If you are thinking of buying, selling or renting a home, the answer is most definitely yes! But why?
Realtors work for you, not against you (If you let them). Sales strategy and negotiations are most definately a big part of what we need to be good at, but there is a whole lot more to it.
Your Realtor will be your right hand. You must trust them to walk you through an extremely difficult transaction and give advise based on your interest as opposed to theirs.
If your selling we need to:
- Find you a buyer, in order to do that:
- Prepare your home to be seen, suggest repairs or updates that may need to be made, assist in staging (or making the home more presentable to all buyers).
- If repairs are needed suggest qualified contractors that can do the work.
- When ready for buyers, job #1 is to market the home. Of course we will go to our contacts, but making sure your home has maximum visibility to both other real estate agents as well as buyers. This will include marketing online, print adds, open houses, social media and Pictures!
- Professional photos are a must! The vast majority of buyers will see your home online first. My biggest pet peeve is the lack of poor photos. I can not tell you how much this will affect your potential buyers. There are way too many homes on the market with sideways cell phone pictures and they will be overlooked by the home that is smaller, more expensive and doesn't completely meet the criteria listed next door just because they liked it more when they saw it online.
- More shared responsibilities under Buyer section...
If you are buying we need to:
- Find you a home!
- Are you ready to buy? Have you spoken to a lender? Part of our job is to point you in the right direction. A good Realtor will recommend more than one lender for you to talk to before taking you out to look at houses.
- Once we have a budget of what you can afford and are comfortable with, your Realtor needs to be able to listen to what you want. What are your must haves, like to haves and absolutely can't have? Your Realtor should be able to listen to that and Translate it into a search so you are not looking at homes that do not meet your needs.
- Found a house? Lets make an offer. Your Realtor needs to know what the market is doing right now. Is the seller asking too much? Are they asking too little? If your realtor says, You need to offer more, would you trust them (Again, trust is imperative and there sre times this is necessary)
Responsibilities for both:
- You have an effective contract.
- Dates will need to be watched closely.
- Surprises WILL come up: Your Realtor needs to be able to walk you through them and advise you accordingly.
- Negotiations will continue up until closing. Is there a place to haggle? Are you preparred for the negotiations that are likely? Knowing something is coming can help you mentally prepare and approach them calmly.
- Contracts have multiple parts. Did everything get disclosed? Are you in a MUD, HOA, water frontage, Septic systems, whats included with the home and what isn't.
- Lastly, we keep track of all these parts, make sure everything happens when it's supposed to get you to closing.
Whatever side you are on, you should have representation. I would recommend you interview multiple agents. Your Realtor must be competent on the process of the transaction and you should be able to trust them. You will be working with them for weeks to months. Are they listening to what you need and do they care? Are they straight forward with you, will they tell you something you don't want to hear like, "Your home isn't worth what you think it is and the consequences of what happens with a home that is over priced" or, "the home you really love is a really bad purchase." That is part of the job too.
I make a living in real estate because I love it. I love the relationships, the 1 on 1 and the joy I get to be a part of as clients transition from one part of life to another. If you are interested, consider letting me apply for the job as your Realtor. Completely free consultation, 100% no pressure. If I don't impress you, I'll shake your hand and thank you for your time.
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