Real estate sales and purchases are important – plain and simple. And the role of a GREAT agent can make all the difference in how the transaction AND the transition flows.
Here are 7 ways and reasons having an agent on your side will help ensure quality Results:
1. Experience
Real estate sales and purchases are important – plain and simple. And the role of a GREAT agent can make all the difference in how the transaction AND the transition flows.
Here are 7 ways and reasons having an agent on your side will help ensure quality Results:
2. Key Local Insights
Most of the news reported on real estate is done on a national level. Although trends at the national level are important, it is local details and insights that most affect buyers and sellers. Details like:
- the average price per square foot for homes in different neighborhoods
- local trends on whether inventory is up or down from last month
- local absorption rate trends
- average days on market trends
- whether list-to-sell prices are showing a softening
These are all local insights that affect how a home is priced or where an initial offer price should be made.
A professional agent shares the insights that help buyers and sellers make the best decision for themselves and their families. Without a true understanding of the local trends buyers and sellers could potentially cost themselves thousands of dollars by making uninformed decisions.
3. Network of Local Resources
An agent’s network of trusted service providers has tremendous value. Most buyers don’t know a home inspector they are confident they can trust. Most buyers or sellers don’t know a handyperson who does quality work at a fair price.
A truly professional agent can recommend resources from babysitters to bicycle technicians. They know plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and pool companies. When you are the connection point between your buyers or sellers and the people or resources they need, your worth will be recognized and appreciated.
4. Valuation Expertise
If sellers trust Zillow for the valuation of their home before listing it for sale, odds are they are going to get it wrong. An agent’s ability to put together a complete valuation analysis and to present it in a way that sellers can easily understand will help them sell their home for the highest price possible in the least amount of time.
When an agent shows buyers an analysis of the value of the home they are considering buying, they are equipped with the confidence to make an offer based on the knowledge and information provided by their agent. This kind of valuation analysis helps them make decisions on offers or counter offers based on facts and with less emotion.
A true professional that can exhibit expertise in the valuation of homes will always be appreciated for their true market expertise.
5. Negotiation Skills
If an agent is an astute negotiator who negotiates on behalf of their client at a high level, their value can sometimes even outweigh the commission they are paid. Buyers and sellers highly value the insights, strategies, recommendations, and even agent-to-agent relationships that can all lead to a smooth and successful negotiation process. This is an integral part of the agent’s job, which clients rely upon heavily in order to achieve their objectives.
6. Marketing skills
Effective marketing provides the exposure sellers need to garner the number of showings necessary to maximize the sales price of their home. Marketing skills give sellers the confidence that their agent can present and represent their home at the highest level possible. In a world of ease-of-access to information, sellers more than ever need someone to decipher what actually works, where buyers are most active, and what channels put their property in the best light!
7. Legal Navigation Through the Process
We live in an ever-increasingly litigious society. We began with the value of experience, and this is an area where that experience is paramount. An agent’s ability to help navigate clients through the buying or selling process, avoiding potential pitfalls or liability, is needed now more than ever. Agents deliver high service and value when they understand how to properly word contingencies that protect their client, provide updates on upcoming contingency deadline dates, understand the in’s and out’s of the contract completely, etc…
There are plenty of different agent-service models in the real estate industry, so asking questions of your agent to best understand how they are aligned with your goals, objectives, and expectations is the key to a successful working relationship and transaction.