The Benefits of Having a Realtor

One of the major trends in real estate currently is people attempting to sell their homes via the process known as FSBO. Usually this is because of the idea that they will save thousands of dollars in commissions. Unfortunately this is really not the case. What is left out of these advertisements for FSBO is the fact that those thousands of saved commission dollars are usually used up and exceeded by completing the tasks that are seen to by a realtor. A realtor is a professional home seller. ask yourself this: if you needed to have a cavity filled would you go see an electrician? No? Then why would you allow a non-professional to sell your most valuable asset?

All you have to do is look around your town or city to see WHY you need to have a realtor. Properties are being bought and sold everyday with the benefit of market research and planning. Often times these two elements are outside the scope of a person who wishes to sell their own home. Sure, you know what kind of equity you put into your own home, but how much did that other house down the street sell for? What kind of pricing is affecting the homes around you currently? Do you know how to reach out to prospective home buyers? These questions all lend to reasons why there are benefits of having a realtor.

1. Market Research

Realtors have the benefit of not only searching the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) for you while finding a home or property you might like, but they also are privy to any phone calls that come into the office that might be from new sellers who are wishing to sell as soon as possible without going into the MLS. As a person who is not represented by a real estate agent, you would be missing out on these deals. Agents also have the benefit of researching market analyses of different property types in the area that you are looking to buy or sell in. This is invaluable information as it would go towards how much something is definitely worth.

2. Protection

Realtors provide services that are not only designed to ease your home sale but services that are designed to specifically protect your investment. One of the most valuable things that a real estate agent can provide is marketing. Unlike selling by yourself, a realtor has access to a huge variety of advertising mediums. Typically the front lines of which is an already established web presence. In addition to listing your home on the local MLS, an agent will have a personal site that is designed to showcase their listings. This is where most homes for sale are first viewed by prospective buyers. Additional marketing is usually done through newspapers and other print media as well as a variety of flyers and info sheets that are available 24/7.

3. Planning and Consultation

Realtors are the people who have gone through assisting with 100's of home closings and home selling situations. They are the ones to consult with in understanding how to sell your home. Do you keep you animals away when you have a home showing, and how much do you clean up? What do you want to highlight and what do you want to keep in the background. These are all questions that real estate agents can assist with.

4. Relationships

Another aspect of home marketing where a realtors comes in handy is in the relationships they retain with other real estate professionals. A realtor will put much effort into marketing a home to other local realtors in order to best reach the buying market. Home selling is really all about positive exposure for the home in question and only a realtor can provide that degree of exposure. There is a reason that a large percentage of FSBO's eventually end up listing with a realtor in order to get the coverage and price they deserve.

5. They are on your side

You will never have someone as ferocious on your side to help you buy or sell a home. Realtors are commission based for their service fees, but they rely on their network of clients to bring in their next client. Without their network, they wouldn't have anyone to represent. That being said, they will do everything possible to get what you want. Without satisfying their clients, they would have no clients.