Real estate agents aren’t just for buying homes – they can also help you sell one. In fact, hiring a real estate agent to list your home could be the difference between it selling quickly…or staying on the market forever.
Regardless of whether you’re planning to buy or sell, a real estate agent can make your life easier. An experienced agent understands local housing markets and will know how to price your home so that it sells fast and for top dollar. A good agent will understand legal nuances specific to your neighborhood and provide advice on smaller details like cleaning up the yard and making small repairs.
An excellent discount realtor will have even more benefits: They will sell your home for a lower commission than a traditional real estate agent or Realtor, negotiate with potential buyers on your behalf, set up an open house, and interview potential buyers so that you don’t have to.
Selling a home can take a while—and it’s stressful.
As you know, a home is a person’s most valuable asset. So if you’re considering putting yours up for sale, you probably have questions about timing, cost, and other factors. You also have to be patient: The average sale takes about 90 days.
During that time, you have to maintain your home, deal with prospective buyers and manage your emotions. A real estate agent can help with all of this. They can help you select the best time to put your home on the market.
They can also help you estimate repair costs, create a marketing plan, choose between a for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) and traditional listing and manage your emotions. An agent might even be able to help you find a place to live while you’re waiting to close.
An agent will market your home and screen buyers.
A real estate agent will help create a beautiful home listing, complete with photos and marketing copy. They will also scour multiple online listing sites and traditional print ads to make sure that your home appears in as many places as possible.
This ensures that lots of potential buyers see your listing. At the same time, an agent will screen buyers. You might be tempted to let first-time homebuyers or cash buyers move in right away. But these folks often don’t have the funds to close on a house. An agent will screen out such prospects and keep your home on the market for longer.
An agent will handle the nitty-gritty details.
When you sell your home, you must prepare the property for showings and open houses. You’ll need to change any light bulbs that don’t work, tidy up items that guests can trip on, and even clean out your closets.
A real estate agent will help with all of this and more. They will also make sure that your home is safe and secure for buyers and that your house is energy-efficient for today’s buyers. Your agent will also schedule an inspection, interview prospective buyers and handle disclosures.
Agents also negotiate on your behalf.
If you don’t have a contract or if the one you do have has issues, an agent will fix them. They will negotiate with prospective buyers to ensure that they close on time and for the price you want.
In short, an agent will negotiate to make sure that both you and the buyer get everything you deserve. And if there are issues with the contract, an agent can help you negotiate a solution.
Bottom line: Hiring an agent is worth it
If you want to get the best price for your home, you should hire a real estate agent. In fact, a study by the National Association of Realtors found that homes that are sold by an agent sell for an average of $32,000 more than those sold by owners.
The bottom line: Hiring an agent is worth it.