What Is a Real Estate Personal Shopper?

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We love discovering new terminology that comes from overseas, and today we have found a new one to add to the list: real estate personal shopper. To find out what this specific personal shopper does and where its existence comes from, we have to go to the United States.

You already know of the realtors or real estage agencies on the American real estate market. They arrange everything for the seller and work to sell his or her property in the shortest amount of time and for the best possible deal.

But now you might wonder who takes care of the buyer’s interests. And that is exactly where the real estate personal shopper comes in. The term was first heard in Spain in 2010, when the country was at in the midst of a real estate crisis.

But ever since then, the real estate personal shopper has become more and more important, as there was a need for buyers to get a specialist workig for them who could find the best offer when buying a home. The real estate personal shopper also has extensive knowledge legal and fiscal aspects, so he is able to oversee the entire buying process from start to finish.

If you would like to learn more on what a real estate personal shopper in Barcelona can do for you, read this article in which we will explain everything you need to know.

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Table of Contents

Services a real estate personal shopper offers

Buying a property in Barcelona is a big decision, and it can be complicated to collect all of the facts and figures. That is why more and more people see the value of a personal real estate shopper.

He takes care of the following steps and/or procedures:

Identify client needs

What zone in the city, what is the maximum budget, minimal installations or facilities that should be inside the property, et cetera

Search for the best properties

With all the information the buyer has given, the real estate personal shopper can now start his search for the properties that match the requirements.

Presentation of properties

Client(s) and real estate personal shopper meet to discuss potential properties. The buyer lets the personal shopper know which properties suit him best. From this moment on property viewings can take place.

Full report on each property

The real estate personal shopper visits potential properties and makes up a detailed report on each one of them. Pros and cons are mentioned to decide on what property is most interesting for the buyer.

Building inspection

For more information the personal shopper contacts the architect for technical and building specifics.

Property viewings

The real estate personal shopper visits the most promising properties with his clients.

Full information dossier on chosen property

Once the client has chosen a property, the real estate personal shopper collects all relevant information and gathers this in a dossier with both technical, building and other aspects of the selected property.

Name change on utility contracts

This process can be bureaucratic and take up some of the buyer’s time, but the personal real estate shopper can take care of this perfectly.

Administrative procedures and notary

A real estate personal shopper will have more contacts in the sector and with notary offices, so he will be able to facilitate the necessary steps in the buying process and may even negotiate a better price.

Contact with other services

The real estate personal shopper probably knows even more specialists in his line of work, like architects, builders, moving companies, interior decorators, maintenance companies, et cetera.

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Apartments for sale via ShBarcelona

Advantages of contracting a real estate personal shopper

Now that you know what a real estate personal shopper does and takes care of, you are probably wondering if it’s worth hiring one when buying a property in Barcelona.

According to the AEPSI (Asociación Española de Personal Shopper Inmobiliario, or Spanish Real Estate Personal Shoppers Association) a real estate personal shopper can help you “save between 5 to 20% on the starting price of a property“, and this is mainly because of negotation skills and experience.

The association also points out the following advantages of hiring the services of a real estate personal shopper:

It saves time: up to 70% compared to traditional viewings.
You are less worried: a 100% satisfaction is guaranteed. A real estate personal shopper is able to identify hidden problems inside the property and can provide all necessary technical, building, financial and legal information.
It saves money: up to 20% of the original property price. These experts always know first when new properties will come up for sale.
No conflict of interests: the real estate personal shopper works for the buyer, and this means you will experience no problems with third parties during any part of the buying process.

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How much does a real estate personal shopper cost?

If you have read this article so far, you have discovered more about the services and advantages of a real estate personal shopper.

And, as everything has its price, so do personal services come at a certain cost. That explains why the tariffs can vary extremely, as it all depends on particular aspects requested by each and every buyer.

In many cases a personal real estate shopper works with a fixed price, and clients who use the services know they will pay from the very first moment the personal shopper starts working for them. In other situations a personal shopper could ask for a percentage of the property sale.

In the end it all depends on the real estate personal shopper you choose and the way he works. It would be ideal having all the information before having to decide on whose services to go for when buying your future home.

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