When looking to buy or sell a home, you may think that hiring an agent is an obvious first step. But not everyone shares that same opinion. In fact, 8% of home sales are For Sale By Owners (FSBOs) who were looking to cut out “the middleman,” and 13% of buyers buy without an agent. Although initially, it may sound like a good decision, MG Residential has 4 reasons why hiring an agent could be your BEST decision.
- Negotiating/ Negotiations Agents are trained to be effective negotiators and have vast knowledge and experience in drawing up agreements, contingencies, etc. Emphasis on the term experience! They have been through numerous home purchases and so have a keen eye on predicting potential hiccups that you may not have thought of on your own. Although verbal agreements may not seem calamitous, agents will help you to understand how auspicious a paper trail and documentation can be – sometimes saving you thousands of dollars on a transaction. Agents also are able to navigate what could be considered as minor issues, like repairs and subtle adversities, that the seller may adamantly counter.
- Connections/ Network Having an agent means you can tap into the INVALUABLE network of the Real Estate community. These connections and bridges created by agents can help minimize time spent throughout the different stages of buying and listing your home.
- Ethics When dealing with a transaction, it’s comforting to know that both parties feel obligated to some sort of ethical standard. By hiring an agent, you can be assured by the fact that every licensed agent is held to a strict code of standard ethics.
- Third-Party Expertise It’s important to understand and be knowledgeable of all the ropes when it comes to the home-buying and home-selling process. Throughout a transaction, your agent will assist you in the different stages and share knowledge and advice on best practice. Stages like going through a housing inspection could be a complete non-issue or a really expensive repair.
