When you are looking at luxury homes for sale and wishing you could afford one, the problem may not be your finances, but the skills of your real estate agent. You need a trend-savvy agent who knows when the best times to buy and sell are, and then you can capitalize on his or her expertise. Here is how you can tell if your agent is real estate trend-savvy and how you can benefit from it.

Your Agent Gives Proof of the Current Real Estate Market and Shows You Where It Is Headed

Trend-savvy agents do more than tell you if the current market is a buyer's or seller's market. They show you examples of what has been happening in real estate in your area for the last two years (or more, if you want to go farther back). If you want to check the facts yourself, your agent will probably refer you to the websites he or she uses to follow these trends. Then you can see exactly what your agent sees, and know that he or she knows what he/she is talking about.

Your Agent Shows You How Long a Luxury Home Has Been on the Market and Its Changes in Price

Another good sign that your real estate agent is trend-savvy is that he or she can show you a luxury home, tell you when it came on the market, what the starting price was, what the price is now, and what the expected price will be six months from now. Based on that information, he or she can then tell you how quickly the home may be sold if the future trend is a dip in the asking or selling price. When surrounding properties are also dipping in price and/or value (something that your agent can also show you), then you know if you should wait or buy now.

How You Can Benefit from Your Agent's Expertise

A trend-savvy agent often gives excellent advice when it comes to buying luxury properties (or any kind of real estate, really). That means that following this agent around and listening to what the agent knows will allow you to buy that luxury home rather than a "starter" home, and then you will not have to wait or sell your "starter" home down the road in order to trade up. You get the home you really want at a price you can really afford, and all because you have a trend-savvy agent. For more information, contact local professionals like Remo Paul Group.