The perks of using a real estate agent
Posted in Mortgage on June 15th, 2011 by Miles Zimbaluk – Be the first to commentWith the Competition Bureau pushing for a more publicly-accessible Multiple Listings Service (MLS), and for-sale-by-owners sites, such as Property Guys, picking up steam, you may be tempted to forgo the services of a real estate agent and tackle your home sale yourself.
Before you invest the inevitable time and money to this endeavour, however, you may want to reconsider the pros of using a real estate agent.
If you’re a seller…
- With an estimated 85% of homebuyers opting for the services of a real estate agent, a selling agent (and his/her fellow colleagues) have more access to potential buyers. This means more Open House traffic, more ad visibility, and more of your “ideal buyers” coming through your door.
- While your home may look perfect to you, it may not meet the style and trend preferences of today’s buyer. Because real estate agents are in tune with the latest “must haves”, and deal with modern buyers on a day-to-day basis, they can offer the fresh set of eyes your home needs. This translates into simple but successful self-staging ideas that have the potential to move your home much quicker.
- Listing at the right price is crucial if you want to sell your home as quickly as possible. Because real estate agents have access to past sales and comparables, they can help you find that magic number that will get the right people through the door.
If you’re a buyer…
- Purchasing a new home can be daunting (and a lot of hard work) if you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for. A real estate agent who specializes in your ideal area is up-to-date on the homes for sale in your market. As a result, they can save you a lot of legwork and show you homes that fall in line with what you’re looking for.
- Because they know the ins and outs of specific areas (and surrounding areas), they may be able to help you find your dream home in an unexpected place.
- Real estate agents negotiate for a living – and yours will negotiate hard in your favour. Depending on the circumstance, they may also add in certain clauses that will make the sale as beneficial to you as possible — such as closing timelines and other conditions.
