subject: The Pros And Cons Of Using A Real Estate Agent [print this page] When you are buying or selling a home, you will in all likelihood consider using a real estate agent. The pros and cons of using a real estate agent need to be weighed up before you decide whether to appoint an agent, and considered when choosing the agent. Usually, when considering all the aspects involved in buying or selling a property on your own, employing the services of a real estate agent begins to sound better by the minute.
Advantages
1.A full time real estate agent has experience in selling or buying homes. That is how they make their living. It's their job to promote your home or to find one for you, and they have the time and skills to do it.
They have all the information and skills necessary to bring about a happy financial outcome for you. If they have experience in the area, they will know the selling points and the drawbacks of the area too.
A real estate agent can access the Multiple Listing Service, where there is a greater range of listings and potential clients. Realtors are members of the National Association of Realtors which subscribes to a Code of Ethics that in many cases surpasses the legal requirements.
4.The agent bears the cost of marketing your home, which can add up quite quickly. They also have an existing network of possible buyers and sellers that they can contact quickly and easily. Online marketing should not be a problem for them.
5.They handle the paperwork, financing and legalities for you, and know the processes for accepting or making offers, drawing up contracts etc. They have alignments with financial organizations and property attorneys that you would have to research and find yourself.
Downsides
If you want to use an agent, you will have to pay for their services, be it a buyer's or a seller's agent. Although these may seem quite substantial, they must be weighed against the cost of marketing your own home and the time spent trying to sell or buy on your own.
2.Misunderstandings and mis-communication can make your experience with an agent unpleasant. A constant battle of wills as well as a different agenda can result in a trying and counterproductive relationship between agent and client.
Due to the contract you are obliged to sign with your agent, you become fully dependent on them. These are often as long as 6 months, during which time you may not feel any progress has been made.
Choosing an agent unsuitable for you will result in a horrible and straining experience.
You can put together an entire collection of stories about unprincipled and dishonest real estate agents who, driven by greed, are not concerned with providing their clients with a quality service. As with most things in life, we tend to hear more about the bad experiences than the good ones, and good real estate agents certainly do exist. Your choice of real estate agent will affect your experience with them, but in general their knowledge of the market, the process of selling or buying a house and their sales skills are difficult to match.
