Hiring a Real Estate Agent – the Smart Way to Go

What’s the big deal? You set a price, put a sign in your front yard and sell your own house, saving thousands of dollars in commissions. Right? Not so fast. Homes sold by professional real estate agents sell faster, for a higher price, and with fewer problems than “FSBO’s.” There is a reason that all 50 states believe in the need for licensed real estate agents. You wouldn’t attempt to draw up your own articles of incorporation for your business, so why drag your most valuable asset into the spinning, crazy world of today’s housing market without the guidance and expertise of a real estate professional? Here are some things for you to consider before trying to do it on your own.

Knowledge is Power

Perhaps the number one thing that will determine if and when your home sells is the price at which you first list it. Arriving at this magic number has nothing to do with how much you love your house, how much your mortgage balance is, or for how much you are willing to sell it. The right agent can position your home to be a great buy at the right market price. The first two weeks on the market are crucial to the sale of a home, and the wrong price can leave it languishing for months with little activity – or it can be snapped up at a bargain price that has you leaving thousands of dollars on the table. In order to do a professional job on the most important sale of your life, you will need to emotionally detach yourself from your home and take the time and effort to study the market in your area. An agent is already an expert in the real estate market. Whether you are buying or selling, you can depend on us to know the trends and the latest information that can make a world of difference in allowing you to make an informed decision.

Every real estate agent is a skilled intermediary and has spent dozens of hours learning the ins and outs of the industry and real estate law, and may have years of experience with homes in your neighborhood. We can filter out the unqualified prospects so that you only have to deal with serious qualified buyers – and you won’t have to worry about being spammed with a ton of worthless emails every time you click on an online site. Agents will provide you with the customized data you really want and need.

You can spend hours trying to find sales of comparable houses nearby, but your agent can give you instant access to everything that has been bought, listed, delisted, and sold in the past years. He has access to the original listing prices, price reductions, days on the market, and if part of the sale price was given to the buyer in concessions. He knows the competition in nearby neighborhoods, school rankings, public transportation, churches, shopping, and commute times. He also knows if prices are rising or falling on your block and what city and private projects are coming that might affect the value of your property for better or worse. In addition, he has shown homes to dozens of buyers and knows what they are saying and why they’re buying the homes that they finally choose.

If you want access to the best information, insider knowledge, advice, and guidance then you will want to use a real estate agent.

Marketing

If you don’t list your home on the multiple listing service, then most people shopping for homes will never know that your house is for sale. If you do list it and put a sign up in your yard, then you have probably already given up about a third of the commission you wanted to save. But listing a home is just the beginning and the easiest part of the effort. Now you have to market it.

First, you have to get it ready for the marketplace. A good realtor will help you stage your home to appeal to potential buyers, so that they can picture their family living there and not feel like they are intruding on someone else’s space when they come through. An agent may suggest some new paint, repairs, or landscaping that will make your home more appealing, based on feedback he has recently gotten from buyers. An agent also knows the strengths and weaknesses of your property, and they often are not the things you’d expect.

Your agent will take photos, or perhaps hire a professional photographer, and put several pictures that show off the strong points of your home in the listing. They will print up marketing materials with the best photos, room sizes, and other important information and list your home on most all of the websites that people often search. Agents tell many other hometown agents about your home at sales meetings and through email, telling them exactly how it may appeal to buyers they are working with. He may mail or email a hundred buyers that he has worked with and send flyers to hundreds of homes in your area. They will also hold an open house for real estate agents and another for buyers on the weekends. Agents will invest hundreds of dollars of his own money and dozens of hours of his time trying to sell your property.

He will also get feedback from other professionals and everyone who views the property regarding price and other issues that he can use to guide you in refining your listing, and the property itself, toward the goal of a prompt sale.

Process, Problems, and Paperwork

Selling a home can be a complicated procedure which is often confusing without a Realtor. The information and knowledge you receive from your Realtor can guide you through the detailed paperwork and process of disclosures and other documents, some required by the state and different municipalities. The disclosures and paperwork include, but are not limited to sellers disclosures, lead based paint disclosures, mold and radon information and notices, use and occupancy certificates, and association resale certificates, to name a few. There are a several landmines that you need to watch out for, and your real estate agent knows them all.

Agents have connections with government offices, contractors, repairmen, inspectors, appraisers, title companies, senior agents, and a whole network of people who can help you or cut through red tape, all at the best prices available. They’ve experienced every kind of problem and know how to prevent those little bumps in the road from slowing down or sabotaging your sale. Not to mention, they can help you find exactly what you’re looking for and negotiate the best possible deal on the next home you buy.

So, you see, there’s a lot more to it than pounding a sign into your front lawn. A real estate agent works harder and smarter for you than you can probably work for yourself. As your representative, a real estate agent is committed to getting you the highest price and the quickest, cleanest sale possible. His own success depends on it.