Hiring a Realtor is Worth the Expense

Hiring a Realtor is Worth the Expense Research has shown that about 80% of seller uses a professional Real Estate agent when selling their home. Only a small percentage is sold by the owner(13%). The typical For Sale By Owner home sold for $198,200 compared to $230,000 for agent-assisted home sales in 2005.

For Sale by Owner' may be the four most tempting words in the world to a homeowner. But most sellers do not have the expertise and knowledge to receive top dollar for their property. There are many legalities and complex contracts involved in the sell of a home. Selling a home is one of the largest financial transactions of ones life time. Making mistakes could be very costly.

Most sellers do not have a network of people or agents to market the home and this limits their exposure a great deal. Real estate agents have vast networks of potential buyers at their fingertips. Hiring a professional to protect your best interest could be one of the wisest decisions you make.

This may occur to you when you sit down for dinner and potential buyers unexpectedly show up at your door. When you are selling your home your self you will have be available to talk with anyone who has questions about your home. You could end up spending all of you time stuck at home.

The seller witnesses the posting of the sign, open houses being held, placing ads in the paper and real estate magazines, and listing the home on the internet. What the seller does not see is the marketing of your home to other agents with buyers looking for homes similar to yours. This is your agent’s main job.

When a seller engages the services of a listing agent to sell property, the real estate agent is a representative of seller who becomes the agent's client. The agent owes the seller undivided loyalty, reasonable care, disclosure, obedience to lawful instruction, confidentiality and accountability, provided. The agent must disclose known material defects, or existing problems with the property. The listing agent is required to put the seller's best interests first and negotiate for the best price and terms for their client.

Real estate agents have many responsibilities and duties to help sell your home. Research will be done to determine the asking price. The sale price of similar homes, the number of days on the market and location will provide a clear picture of the market in the neighborhood. After doing the homework your agent will provide a written Comparable Market Analysis for sellers. While explaining the pricing process to sellers, they will point out the pit falls of overpricing and bidding for a listing. Professional agents will make sure sellers understand that the listing price is just a starting place in the journey to obtain a fair and reasonable selling price.

Sellers that choose to sell on their own do not have the resources to determine market trends and verify the fair market value of the home. This requires specific research for your particular neighborhood. Relying on information derived from national market trends can cost sellers thousands of dollars.

Your real estate agent is an advocate during sale negotiations. They present offers to sellers and counsel sellers, regarding the qualifications of potential buyers. They will pre-qualify buyers before bringing them to the home. This enhances your ability to sell the house with out wasting your time. When you choose to sell yourself you have to interrupt you daily routine to be available to show your home or just to answer questions from curious neighbors.

Other responsibilities of an agent include coordinating deadlines and closing dates, making sure all documents are signed, sealed and delivered on time. These duties can eat up a lot of time and resources for sellers choosing to sell with out an agent.

A listing agent is well connected, honest, assertive, and knowledgeable of the local market, has a wealth of resources to work with and will endeavor to understand your needs and desires. They will provide you with information regarding current listings, past sales, their innovative and specialized marketing plan as well as references. Most buyers today are intimidated by a home that is being sold by the owner. There are a lot of potential problems and legalities that could arise from the sell of a home.