, or EXCLUSIVE BUYERS AGENT, on the NAEBA website.  But put in simplest terms, an EBA is a Real Estate Broker who ONLY helps home buyers buy houses.  They do not list any houses themselves.  This means a number of things.  First, they aren't trying to sell you houses that THEY want you to buy, meaning they aren't trying to sell houses they have listed, because they don't list houses.  They will also show you houses that traditional Real Estate Agents will ignore, like For Sale by Owner listings that don't even appear in most MLS listings.

But an EBA is more than that.  They start with you right from the beginning, and gather your requirements.  They listen to what it is you want from a home, and then they act on your behalf to find that for you.  Now, I'm a very hands-on guy, so I was constantly searching MLS listings and sending my EBA, Kad Mendoza, new listings nearly on a daily basis.  Kad took each of these listings and did his own research on them, and added them into a convenient database app that I could access from the internet, to read the details, and rate the houses I was interested in.  Kad was pretty much my man on the ground here in Georgia when I was looking for my house.

When we had gathered a good number (15, I think), I loaded up the truck and drove up to Georgia to meet Kad in person, and we spent the day going through each and every house on our list.  Some of them we were in and out of in 5 minutes, and some of them we actually went back for a second look.  At the end of the day, we walked away with one super favorite (the house I ended up buying), with a couple of others we liked as well.

Kad was with me every step of the way.  When I was ready to make a bid, Kad explained the process and handled all of the paperwork.  I sent everything through Kad, who in turn was in direct contact with the seller.  Whenever I needed anything throughout the process, Kad was there eager to step in and make things happen.  When my bid was accepted, Kad had a list of people to use for things such as inspections, insurance quotes, etc.  To someone who lived out of town, this information was invaluable.  I still called other people before deciding, but used Kad's recommendations on more than one occasion.  And when we hit a speedbump, like the home could'nt be inspected because it was winterized, Kad worked with the seller to get the house de-winterized so the inspection could move ahead.

And he didn't stop there.  Kad was with me all the way to the signing table, reading thru the contracts, answering my questions and basically being a specialized resource who was solely in my corner, dedicated to helping me make the best home purchase I could. Honestly, looking back on all that happened I don't know how I would have made it through without someone like Kad in my corner.

If you're looking to buy a house, I couldn't recommend an EBA with enough enthusiasm.  Visit www.naeba.org to find out more about what an EBA does, and to find one for the area you are looking to move to.  If you are in the Atlanta/Woodstock area, I would highly recommend Kad Mendoza, who works for the Woodall Group.  Their direct website is www.AtlantaExclusiveBuyerAgent.com.

My children and I couldn't be happier, here in Northern Georgia in our new home.  And all of it was made possible by using an EBA to buy our home.  I have family moving up here within the next year, and will have Kad on the case to help find them the perfect home.

Oh, and one last thing to mention.  The use of an EBA does not come out of your pocket!  The EBAs split the commission with the selling agent, so their assistance, guidance, and overall expertise are available to you technically free of charge.

I'm sure I am completely understating what an EBA does for you.  Visit WWW.NAEBA.ORG to see why an EBA is the only way to buy a home.

P.S. - No, I was not paid, asked, or coerced in any way to write the above testimony.  These guys just rock so much, I think the word should get out and everyone should take advantage of what they have to offer!

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