Advantages of Using a Realtor

With the real estate market stabilizing somewhat, Sellers who are on the borderline between making a net profit or loss on a home sale are sometimes tempted to try to sell on their own.  These “For Sale by Owner” (FSBO) scenarios are filled with the potential for liability and financial risk.  Suppose a Seller is comfortable with these possibilities.  Is there any other reason to list a home with a Realtor?  The reason Sellers list a home with a real estate agent lies in the services the Realtor provides.  In effect, the Seller is buying the benefits of the Realtor’s contacts, experience and knowledge, all of which can make a home sell more quickly, possibly for more money and definitely with less trouble than by going it alone. When potential clients want to know what a Realtor brings to the transaction, I mention a few key characteristics that I bring to the table:

Knowledge.  Real estate agents have knowledge of the market that will help in pricing a home accurately. An overpriced home will sit while those around it sell. On the other hand, an under priced home may move quickly, but the Seller won’t get the profit they could have.  Striking a balance and maximizing the financial goals of the client is a skill that comes with both experience and a keen interest in market dynamics.  Moreover, experienced Realtors excel in process management.  The majority of what needs to occur in a real estate transaction is familiar territory to a Realtor.

Objectivity.  A good Realtor has training about how to market a home and can suggest changes that will make a home more appealing to Buyers. Some of these may be as simple as moving a chair to make a room more accessible. Others may be more time consuming clean-ups or repairs. Following an agent’s suggestions will result in a home being in tip-top shape and less likely to raise concerns in Buyers. Face it, a Buyer who notices one repair unmade will start looking for others. The Realtor is objective about the home and will see it with a fresh eye. Sellers may have lived with cracked porcelain or a missing doorknob so long that they don’t even notice. Objectivity also permits the real estate agent to respond rationally to any criticisms of the property that Buyers may make.

Contacts.  The majority of houses are bought and sold through real estate agents.  As a result, FSBO Sellers cut off a large number of the Buyers that Realtors have in the queue.  Even more important is the contact solicitation through exposure of the property.  A Realtor places the home in the MLS or Multiple Listing Service. Information about the home goes into a computer network that is instantly updated and, depending on the agent’s on line marketing focus, gets syndicated to potentially hundreds of other websites where Buyers search for homes.  Making the home easily findable and searchable on line is critical, since over 80% of home searches start on line.  Other sources of contacts include Relocation referrals, usually available only to real estate agents.  In addition, the Realtor’s brokerage virtual and/or physical caravans are another source of contact.  There are a plethora of other sources of contacts and leads accessed by Realtors that are not accessible to FSBOs.

Security.  A question that sometimes keeps Sellers up at night is this:  Just whom are you letting inside your home? Most people would not normally open the door to a total stranger and let them walk through their house, but that's what FSBOs do.  Even if the person looking at the home intends you no harm, he/she may not be a serious home shopper. Realtors pre-qualify customers as to price range and seriousness before committing to s will commit a lot of time spend with them.  Therefore, working with a Realtor ensures that few, if any, non-buyers enter the home.

Availability. A home listed with an agent is on the market all the time. Agents have cell phones and offices backing them up (and seem to work 24/7).  The lock box that agents use allows your home to be shown whether you are available or not.

These are just a few of the many attributes a Realtor brings to the table.  They build a foundation upon which all other tasks are laid and serve as valuable advantages in the real estate transaction.