Many people who are buying a home do not understand the process as well as they should in order to make informed decisions about what could be the largest financial decision they will ever make. It is your job to protect their interests, but you would be doing your clients a great service as well as bolstering their loyalty to you by educating them in what they need to know. One way to educate them is to provide them with an information booklet you have prepared that explains the many facets of what is involved.

The first thing you need to do is decide what format you will use and what information you will include. You are only limited by your imagination and by the law in your state. Copies of the completed booklet can be printed from your computer and bound in a report cover. Here is a list of various elements you may wish to include with some notes on each.

1. Your profile. This is your page to talk about your qualifications and how you can be of service. You should also talk about what sets you apart from the other agents out there and how you are uniquely qualified to help them find the home of their dreams. This might take the form of a cover letter.

2. A step-by-step guide to buying a home. You will want to include everything from what to look for in an agent, to how to select the right house, to making an offer, to the close of escrow, and everything in between. This will probably be the longest single part of your booklet. The easiest way to prepare this is to think about your typical transaction, write down each step of the process, and explain a little of what is involved. Even though this is a booklet meant for buyers, you might want to explain both sides of the transaction to better educate your clients.

3. A one-page flowchart showing the steps above in a simple, easy to understand format. You can use Microsoft PowerPoint to do this if it is available to you.

4. A financial checklist for your buyers to gather all the information their lender will need and a worksheet they can use to record financing options given to them by the lender.

5. A worksheet your buyers can use to decide exactly what features they are looking for in their new home.

6. A glossary of terms they will want to be familiar with including all of the common forms of ownership, types of loans, insurance, and anything else that will come up in a typical transaction.

7. Additional pages you may want to add can include an explanation of the various inspections that are available, a discussion of title insurance, local tax information, and a breakdown of what side of the transaction generally pays what fees, subject to negotiation.

8. Include a checklist for moving. Make sure you list all the companies and services the buyer will need to notify including the post office, utility companies, banks, insurance, doctor offices and pharmacies. Remember to list for the place they are leaving as well as the place they are moving to.

Lastly, you will want to make sure your name and contact information is prominently displayed on every page. This booklet will be referred to many times in the future and will probably be passed to others who are interested in buying or selling real estate so you want to make certain the credit for providing such great information goes to you. Why would someone go to an unknown agent from an ad in a magazine when they can go to the expert who wrote the book on the entire process?

Aldar Nagy is the author of several informational type websites. These include The Real Estate Marketing Blogger, which offers free marketing ideas and daily tips to agents to help you list more sellers, find more buyers, and increase your earnings through better customer service. Real Estate Marketing Blogger can be found at: http://www.realestatemarketingblogger.com