By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
It’s now 2026, and even though it has been an “interesting” year in the realm of real estate, it is still a good time to buy a house in Athens-Limestone County. Recently, I sat down with veteran real estate agent Scott Robinson, who has decades of experience and the “scars” to prove it — including surviving the real estate crisis of 2008-2009. Scott truly loves everything about the industry, and had several thought-provoking things to say about the kinds of things that inspire agents to go the extra mile for their clients. He works for a nation-wide company that has several developments in our area. His company builds homes for people in planned communities, vacation homes well south of Athens. However, one of the things Scott has encountered is that first-time homebuyers especially can inadvertently sabotage their chances of getting into the house of their dreams; most of the time it comes from just not knowing they should not buy an expensive car first before the home. While general agents that work with Scott genuinely want to help, innocent mistakes on the part of buyers can make a real mess for everyone. This article is dedicated to the goal of avoiding nightmares, either as a buyer or as a person working with a builder agent who doesn’t want to be a nightmare for the general agent. The process can be summed up in one word: preparation.
Below are some of the to-dos and not-to-dos when you are getting ready to buy.
“One of the things that happens more often than you would think is that someone will sign a year-long lease on a rental, and then come to me asking to start looking for a house with them about two weeks into the 12 months. That is just too long; too much can happen in the space of a year,” Scott said. Another thing is that young people will get themselves into a car payment that messes with their “debt-to-income” ratio. (DTI) “If they are willing to drive a car for a while that isn’t brand new, they can afford a whole lot more house,” he said. “Same with credit card debt. If they can get their credit card debt down, that can make a huge difference, too,” he added. He crunched the numbers and showed me several examples. I had no idea what a big difference “small” issues can make.
Scott said that getting pre-approved before coming to him is an important step but our lenders have the best rates. “Even preparing a little bit goes a long way to inspire your agent to help you experience the American Dream and home ownership. Here are some other things to remember.
- Come prepared, have your W-2s and all your financial information organized and accessible at home. You can inquire ahead of time as to what is important. A good realtor enjoys pointing willing people in the right direction, and Scott’s company also helps with credit repair. Because it is a publicly-traded company, they can offer a number of incentives that others cannot.
- Financial stability—you don’t need to have been at the exact same job with the same company for two years, but you do need to be in the same field. For example, if you are in the hospitality industry, just make sure you are staying in a similar capacity for at least 24 months. Same with something more sophisticated, such as being a software developer. It can be with a different company, just don’t switch to a different occupation altogether.
- Be current on all your taxes and loans. You cannot be behind on any payments, especially a house payment if you are currently a homeowner.
- “Live clean, and move forward,” and by that he means if you have had financial issues in the past, be open about them when you get into credit repair. They are going to find out anyway, so the more transparent and open you can be, the better. Even bankruptcy can be overcome, but you have to be patient. For an FHA loan, you are going to have to wait for three years to apply for a house loan; for conventional loans, it’s five years; and for VA loans, it’s two years.
Scott has the heart of a teacher, and even though I have not been in the market for a home for a long time, I asked him a zillion questions as though I was a 38-year-old-average-age first-time buyer. I could tell he enjoyed answering them forthrightly. He also relishes helping other agents. While we were chatting, an agent called him asking for help, and he was willing to do so, even though it would not benefit him monetarily. I liked the fact that building community is one of Scott’s core values.
If you are looking for an agent who will shoot straight and work hard to get you where you want to be in a house, Scott Robinson is your guy. Call him today at 256 321-0789.
Scott Robinson
New Home Consultant
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
