Why use a REALTOR®?
Buying or selling a home is a huge milestone, one that comes with many exciting changes and lots of new memories to be made. When handling such a large transaction and making such a monumental decision, it is best to partner up with a professional. REALTORS®, like doctors and lawyers, are the trusted experts in their field and have knowledge and resources to help you navigate the home buying process. You wouldn’t dare enter into surgery without a surgeon or file a lawsuit without an attorney, so why would you engage in a real estate transaction without a REALTOR®?
Here are just a few of the benefits of working with a REALTOR® when buying or selling a property.
It’s More Convenient
Selling your primary residence, investment or commercial property on your own may sound like a good idea, but a REALTOR® can save you a lot of time and headache. A REALTOR’S® full-time job is to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. This means that he or she will have easy access to all other properties listed by other agents.
If you are looking to buy, a REALTOR® will track down properties that meet your criteria and get in touch with sellers’ agents and make appointments for you to view the properties. If you are buying on your own, you will have to play this telephone tag yourself, which is time consuming and can get frustrating.
If you’re looking to sell your home yourself, you will have to solicit calls from interested parties, answer questions and make appointments. Keep in mind that potential buyers are likely to move on if you tend to be busy or don’t respond quickly enough. Alternatively, you may find yourself making an appointment and rushing home, only to find that no one shows up.
Regardless of whether you’re buying or selling, using a REALTOR® means that you also get to use their connections. Mortgage brokers, home inspectors, and interior designers are just a few of the other professionals REALTORS® have in their network, and having a connection to so many different industry professionals is much more convenient than tracking them down yourself.
Negotiating is an Art
Negotiating real estate deals is far different from negotiating the price of an item at a garage sale. So many factors play into the negotiation process, and making the wrong offer may end up costing you your dream home.
When you work with a REALTOR®, you can express your dislike of the current owner’s decorating skills and rant about how much it’ll cost you to upgrade the home without insulting the owner. Your REALTOR® can convey your concerns to the sellers’ REALTOR®. Acting as a messenger, a REALTOR® is in a better position to negotiate without offending the homeowner.
A REALTOR® can also represent the buyers or sellers opposing view in a transaction, preventing bad blood between a buyer and seller that can kill a deal. A REALTOR® can help by speaking for you in tough transactions and keep them from getting too personal. This can put you in a better position to get the house you want. The same is true for the seller, who can benefit from a REALTOR® who is firm and will represent your interests without turning off potential buyers who want to haggle about the price.
Navigating the Contract
If you decide to buy or sell a home, the offer to purchase contract is there to protect you and ensure that you are able to withdraw from the deal if certain conditions aren’t met.
An experienced REALTOR® deals with the same contracts and conditions on a regular basis, and can handle all contract details with ease to ensure your needs are protected. These contracts are legally binding and if not used appropriately can result in a lawsuit or loss of sale.
When a buyer and seller work together without the presence of a REALTOR®, they can seek legal counsel, but because each is expected to act in his or her best interest, there isn’t much you can do if you find out later that you’ve been duped about multiple offers or the home’s condition.
By the time the transaction is complete, having a lawyer on retainer any time you want to talk about potentially buying or selling a house will cost far more than a REALTORS® commission. REALTORS® will also help to ensure you do not end up in an expensive lawsuit. They pledge to adhere to a strict code of ethics and to be honest in every aspect of the transaction, so their transparency will help avoid faulty contracts.
Working with a REALTOR® is the best thing you can do to ensure that you have a positive experience in the home buying or selling process. Once you have decided to work with a REALTOR®, the next step is to find the right one for you. And after that, it’s only a matter of time until you walk into your dream home with the keys in hand!