You already know the less stressful way to sell your home is through a real estate professional, but you may not realize how much your agent really does for you.
A real estate agent is licensed and regulated by the state to sell real estate. But many agents offer above standard services to their clients.
What does that really mean?
It means the agent you choose have the most up-to-date professional advice and services, anything from providing detailed information to work with you on pricing your home, to helping stage your home prior to putting it on the market, to working with you on finding the right buyer to working with you through to the closing.
An experienced agent will have vast knowledge of the real estate market as a whole and specifics about the local markets as well. He or she will be able to provide you with comparable market values, trend information about the market, knowledge of or access to professional mortgage advice, appraisal requirements, current or at least recent code changes you may potentially need to make to upgrade your home as well as information to help you develop a pricing and marketing strategy.
A knowledgeable agent will market your home on the MLS, third-party sites and on signs, flyers, blogs and other media. Many of your first showings will probably come from your experienced agent’s contacts and previous clients along with their personal and professional contacts.
A good agent will also work with buyer agents to make sure the buyers who do come see your home are pre-qualified and financially ready to make a purchase. He or she can also help you review any offers that come in, guide you through the negotiation process and help you write a counter-offer.
If anything is going to go wrong, it will probably happen at or right before the closing. For example, serious damage could be found during the inspection or the house may not meet the buyer’s appraisal price. A good agent would know how to react to these challenges and provide assistance in solving these problems. A good agent will also be proactive and anticipate other issues that may arise and can keep everyone involved on task.
Also a good agent will not disappear after the closing, he or she will follow up with you after you move in and periodically over time. There should be a trust built between the agent and the seller, so much so that when the seller is ready to buy or sell another home, there is no doubt who they will call – their original agent.
“For great agents, professionalism is about building a relationship that lasts a lifetime, from helping you buy your first home, to helping you sell your home and move up, to downsizing when you become an empty nester.” Blanche Evans
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