With so much information readily available online, trough magazines and newspapers, one could wonder: “Why should we hire a real estate agent?”. We can buy or sell a home through the Internet or through regular marketing and advertising channels without representation, without a real estate agent, but this may not be so easy or feasible.
Bellow are 10 reasons why you might want to consider hiring a professional real estate agent.
1. Education & Experience
You don’t need to know everything about buying and selling real estate if you hire a real estate professional who does. Henry Ford once said that when you hire people who are smarter than you are, it proves you are smarter than they are. The trick is to find the right person. For the most part, they all cost about the same. Why not hire a person with more education and experience than you? We’re all looking for more precious time in our lives, and hiring pros gives us that time.
2. Agents are Buffers
Agents take the spam out of your property showings and visits. If you’re a buyer of new homes, your agent will whip out her sword and keep the builder’s agents at bay, preventing them.
3. Neighborhood knowledge
Agents either possess intimate knowledge or they know where to find the industry buzz about your neighborhood. They can identify comparable sales and hand these facts to you, in addition to pointing you in the direction where you can find more data on schools, crime or demographics.
4. Price Guidance
Contrary to what some people believe, agents do not select prices for sellers or buyers. However, an agent will help to guide clients to make the right choices for themselves. If a listing is at 7%, for example, an agent has a 7% vested interest in the sale, but the client has a 93% interest. Selling agents will ask buyers to weigh all the data supplied to them and to choose a price. Then based on market supply, demand and the conditions, the agent will devise a negotiation strategy.
5. Market Conditions Information
Real estate agents can disclose market conditions, which will govern your selling or buying process. Many factors determine how you will proceed. Data such as the average per square foot cost of similar homes, median and average sales prices and average days on market and ratios of list-to-soid prices, among other criteria, will have a huge bearing on what you ultimately decide to do.
6. Professional Networking
Real  estate   agents   network  with   other not messengers, delivering buyer’s offers to sellers and vice versa. They are professionals who are trained to present their client’s case in the best light and agree to hold client information confidential from competing interests.
7. Negotiation Skills & Confidentiality
Top producing agents negotiate well because, unlike most buyers and sellers, they can remove themselves from emotional aspects of the transaction and because they are skilled. It’s part of their job description.
8. Handling Volumes of Paperwork
The days of one-page deposit receipts were gone. Today’s purchase agreements run 10 pages or more. That does not include registrations with the Land Department. Most real estate transaction files contain more than 20 pages. One tiny mistake could land you in court or cost you thousands. In some cases, lawyers handle the disclosures, thank goodness!
9. Answer Questions After Closing
Many questions can pop up that were overlooked in the excitement of closing. Good agents stand by ready to assist. Worthy and honest agents don’t leave you in the dust to fend for yourself.
10. Develop Relationships for Future Business
The basis for an agent’s success and continued career in real estate is referrals. Few agents would survive if their livelihood was dependent on consistently drumming up new business. This emphasis gives agents strong incentives to make certain clients happy and satisfied. It also means that an agent who stays in the business will be there for you when you need to hire an agent again. Many will periodically mail market updates to you to keep you informed and to stay in touch. Professionals, many of whom provide services that you will need to buy or sell. Due to legal liability, many agents will hesitate to recommend a certain individual or company over another, but they do know which vendors have a reputation of efficiency, competency and competitive pricing. Agents can however give you a list of references with whom they have worked and provide background information to help you make wise selection.
