Ask a REALTOR® - Buying or Selling a Home: Don't Go it Alone
A hot housing market does not make buying or selling a home any easier.
In many ways, it makes it more complicated. At the peak of this home
buying season, the pent-up demand and low housing inventory have
resulted in a lively competition between buyers. It is why it is even
more essential to have a REALTOR® in your corner.
Nearly 90 percent of both home buyers and sellers rely on the expertise of a REALTOR®. There are plenty of good reasons why, in any market.The price of a typical home sold by owners is less than one sold with the help of a REALTOR®, according to a survey by the National Association of REALTORS®. In the same survey, sellers who chose to “go it alone” responded that their most difficult tasks were understanding and dealing with all the paperwork and selling their home within the planned length of time.
We consult professionals on health issues, legal matters and many other major life decisions. It should be no different when buying or selling a home. We need top professional advice to handle the largest financial investment most of us make in a lifetime.
As trusted advisors, REALTORS® help minimize risks and maximize success with:
- Negotiations – Any time you buy or sell a home, there will be negotiations. But high level skills are needed in today’s housing market. Negotiations can get complicated and even emotional. With the aid of your REALTOR®, you can make sound, objective and well-informed decisions.
- 24/7 Dedication – It takes time to search for a home or to sell one successfully. That’s time you may not have or that you could waste in dead ends or harmful mistakes. Nothing comes close to a REALTOR'S® knowledge of the community, its neighborhoods and the local market.
- Navigating the Process – Your REALTOR® will do a comparative analysis on your home to ensure the price is right—not too high or low—both of which can jeopardize your sale. There are dozens of legal forms and many different steps and procedures in a real estate transaction and REALTORS® help keep it all running smoothly. REALTORS® who represent buyers keep them informed so they can move quickly when a desirable home is listed, a must in today’s market.
- Preparation & Marketing – A REALTOR® can look at your home objectively and suggest ways that it will appeal to more buyers. With their many tools—the Multiple Listing Service database, home staging, flyers, open houses, social media promotion, a brokers open and tours—REALTORS® have unmatched marketing power. Though most buyers start searching for a home online, a REALTOR'S® in-depth knowledge of homes and neighborhoods helps buyers zero in on local possibilities that meet their needs and wants.
- Networking – REALTORS'® network of hundreds of real estate colleagues gives them access to a broad marketplace of homes and the buyers looking for them. Realtors also know many trusted professionals to help with buying or selling a home—mortgage brokers, real estate attorneys, title insurers, home inspectors, movers and home stagers.
Whether you are a buyer who wants a real chance at a home with multiple offers or a seller who desires the best price and smoothest sale, the expertise and service of a REALTOR®* is invaluable.
A Realtor’s assistance saves time, money and often avoids heartache. I can tell you first-hand that the members of our Association are bound by their pledge to a strict Code of Ethics and are dedicated to work hard in your best interest. It is who we R.
http://www.warealtor.org/resources/news-articles/2016/07/27/ask-a-realtor-dont-go-it-alone
