Although buying or selling property can be done independently, the process is often complicated from a variety of perspectives, especially with respect to legal and financial transactions. Hiring a real estate agent can help you navigate through a number of procedures and considerations for both buyers and sellers. Whether you are buying or selling, there are plenty of reasons to hire a real estate agent.

Helping You Find Your Dream Property

For buyers, agents can perform research and recommend properties that fit their list of criteria, such as the size of the house, layout, number of bedrooms, and type of garage and appliances. The professionals behind KarenMcHale.myrealtyonegroup.com point out that if you are familiar with the area in which you want to purchase your property, you might want to contact a real estate agent that lives in the area you are interested in buying in. The agent will have a greater understanding of neighborhood schools, crime statistics, and the demographic features of the community.  

Real estate professionals with previous in-depth knowledge about a certain area can help you price your property more reasonably. They are also likely in a network with other agents who may know of prospective buyers that are looking for a property in your community and can consequently get your home sold quicker to these interested parties.

First-time or new buyers can also benefit from the knowledge of real estate agents, who can often serve as an educational source if they don’t know very much about materials used in the construction of the home, the roof and plumbing, appliances such as furnaces, and other issues that might exist within a property. Sometimes if repairs or improvements are necessary, agents may know of contractors or other professionals who can be called upon to address areas of concern at a fair price. 

Marketing Your Home Effectively

As a seller, you might have done a lot of legwork scouring the value of listed properties similar to yours or you may not have any idea what your property is worth. A real estate agent can give you feedback and make recommendations on whether your asking price is reasonable and one that will get buyers’ interest and position you in the marketplace at top dollar value. They also have information in their databases that allows you to compare features and the selling price of comparable homes in the same area that closely matches yours.

Agents can also help make your home more attractive to get it sold faster and for the highest price. Most representatives have experience in how to stage your home to make it more appealing to buyers. Depending on your budget, they can recommend simple alterations to your home, additions to your furniture and accessories, or even rearranging existing furniture to enhance the look of your home. 

Provision of Financial Benefits

As a buyer, it is financially advantageous for you to use a real estate agent because the seller is required to pay for your agent’s commission. Of course, if you have an existing property to sell, you will have to pay for the agent of your property’s buyer, unless one is not used.

In addition, consider that properties sold by their owner typically sell for up to 30% less than comparable homes sold by real estate agents. There are a few reasons for this. Sometimes owners don’t have as much knowledge on what is a reasonable bottom line for pricing, especially many aspects of the ever-changing housing market, including recent sales by location

Real estate agents also often have relationships with other agents and have inside knowledge of how other agents work. They also have more experience assessing the value of properties better than the average homeowner, which again helps them determine a fair value for a property’s worth.

Negotiating Offers 

When buyers are ready to make an offer on a property, the stressful process of hammering out a final offer price is complicated by conditions and amendments which can be more skillfully managed by real estate agents. Aside from being able to focus on adding the details within the documents for each offer or counter-offer and subsequent documents to finalize the deal, agents also possess legal knowledge in preparing the documents with fewer errors.  

Homeowners can often overlook details or make errors and omissions when filling out paperwork. This may cause delays in the process or worse, financial losses to correct mistakes made in filling out documents inaccurately and facilitating processes such as mortgage approvals or transactions involving the transfer of monies in trust.

Safeguarding your Personal and Financial Information

Using real estate agents in the purchase or sale of your home gives you peace of mind, knowing that they are bound by laws, fiduciary duty, and professional standards to represent you to the best of their abilities. Letting a certified party handle your financial and personal information also gives you more assurance that your privacy is maintained.

When deciding to make an offer on a property that is FSBO (“for sale by owner”), buyers also sometimes shy away from making a deal because of concerns with having an unregulated party handle their personal information. From the perspective of sellers, this consideration should weigh into their decision to obtain the services of a real estate agent, as well. 

In some cases, real estate agents can be the party that misrepresents you. However, as they are regulated, you have legal recourse to gain compensation if there is misconduct on the part of your real estate agent.

In a variety of aspects, real estate professionals can provide many benefits when it comes to selling and buying a property. The commission and fees charged by an experienced agent are usually well worth the cost of the services they can render on your behalf.