4 Reasons To Always Work With A Realtor

All real estate transactions are not created equally.

Anyone that has ever had a bad experience either buying or selling a home certainly can attest to this. Using the wrong real estate agent, or worse, no agent at all can lead you on a path that is difficult to overcome. You may lose out on your dream home or get caught up in a prolonged legal battle. Your property transaction is too big to trust with an inexperienced co-worker or to rely on information from social media. As is the case with many items in life, you often get what you pay for, and there is too much at stake not to use a professional realtor. Here are four reasons to always work with a realtor.

1. Just because you stay on top of your local real estate market doesn’t necessarily make you an expert. There are many factors and influences go into a sale. Reading about the bottom line in your weekend newspaper doesn’t always give you a true indication of a market. An experienced realtor knows how, when and even why a property sold for the amount it sold for. It most likely saw the property at an open house and possibly even exchanged an offer with the listing agent. Your realtor is a professional that lives and breathes everything real estate. This experience will help you during difficult deals and allow you get through any potential pitfalls with negotiation. There truly isn’t a substitute for experience and a quality realtor has it in spades.
2. Legal Advice. There is a lot more that goes into a deal than you may realize. If you have always worked with a realtor, you simply let them handle the contract and step out of the way. If you try to sell your own home, you will quickly realize that you may be in over your head. It is not wise to use a standard contract you can download online. This may be cost effective, but if there is a dispute it could end up costing you thousands of dollars. The contract is the only thing you have to protect you in a dispute. If the language is off or there are items omitted, you may be bound to adhere to whatever is on the contract. Not knowing what you are signing is not an excuse. For contract advice alone, you would be wise to work with a realtor.
3. Marketing. There is no question of the power and reach of social media. That being said, putting your home on Facebook and waiting for offers to flood in is not very realistic. If you are selling your home, nothing can replace the power of the MLS (multiple listing service). The MLS is a portal that all local real estate agents have access to. Every time a new property is listed they receive an instant alert. If there are 300 local realtors that is 300 people who have access to buyers who can start generating buzz. There is a big difference in getting calls about your property and producing buyers who actually want to buy your home. A realtor has that power and can make the process that much easier.
4. Negotiation. As obvious as it sounds, your goal is to always get the best possible deal, whether you are buying or selling. How you negotiate will directly impact your bottom line. Gone are the days where you can list your home high, wait for an offer and close in the middle. There is serious negotiation that takes place on not only the price, but every aspect on the property. If you don’t know what you are doing a skilled realtor will have their way with you and get whatever they want. This could leave you out tens of thousands of dollars or have you walking away disappointed in your offer.

Just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean that you should. Your real estate transaction is too important to roll the dice and hope for the best. Whatever you think you are saving, you can lose threefold if something unexpected pops up. Always work with a licensed, professional realtor.