What a Real Estate Agent Can Do for You

Are you thinking about selling your home? Are you considering selling it on your own because you don't want to pay the commission to a real estate agent? While you may first think the commission rates charged by a real estate agent are high, you will change your mind when you discover everything they will do for you when selling your home.

Comparable Market Value
The first thing your real estate agent will do for you is determine the fair market value of he property. He or she will determine this number by comparing your property to others that are currently listed on the market and those that have sold within the past year. They will find properties that closely resemble your property and make adjustments for the differences. When your real estate agent completes the comparable market value of your property, they will print out a copy of the report for you to view.

Detail to Increase the Value and Sell
The real estate agent will also be able to offer you advice on how you can increase the value of your property. If you have been contemplating whether or not it would be worth investing the money in a bathroom remodel, they can advise you if the investment will bring a major difference in the value or whether you should sell it as is.

They can also advise you on what may need to be done in order for the property to sell quickly. This may include such things as repainting both the exterior and interior of the home and improving the curb appeal by making the outside of the home more appealing.

Create a Marketing Strategy
Your real estate will also create a marketing strategy to sell your property. This may include print advertising, online advertising, and other forms of media. As they have expertise in the area of marketing properties and many contacts, they will understand the best methods to use when developing a strategy for your property.

Property Disclosures
Your real estate agent will also provide you with all of the necessary paperwork you need to sell your property. This will include property disclosures that you will need to fill out with all of the information on your property. This will include many components of your home, including the heating system, water system, and roof. You will want to include in the disclosures any problems you have had with your property since you have owned it, including any leaks, problems with the water, and mold. The property disclosure will detail all of the information you will need to include for potential buyers, including a Lead Paint Disclosure.

Buyer Questions and Scheduling
As the real estate agent will become very familiar with your property, they will handle all questions and inquiries about it. They will speak to your potential buyers and answer their questions with both knowledge and professionalism. They will also take care of scheduling showing for your property and inform you of any showings that have been scheduled.

Showings and Follow Up
The wonderful thing about hiring a real estate agent is that you do not have to be around for the showings on your property. The real estate agent will not only schedule all of the showings, they will take care of the showings themselves. While not all real estate agents are at every showing, if this is something you desire, they will accommodate you. When they are not available for showings, they will provide another real estate agent access to your home to show the potential buyers.

Presentation of Offers
When an offer is received on your property, the real estate agent will go over all aspects of the offer in detail. They will use their expertise to advise you on both the positive and negative aspects of the offer and what measures you should take in either accepting the offer as is or counter offering with any changes. They will then return the accepted offer or counter offer back to the buyer's real estate agent for further action and continue with the process until your home is under contract or the offer has fallen through.

Inspections and Other Contingencies
When an offer comes through on your home, there may be certain things that must be met in order for the sale to go through. These are known as contingencies. These may include such items as a home inspection, financial matters, and anything the buyer feels they must check out before buying the home. Your real estate will be there for all required inspections and follow up on all of the contingencies of the offer.

Closing
Your real estate agent will also work closely with the buyer's real estate agent in all of the matters in the closing of the property. They will follow up on any issues that may arise in the sale process and make sure the property closes successfully.

While many people often think that the commission a real estate agent makes on the sale of a property is too high, the fact is the real estate has the expertise needed to thoroughly handle all aspects of the sale process. A real estate agent may show one property fifty times before an offer is received. Another property may only be shown once. This is something the real estate agent has no control over and regardless of how many times the property shows, the real estate agent puts every effort into making sure the sale goes smoothly.

You will also find that statistics prove that when a property is listed with a real estate agent, the property will sell for a significant amount more than those whose owners decide to sell them for sale by owner. If it is money that you are concerned with, you will list your property with a real estate agent.