When you’ve decided that it’s time to sell your home, you will be met with a myriad of questions to answer. Near the top of this list may be: should we hire an agent? Although there are no laws that require you to hire a real estate agent, there are several key benefits that bringing in someone with experience in the market can bring. Having someone there to guide you through the process, answer your questions, and offer helpful advice along the way can prove to be a huge stress-reliever for home sellers. Here are the some of the top areas where sellers need agents the most:
- Pricing homes. A real estate agent can offer a facts-based approach to selling your home, using the expertise they have acquired from market research and current conditions in your area. Chances are that if you price your home yourself, you may not be able to price it as competitively or objectively, simply because knowing the ins and outs of the real estate market is not your full-time job! As well as the initial pricing of your home, an agent can be very helpful when it comes to negotiations. Negotiating is an art, and keeping negotiations professional while navigating multiple offers, emotions, and timing can be a challenge! This is where a good realtor really makes a difference.
- Marketing homes. One of the most important aspects of selling a home is good marketing. If you have an agent, that means your home will be listed on the MLS (multiple listing service), which is the primary system all real estate agents use to stay on top of and search for current listings. Marketing your home could also look like social media listings, open-houses, and filming videos to promote your property, all of which your agent would handle for you. Not only do realtors have helpful connections and resources for marketing your home but being able to hand this responsibility off to your agent also frees up a huge amount of time for the seller! Definitely a win-win.
- Inspecting homes. During home inspections with the potential buyer, having a real estate agent present can be a huge lifesaver. They can see and hear in person what the state of the home is and what the results of the inspection are. This can be a tremendous help in protecting the seller from unreasonable requests from the buyer, which is often a secondary source of negotiation. They can also help you understand what reasonable requests from the buyer may be and save you the stress of worrying about being taken advantage of unknowingly.
- Staging homes. As you prepare to list your home, it can be overwhelming to sort through what changes to prioritize to make it showing-ready. Should you paint all the walls white? Does the faucet at the kitchen sink need to be replaced? Should you pay for a professional cleaning of your carpets? These questions are important, and an agent can help you confidently navigate them to get the biggest payoff in the end. It is a realtor’s job to know the homes and the neighborhoods in your area, as well as the current state of the market. They can use this knowledge to help you get your home staged and showing-ready most effectively.
At the end of the day, having an agent walk alongside you for the selling process will result in less stress, potentially a quicker sale, and a better profit margin. I am here to help you “unlock new doors” as smoothly and as stress-free as possible!
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