You may be wondering if you need to use a real estate professional with so much information at your fingertips on the internet.
Sooooooo many people are on the internet daily searching for the information they need at this very moment. It’s in the palm of your hands or platform of choice. Never before have we had access to so much information instantly. It is both a blessing and a curse.
It is a blessing because it leads to answers, resources, and information people need to make better decisions. You can find information out there about every topic. But, of course, you know I want to talk about real estate.
It is a curse because some people think they don’t need professionals due to the abundance of information available. Real estate is no exception. Some people believe they do not need a real estate agent since they have access to so much information.
I know, shocking! Right?!
Yes, there is a lot of information, but does the person have an intimate knowledge of what happens in a real estate transaction, escrow, lenders, service providers, etc. Real estate professionals do more for their clients than show them amazing houses.
As a seller, you benefit because your real estate agent:
- Knows the buyer’s hot buttons to save you time and money. In addition, understanding what the current homebuyers desire in a home will help you focus on the right things as you prepare your home for sale.
- Through their marketing efforts and networking, they can bring exposure to your home. In a recent report, the National Association of Realtors reported the average home receives 4.8 offers per sale. It is important to note that real estate agents have various marketing tools such as social media followers, agency resources, professional networks, and the MLS to attract the right interested buyers.
- A real estate professional understands the legal requirements. Many disclosures, contracts, addendums, and regulations are required to sell a home. They also understand and track all timelines that are crucial in a sale.
- Pricing a home can be pretty involved and requires expertise; too high, and your home sits on the market and sells for less than it would have if it were priced correctly. An experienced agent understands how to price ahead of the market. They follow the trends and study the market. A home’s price shouldn’t reflect what is happening today but what will happen in the next few weeks or months ahead.
- As a trained negotiator, a real estate agent is familiar with addressing each party’s concerns to create a winning outcome for all involved.
Buyers benefit from working with a real estate agent too.
- They research the local market and neighborhood to understand sales trends and issues that may impact the value of homes in your desired area.
- Help you structure a competitive offer based on the market demand and the agent’s market knowledge.
- A buyer’s agent’s fiduciary responsibility is to the buyer. Therefore, they are trained and required to negotiate in the buyer’s best interest.
- They are experienced in handling issues that may arise along the way due to inspection and due diligence periods.
- They coordinate the closing timelines with all parties to ensure all deadlines are met and nothing slips through the cracks that could be detrimental to a successful closing.
Think about it this way, we can go to WebMD or Dr. Google for information, but we still need a doctor to diagnose our issue and prescribe the proper treatment. We may be dealing with something entirely different than what WebMD covered since we do not have their experience to analyze the symptoms.
A mistake can cost you a lot when you try to represent yourself in any endeavor that is not your area of expertise. As a real estate professional (and all-around good human), I don’t want to see anyone miss out on the home of their dreams or receive less than they could on the sale of their home.
It would be my pleasure to help you reach your real estate goals, whether buying or selling. Contact me, Stephen Burchard, The Desert Bowtie Realtor, taking the (k)nots out of real estate.
