1. Hire an expert: A typical property owner does not have anywhere near the home-selling experience of a real-estate agent. Agents can recommend relatively simple improvements - painting, repairing, decluttering - that can help a home sell faster and for a better price. "The Realtor is the neighborhood expert,". "We can walk through a property and see right away what needs to be done to [get the home sold]." Independent sellers might not be aware of these tricks of the trade. Your realtor will also be able to provide you with detailed MARKET REPORTS of homes that have recently SOLD in your neighborhood and homes that are currently available in The Woodlands. Click HERE for a sample report of Cochran's Crossing.
2. Marketing tools: Homeowners using agents can get their property listed on Realtor.com, "which has more far-reaching access to market that property - with over 3 million properties on it - than the for-sale-by-owner sites, which have tens of thousands,". Independent sellers do not have access to this service. (Realtor.com is an MSN Real Estate partner.) Realtors in The Woodlands use www.HAR.com to market your home, with over 60,000 listings in the Houston area, Realtors from all different companies will be able to view your home.
3. Avoid lawsuits: Agents can also protect sellers from potential litigation. "There are all kinds of liability issues that a seller could potentially face when ... dealing one-on-one with a buyer,". A homeowner could, for example, tell a potential buyer that hardwood floors extend to all corners of the house underneath the wall-to-wall carpeting. But if even one room has concrete flooring, the homeowner could be sued. Agents, who have experience dealing with these liability issues, can help homeowners dodge such scenarios.
4. Avoid riffraff: Independent sellers might not have any idea whom they are letting into their homes. These potential buyers might not have the credit to make the purchase - and would therefore be wasting the homeowner's time - or could even "try to rob them later on,". "It's a very scary kind of thing." Homeowners working with agents will have qualified buyers visiting their properties. With higher end properties your Realtor can require that buyers show a financial pre-qualifaction letter and also accompany all showings, even when the buyer's Realtor is present.
5. Avoid Harsh Negotions: It's a buyer's market out there. And with all the information available online, today's well-informed buyers are tough negotiators. Real-estate agents have been through the home-selling process before and are trained in negotiating tactics, giving them a potential edge in hammering out a deal in the seller's best interest. "It's hard to do that with your own property, particularly if you are not a professional,".
Looking to buy a house or sell your home? Contact Pippa MAC, ReMax REALTOR for more information on homes for sale in The Woodlands.
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