Franklin Realty Consultants

Why use a Real Estate Agent When Selling Real Estate?

For most people, a real estate transaction is the single largest financial undertaking they'll experience in their lifetime. It makes sense to secure the expertise of an agent to ensure all parties involved in the transaction are represented honestly. Today, most real estate transactions involve dollar amounts exceeding $200,000. There are business dealings (i.e. tax issues and legal questions) that revolve around smaller sums of money that you'd seek out the expertise of a professional - so, don't you think the small cost of a real estate professional is well worth the investment?

Pricing Your Home

The process of selling your home generally begins with determining an asking price. A Real Estate Agent knows the current market trends, the asking prices of other homes for sale in your area, the actual price received on sold properties, and the asking prices of homes that did not sell. Furthermore, they have knowledge of the financing and sales terms/conditions of competing properties.

Marketing and Advertising Your Home

An agent can provide a marketing plan and recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly improve the salability of your home. Marketing enhances the exposure of your home to potential buyers and other agents that may have buyers. In many cases real estate transactions are cooperative (i.e. an agent other than yours brings a buyer to the table). Utilizing various tools and resources, such as magazines, television shows, Internet Web sites, and the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), your agent will disseminate information about your home to prospective buyers and other real estate agents.

Security

With a real estate agent, you can be sure that the people entering your property are not simply strangers, but rather pre-screened and qualified prospects.

Negotiating the Sale

For both buyers and sellers, the negotiation process is relatively the same. An can effectively evaluate an offer without jeopardizing your home's marketing position. When an offer is made, the complex steps begin: appraisals, inspections, title, and financing - each a potential deal-breaker. An agent can help you avoid pitfalls and make any agreements mutually satisfactory and legally binding, which helps ensure the agreement makes it through the entire process effortlessly.

Issue Resolution

Even after the sales agreement is signed, unexpected issues may arise, such as repairs required by the findings of an inspector or a problem is found with the title. Completing the required documentation for these issues can be quite a daunting task for any seller, but your real estate agent can assist you in resolving these types of problems and get the transaction back on track and into closing.