Buying or Selling a Home? Ten Reasons to Hire a Professional Realtor Today!
With the internet making information about selling and buying homes so readily available, some may wonder if they need to hire a Realtor. The answer to that is YES! And here are the top ten reasons why:
1. Education & Experience
There is ample information on the internet about diseases and medications too, but I would bet that if you were sick you would seek out a trained medical doctor to help you. If you hire a real estate professional, you don’t need to know everything about the housing market or the ins and outs of selling or buying a home. It is simply the smart thing to do to hire someone who knows more than you do!
2. Your Agent is Your Intermediary
Agents take the spam out of your property showings. If you’re looking to purchase a newly built home, your Realtor will keep builders’ agents from overwhelming you. If you’re selling, your Realtor will help you avoid wasting your time with “lookie loos” who aren’t really interested in purchasing and keep the focus on serious buyers.
3. Neighborhood Knowledge
Realtors make it their duty to either have intimate knowledge about the neighborhoods in their area or to know where to find that information. They can provide comparable sales information and tell you where to find a plethora of demographic material about the neighborhood, such as data about schools and crime. They also have access to information regarding other homes for sale in the area and can use that knowledge to help you be competitive whether pricing your house to sell or bidding on a house to buy.
4. Price Guidance
Realtors don’t select prices for buyers and sellers, but they can help guide them to make intelligent choices for themselves. They will supply data regarding current market supply and demand conditions that will assist both buyers and seller with pricing negotiations.
5. Market Conditions
A lot of time and energy can be saved by allowing Realtors to impact their knowledge regarding current market conditions. Yes, you can probably research it yourself, but do you truly want to spend your time doing that? This type of information will have a large impact on what you ultimately decide to do.
6. Professional Networking
With a competent Realtor, clients will have an “in” with other professionals they may need to buy or sell. Legal liability will keep agents from recommending certain individuals or companies over others, but they know which vendors have reputations for efficiency, competency and competitive pricing. So, they can provide a list of references with whom they have worked and assist you in making a wise selection.
7. Negotiation Skills & Confidentiality
Top producing Realtors are great negotiators because unlike buyers and sellers, they are not emotionally driven. In addition, they have negotiation skills that make them excel at their job. They are professionally trained to represent their clients’ best interests and to keep information confidential from competing interests.
8. Paperwork!
Today’s real estate purchase agreements can run ten pages or more. That’s a lot of paperwork. One tiny mistake can land you in court or cost you thousands of dollars. Avoid the risk and allow a professional to guide you through the process!
9. Questions After Closing
A smooth closing transaction doesn’t always mean that there won’t be complications later. There might questions that were overlooked in the excitement of closing on a home. A reputable agent will be there by your side even after the sale is complete to answer any questions that come up.
10. Relationship Development
Successful real estate professionals depend upon referrals for continued business. This gives them strong incentive to make their clients happy and satisfied. And it also means that your Realtor will be there for you if and when you are ready to sell or buy again. Don’t be surprised to receive periodic updates from your Realtor in the mail.
If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in The New River Valley, contact Desi Sowers to help you with all your real estate needs!