subject: Ten Reasons to Hire a Realtor by:Jeff Torfin [print this page] We have heard the question, Why should we hire a real estate agent? If you are asking yourself this question, you should know some people do just fine without a real estate agent, many dont. Before you enter into on of the largest transaction of your life, take two minutes to read the 10 reasons to use a real estate agent. It could save you from losing thousands of dollars
1. Agents Filter out the Speculators and Bargain Hunters
A good Realtor will protect you from parties who are not always savory characters. At showings and home visits the Realtor will act as a buffer between you and the other party preventing over eagerness or any kind of intimidation. Speculators may try to take advantage of those who dont have much experience with real estate transactions through the price, delaying closing offer, expensive terms, and not honestly prorating the escrow. If you bought a new home, your agent will keep the builders agent at bay. If youre selling your home, your Realtor will try to target serious buyers only. The real estate agent weeds out the fluff and offers protection. Like a good doctor a stand-up Realtor should fight for your best interests and offer guidance through one of your largest transactions in your life.
2. Experience/Education
Using a Realtor will save you time. It takes a very dedicated, experienced, educated, to get your home sold today. You shouldnt need to know everything about Real Estate if you hire a professional. It can be tough to find the right agent. For the most part they should all be similar in price. Why not hire the one with the more education and experience than you? Hiring a real estate agent will save you time.
3. Knowledge of Your Neighborhood
A Realtor can give you valuable insight into neighborhoods. If you are purchasing a home you know youre not just purchasing a home but a neighborhood as well. A real estate agent can associate comparable sales and relay the details to you, besides pointing you in the right direction so you can find more facts on schools, crime, occupations, education level, and income. Realtor estate agents will also know of future developments and home sale info that isnt available to the public.
4. Price Guidance
A Realtor will guide you through the process of setting a price. When you are selling your house it is crucial you choose the right price. Pricing it too low may encourage people to think something is seriously wrong with your house or losing money. If the price is too high it wont attract buyers. A good Realtor will give you a very accurate price range for your home, based on recent real estate activity in the neighborhood, market conditions, and of course, the state of your home. The Realtor does not set the price of the home, contrary to what some people believe. However, the agent will guide you so that you can make the right decisions.
5. Current Market Condition Info
A Realtor knows the market conditions and can give you a better angle when buying or selling a home. Data such as average DoM (days on market), median and average sales price, the square foot cost of similar houses, number of houses on the market and more. The data can be overwhelming to sort through, even those starting in real estate investment often pay too much in their initial investment due to the lack of knowledge in estimating the current market value of the property. There is no one source or web page online for the info. There is no blue book value for houses. Each home is unique. The current market value of a property is a very effective tool a Realtor possess and you probably wont.
6. Network
A Realtor can often get quicker sales and notify you of new listings. Lets face it, Realtor are dedicated to building and maintaining professional relationships and when it comes to real estate, you probably dont have the same size and quality of network. Because of their professional relationships, real estate agents can also be a powerful asset when choosing companies or individuals. Agents can provide background information and references allowing you to make an education decision. Because of their network a good real estate agency will be able to notify immediately after new listings are on the market.
7. Trained in Negotiation Skills
A good Realtor will be a skilled negotiator. Owners may not be prepared to negotiate price, terms, amenities, and the personal items that will or wont be included in the sale, especially if their emotional attachments get in the way. A good Realtor will be a skilled negotiator. They are trained to present their clients listing in the best light.
8. Save You Time and Headache
A Realtor can help you with a lot of difficult paperwork. Unless you like handling volumes of paperwork, federally mandated disclosures and purchase agreements, the paperwork can be daunting. A real estate agent will guide you through the process. Making a mistake on the paperwork could cost you money or you could end up in court. In some states lawyers handle the disclosure.
9. Provide Guidance After the Sale
A Realtor is a life long asset even after the sale. After a closing complications can arise, tax assesments, doc stamps, or transfer tax Even the smoothest transactions that close without complications can come back to disturb. For example, difficult authorities that collect estate tax assessments, doc stamps or transfer tax can collapse months behind and mix up invoices, but you can call to your agent can straighten out the mayhem.
10. Marketing
A realtor will get your listing more exposure. When you are buying or selling you want to spread the word. Realtor estate agencies have many marketing tools in place to deliever your listing to strategic parties. Realtors not only market your listing to the public but also to other real estate agents. In markets across the nation, a little over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative, a real estate agent other than the one you selected finds the buyer. So inn essence the realtor acts as a marketing coordinator by enetering your listing into the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) in Minnesota
About the author
Jeff has hands-on real world experience that he can put to work for you. Being involved in both residential and commercial real estate gives Jeff a well-rounded background in this market.
