Why Should I Hire A Real Estate Professional?
Good real estate agents are involved in both offering knowledge and selling real estate to the client. The main objective of real estate agents is to sell properties. However, an excellent real estate agent focuses not only on selling the property in question but also on educating the client so that they become familiar with the entire buying or selling process.
For example, if you want to sell your home, a real estate agent can advise you on current market trends, the best time to sell your home, how to advertise your home, and perhaps how to do renovations to attract more buyers. If you are looking to buy a home, your chosen agent will be able to help you navigate the market to get you the best deal possible, without any of the stress!
Both sides can benefit significantly from hiring a real estate agent to assist them. Keep reading to learn why.
Agents Know What to Look For
Buyers usually have a pretty solid idea in mind of what they want in a property, from number of bedrooms and bathrooms, to an attached garage to any number of other must-have and must-not-have factors. You’ll probably feel pretty comfortable looking at homes with that list tucked firmly in the back of your mind.
But your agent will be alert for issues that might not cross your mind, such as maintenance issues, additional hidden fees, roofing problems, and mold and insect issues. An agent will recognize the telltale signs of these problems and know how best to approach them.
You know exactly how much you want for your home if you’re the seller, but is the price you’ve arrived at reasonable? You might only know for sure if you’re able to identify comparable sales that confirm that you’re in the right range. But real estate agents can do comparative market analysis in their sleep!
Your agent can hand over researched, current, and reputable data regarding a neighborhood’s demographics, crime rates, schools, and other important factors. That’s a lot of time-consuming research to do on your own, particularly if you don’t know where to start.
Money Matters
An experienced real estate agent knows exactly what to do to get you the most bang for your buck, no matter if you are looking to buy property, or sell your current home. They understand the process of paperwork, additional fees and expenses that may pop up along the way, and what to look for when you’re on a strict budget.
If you are worried about commission, you’re probably going to have to pay a commission anyway if your buyer is represented by an agent. The buyer’s agent’s commission is typically factored into the deal—although you’ll still save on the commission you would otherwise have paid your own agent.
Attention to Detail
You might be out of your element when it comes to reviewing and understanding the documents involved in a real estate deal, and you should have a thorough understanding of what you’re getting into regardless of whether you’re buying or selling. Purchase agreements alone can be 10 pages long, not to mention federal, state, and local document requirements.
Lucky for you, your agent will be far more familiar with the legality of it all. Consider this if you’re still thinking about saving money: Some mistakes in these documents can cost you! Here’s an example: Maybe a buyer makes an offer on a home, but it’s contingent on getting a mortgage. There’s no possibility that the buyer could purchase the property without first securing financing, but there’s no contingency built into the purchase agreement to let the buyer out of the deal if financing fails. The buyer is obligated to go through with the sale or be sued if it turns out that a mortgage isn’t happening.
Discover Hidden Property Listings
For all of our interested buyers, this one’s for you.While you can always search online for available homes for sale, the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) discovered more than half of home buyers in the U.S. experienced the most difficulty with finding the right property when beginning the process on their own. That fact alone is a good reason why all homebuyers, especially first-time homebuyers, can benefit from a realtor since they have access to internal resources with a list of homes that have yet to hit the market. From the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to “off-market” listings, they can find homes that match your criteria in faster time!
Superior Negotiation Skills
The homebuying process almost always includes negotiations, and with the right real estate professional, you can get a better deal on your dream home. A few expenses that can be negotiated down are closing costs, home warranty premiums, repair costs, and cosmetic updates to the home.
A real estate agent can negotiate on your behalf to bring down the overall cost of buying a property and even fight for additional incentives to take advantage of – like keeping recently added appliances or having the seller cover the closing costs.
No matter which side of the real estate process you are on, Coldwell Banker Carroll Realty’s local realtors are ready to help you get the most bang for your buck! We have experienced real estate agents throughout Panama City, Panama City Beach, and 30a ready to meet with you! Contact us today to get help from professional, local real estate agents.