About Praedium

For decades, home buyers have been dealing with a system that has often left them in the dark. This would typically stem from the fact that, generally unbeknownst to the buyer, the agent who was showing homes to the buyer, even homes listed by another company, was legally representing the seller. Buyers had no one looking out for them.

 

The buyer would be left out on his own; left with no professional advice concerning what initial offer terms to make; how far to go in negotiating; what financing to choose; how to handle the results of a home inspection to his advantage, etc., all the way through to closing.

 

That is why, in March 1995, my wife, Diane, and I founded PRAEDIUM Real Estate Services. PRAEDIUM is unique, as it is the ONLY Exclusive Home Buyer Agency in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

 

An exclusive buyer agency is one that never represents sellers in the purchase of a home. Not one PRAEDIUM agent takes a listing. Other area agencies offer other types of buyer agency, but since those agencies also represent sellers, the chances for a conflict of interest (a.k.a. 'Dual Agency') against a buyer is high. Indeed, dual agency is not unlike the same law firm representing opposite sides in a lawsuit.

 

PRAEDIUM's mission is to work to save buyers time, aggravation and money in the purchase of real estate. It is all this company does. It is our specialty. By making PRAEDIUM devoid of the provision of any independent "Seller Services", we virtually eliminate the likelihood of a conflict of interest or the provision of some other type of limited representation to buyers.

 

As a result, PRAEDIUM can provide buyers with unfettered access to knowledge, advocacy and expertise concerning the purchase of a home. Clients hire us to be an advocate and counselor, not unlike hiring an attorney and a law firm. Diane and I wanted to create the safest haven possible for buyers to know that, from initial search through closing, PRAEDIUM would be there for them. Creating PRAEDIUM as an Exclusive Buyer Agency was the only way to achieve that result.

 

PRAEDIUM is a member of the West Penn Multi-List, which allows PRAEDIUM agents to have daily updated information as to what is for sale. However, since none of the listings are originated through PRAEDIUM, a PRAEDIUM client can rest assured that he/she will be fully represented in every house seen. Further, should a client wish to purchase a property which is not listed through the Multi-List, often referred to as a FiSBO, PRAEDIUM can represent a client with regard to that as well.

 

The company's headquarters are located near the center of the Pittsburgh region, atop the Mt. Washington area of the city of Pittsburgh. From the regionally centralized locale, PRAEDIUM has represented clients throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania; from the various neighborhoods of the City of Pittsburgh itself, to the suburban communities of Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Beaver, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland Counties. PRAEDIUM is the only area agency which is a member of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA).

 

While area listing agencies are trying to incorporate buyer agency into the old way of doing business, through Dual Agency, Designated Agency, Transactional Brokerage, etc., PRAEDIUM remains solely committed to protecting the fiduciary interest of home buyers. As the company motto states, "PRAEDIUM…providing undivided commitment to home buyers." (sm)