Benefits of Using a Real Estate Agent

You want to sell your home. The million-dollar question remains: Do I need a real estate agent? The answer depends. For some, a FSBO (for sale by owner) option makes sense. However, in most cases, I would highly recommend using a realtor. Realtors are trained, experienced professionals and have access to everything you need for a straightforward home sale. The benefits of using a real estate agent often outweigh the cost savings of attempting to sell your home solo. Let’s explore some of the top benefits.

REALTORS ARE A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES

Knowledge

There are a lot of things to consider when selling your home. What is a good listing price? How do I prepare my home for the market? How much should I accept as due diligence or earnest money? What is a good counteroffer?

Realtors know how to answer these questions and more. Yes, you could search Google. Or, you could follow a few top notch realtors on social media. But, a realtor who has a pulse on your community and local market and has experience is valuable with a capital V.

Resources

Realtors don’t just have knowledge; they have resources, too. They likely have an entire rolodex of reliable, high-quality people from stagers to inspectors to photographers and more, all ready to help you maximize your home sale. If the real estate agent you choose to use is part of a group, there will be added collaboration that will enhance the knowledge and resources at their disposal.

Realtors use a service called the MLS to list and market homes. They utilize data from the service to determine an appropriate listing price. The MLS is typically reserved for usage by licensed agents and brokers and cannot by used in FSBO situations.

Selling your home is a big deal and you don’t want to go into it lacking information and resources that are vital to the sale. Unless you are an expert, leave it to someone who is. Their value cannot be matched.

IT WILL SAVE YOU TIME

Life is busy. Often so busy that coffee getting cold before we have time to finish it is a regular occurrence. Adding something as big as selling your home into the mix might have you downright exhausted.

Selling a home is a multi-step process. Each step involves extremely time-consuming tasks. In a home sale utilizing an agent, the seller will still have many tasks to do along the way. Without an agent, the seller maintains all those tasks PLUS those typical of a realtor. This doesn’t even take into consideration the additional time needed to research and learn how to execute the roles of an agent properly or how to navigate typical real estate situations.

A realtor has the time you may not. By design, their job is meant to maximize the sale of your home while minimizing your efforts. While this luxury does come with a cost, your time is valuable. The time saved when working with a real estate agent is beneficial and something to be considered.

THE PROCESS AND TRANSACTION WILL BE LEGALLY SOUND

Selling a home and transferring ownership to someone else is a legal transaction. It involves a lot of necessary documentation, and it must be done accurately. A benefit to using a real estate agent is that they have experience with the documents and knowledge about the laws and requirements, overall and state specific.

A real estate agent knows how to write and review a contract and has their client’s best interests in mind. They will be able to make sure the contract is legally sound and protects the seller.

A real estate agent will also know how to complete other forms and disclosures in accordance with the law. Failure to complete necessary paperwork or doing so inaccurately could result in a loss of sale and potential legal trouble.

At the very least, if you are selling your home yourself, make sure to hire a real estate attorney to represent you and help you navigate laws and legal requirements. However, considering the other benefits of using a real estate agent, if you will be paying for an attorney, you might as well pay for a real estate agent to take advantage of everything else they offer as well.

HOME SALES ARE TYPICALLY HIGHER WHEN A REAL ESTATE AGENT IS INVOLVED

When someone wants to sell their own home, it is typically because they want to recoup as much money as possible. Often, they are turned off by a real estate agent’s commission percentage and want to avoid paying this fee. This is completely understandable.

However, did you know that, according to the 2021 National Association of Realtors data, “The typical FSBO home sold for $225,000 compared to $330,000 for agent-assisted home sales.”

One reason is that without access to the knowledge and data real estate agents have, sellers often misprice their home to begin with. Another reason is that when buyers see a home is being sold by an owner, they are more likely to extend a lower offer or try to negotiate a lower price. A third reason is that a high percentage of FSBO homes are sold to someone that the seller knows, increasing the likelihood of a lower-price sale.

If using a real estate agent typically results in a sale that exceed the percentage they will earn from commission, it is a no-brainer to use one and reap the benefits and achieve a higher sale.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

With all these benefits (and more), unless you have knowledge, resources, time, and access to a real estate lawyer, I recommend retiring any FSBO “what ifs.” Realtor fees and commissions can seem daunting, but there are many benefits to using a real estate agent. If you’d like to discuss your options more, please reach out HERE or email me at lauren@laurenfours.com