subject: What Real Estate Agents Do For You [print this page] Many people often wonder why they should seek the assistance of a real estate agent when there is such a wealth of information available on the World Wide Web. People who are selling often have questions on if they should sell traditionally on the regular real estate market or through other forms of advertising themselves. Some people succeed without needing an agent but others fail at this.
Experience and Education
A real estate agent knows all about selling and buying real estate. They're professionals in the field. The rates are typically the same across the board so you need to determine who the right fit for your situation is. Hiring a real estate agent saves you the time of having to learn all the information by doing the work for you.
Neighborhood Knowledge
A real estate agent must know the neighborhood or how to find information about it. They are able to find the useful details on crime, schools, and informative demographics. They can also look at prior home sales in the area. You can see how much a home sold for but real estate agents can find out how long it was on the market and the circumstances surrounding it.
Price Guidance
Agents are not the people who determine the sales price for either party but they can assist individuals with setting the right price for sales. The price that is officially set has to be based on a variety of factors.
Market Conditions Information
Real estate agents are well aware of the current market conditions to help you buy and sell alike. Some factors which you need to know that determine price include average sales prices, days on the market, and cost per square foot of the homes in the area as well.
Professional Networking
Real estate agents also have connections with other people that are tied in with both selling and buying a home. Since competition occurs many real estate agents work with their connections privately and do not disclose their sources. They have statistics on who works and how well they do. If you prefer, an agent may be willing to supply you with a varied list of people they have worked with previously that are reputable.
Negotiation Skills and Confidentiality
The most successful real estate agents are those who don't contain any emotional attachment to the job. They are very skilled and don't just relay information between buyers and sellers. They are, and do, represent the individual they are hired to work for. If they're working for the buyer they want to try to negotiate the lowest possible price. If they're working for the seller, they need to try to get the buyer to pay the asking price.
Handling Volumes of Paperwork
Buying a home is a paperwork heavy process. The agreements are multiple pages and some of them are over 10 pages. These aren't including the state and federal disclosures and customs as well. The thickness of a typical real estate document is anywhere from one to three inches thick. It is a hefty amount of paperwork so you don't want to have any errors or even a problem with a blank line that wasnt signed. These can be quite confusing and some require lawyers to keep yourself protected.
Answer Questions After Closing
It may seem like the transaction went without any complications but this is not always the case for everybody. Sometimes problems with property tax assessments, transfer tax, or doc stamps can happen and it is best if you have a real estate agent to work it out. If you have a good one, they will be willing and able to answer and handle all questions.
Lori English is a Los Angeles real estate agent, broker and internet business woman. As a web expert, she writes about LA homes for sale, as well as for other websites. With her experience, certificates, and degrees, she understands real estate, the internet business, and how to invest in properties.
