Do you really need an estate agent? While it may sound appealing to go it alone, flying solo may not be the way to go–and could end up being more costly than a realtor’s commission in the long run. Buying or selling a home is a major financial (and emotional) undertaking. Find out why you shouldn’t discard the notion of hiring an agent just yet.
A real estate agent’s full-time job is to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. This means that she will have easy access to all other properties listed by other agents. Many even have access to off-market real estate deals that you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. Both the buyer’s and seller’s agent work full time as real estate agents and they know what needs to be done to get a deal together.
According to a study by The National Association of REALTORS®, real estate agents typically sell houses for $46,000 more than owners. Homes listed by real estate agents also sell 19 days faster than homes listed by owners.
Still, many people don’t like the idea of doing a real estate deal through an agent and feel that direct negotiation between buyers and sellers is more transparent and allows the parties to better look after their own best interests. This is probably true–assuming that both the buyer and seller in a given transaction are reasonable people who are able to get along. Unfortunately, this isn’t always an easy relationship.
While there are certainly people who are qualified to sell their own homes, taking a quick look at the long list of frequently asked questions on most for sale by owner websites suggests the process isn’t as simple as many people assume. According to research by The National Association of REALTORS®, less and less home owners and choosing to list alone and there are many good reasons why including saving time and money plus gaining an expert opinion.
For all your real estate needs, contact Silvia Portugal at Office (626) 685-1113, cell (562) 577-9953 or by emailing [email protected].
