When looking for a new home, many people are tempted to go it alone.  This usually ends up being quite a daunting task, even for the most tenacious and focused homebuyer.  Here are 10 ways that having a Realtor on your side can help:

1. Realtors research desirable neighborhoods and can relay important information to homebuyers such as home values in the area, amount of taxes paid and zoning restrictions.
2. Realtors can help find financing, prequalify you for a loan and can refer you to home inspection companies.
3. With knowledge about the way other homes in the area are selling, a Realtor can help determine a fair buying price.
4. A Realtor can suggest changes to make to the home to make you more comfortable and to make it a better investment, should you need to sell it in the near future.
5. Realtors can handle many of the tedious tasks – such as paperwork – for you, saving you time and energy.
6. A Realtor usually goes to the closing with you, giving you peace of mind that if an issue should come up, it will be taken care of effectively.
7. Realtors must abide by a code of ethics, treating everyone involved in the transaction fairly and equally.
8. A Realtor has the tools and ability to find the best suited home for you in the most affordable price range.
9. Simply put, a Realtor has the professional experience to put in the time and effort and do the job right.
10. A Realtor’s services are usually free to a buyer – commission is normally paid by the seller.

Previously unnamed, the buyer of Donald Trump’s $100 million oceanfront estate is Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, according to reports.

Rybolovlev is said to have acquired his fortune in the fertilizer industry and has no plans to relocate his primary residence to the United States, commenting to news sources that this latest purchase is merely an investment.

Trump bought the property four years ago at auction for $41.4 million and poured $25 million into renovations, producing a 62,000 square foot estate with nine bedrooms, conservatory, ballroom, art gallery, two guest houses and 48-car garage.

Rybolovlev was listed at number 59 on the Forbes list of billionaires, estimated at a worth of $12.8 billion.

According to a poll conducted by the National Association of Realtors, 33 percent of all new and used homes purchased in 2007 were either vacation or investment properties. 

The NAR’s annual Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey reports the breakdown as 21 percent investment properties and 12 percent vacation homes, with investment home sales at 1.65 million and vacation home sales at 740,000.

65 percent of those buying vacation homes bought previously owned houses, while 71 percent of investment homes were bought used.

The survey also states that in 2007, the median price of a vacation home was $195,000 and an investment property about $150,000.  59 percent of vacation homes purchased were single family homes, 29 percent were condos, 7 percent townhouses and 5 percent classified as “other.”

About 60 percent of investment properties purchased in 2007 were single family homes, 20 percent condos, 11 percent townhouses and 8 percent “other.”

According to the survey, in 2007 the average vacation home buyer was 46 years old with a median household income of $99,100 and the property purchased was close to 300 miles from their main residence.

Investment home buyers were 42 years old with an income of $92,900 and the property purchased was an average of almost 30 miles from their chief residence.

Geographically, 19 percent of vacation homes were purchased in the Northeast. 16 percent were in the Midwest, 41 percent in the South and 24 percent in the West.

23 percent of investment properties purchased in 2007 were in the Northeast, 19 percent in the Midwest, 38 percent in the South and 21 percent in the West.