Working with an Agent Vs. Working Alone

What are the benefits of selling your home with a real estate agent?

A good real estate agent brings experience and knowledge to the home-selling experience that can ease the process for their clients.

Pricing a home correctly is the key step to a successful sale, and an agent's experience selling other homes in your area and knowledge of the market as whole, can help him or her determine how to price your home to sell.

A good real estate agent is also familiar with local laws, like those regarding issues you may have to disclose to potential sellers, and will be familiar with staging a home -- ways to arrange furniture and belongings so the space appeals to potential home buyers.

An experienced agent will also know where to advertise your home for optimum exposure and will handle placing the listings for you. The price of advertising is usually included in the agent's commission.

Once there is interest, he or she will then take potential home buyers on tours of your house and will often arrange open houses.

According to the National Association of Realtors, home sellers who use an agent receive 16 percent more for their homes.

More Real Estate Tips.

How can an agent help you buy a house?

Real estate agents are not just for home sellers. A relatively new phenomenon, buyer agency, will get an agent in your corner. The cost of a buyer agent will usually be included in the price of the home. In most cases, the buyer agent will split the commission with the selling agent.

A buyer agent has knowledge of the marketplace that will help you get a fair price for your home and has access to the Multiple Listing Service, giving you access to thousands of homes for sale.

The buyer agent can also assist you when reviewing loans and financing options, according to the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents.

You'll usually have to sign a contract with your buyer agent, which will specify what you're looking for in a house, and will guarantee the agent a commission if you buy a house.

More Real Estate Tips.

How can an agent help you find a good lender?

We have all heard about the foreclosure crisis that is gripping most of the United States. People are losing their homes all over the country, and in the majority of cases, it's because they signed up for loans they could not afford. Many consumers were not aware of what they were getting into when they signed loan papers during the last few years of the housing boom. The mortgage industry has tightened its standards, but finding a good lender is still important.

When you buy a home, you should have a thorough understanding of the loan and a real estate agent can help you find a lender who will treat you fairly and explain the lending process fully.

Ask your real estate agent to educate you on the basics of mortgages; the different types, what may work for you. Many agents, because of their experience, have relationships with reputable lenders who will find you the best loan for your circumstances. Ask your agent for a referral.

More Real Estate Tips.

How do you find a real estate agent?

Whether you're buying or selling a home, you're embarking on a complicated and sometimes lengthy journey. You want to make sure you choose a real estate agent who has experience with the type of property you are selling or want to buy.

If you are not moving far, you should ask friends and family for recommendations. If someone you know has found an agent who got them their dream house, or who sold their three-bedroom quickly and for a fair price, give that agent a call.

The Internet is also a powerful way to find an agent. Many Web sites have listings of agents, which link to the agent's own site. The agent's Web site will tell you whether they're a jack-of-all-trades or whether they specialize in luxury homes, new homes or condos.

If you're buying a house, you may consider hiring a buyer agent: an agent whose loyalties will lie with you, not the seller, and who will try to get you the best deal available.

More Real Estate Tips.

How do you sell a house fast?

Just got a great new job on the opposite coast or getting transferred in a month? There are many reasons you might need to sell your home quickly and there are some steps you can take to help that happen. In many areas of the country, the housing market is slowing down, but selling quickly is still a possibility.

• Consider hiring a real estate agent. Unless you have a lot of time to devote to selling your home, it will probably be difficult to sell your home quickly unless you use an agent.
  
• Price your home reasonably. Use a Web-based home valuation tool and talk to your agent about how much similar homes in your neighborhood have recently sold for, and price your home accordingly.
  
• Stage your home. This will help anyone who wants to sell their home, but is especially important when you're trying to get buyers interested quickly.
• According to Smart Money Magazine, hiring a photographer and posting the professionally-done photos on the Internet with your listing can help generate interest quickly.
• Smart Money also advises sellers to consider adding concessions to help attract a buyer. Offering to pay extra fees that are not your responsibility, or making improvements so the buyer won't have to after they move in could make your home more enticing.
  

More Real Estate Tips.

What does a real estate agent do for you?

Your real estate agent does a lot to earn that commission and you may never be aware of the work that went into selling your home.

• Your agent will collaborate with you to correctly price your home. As a seller, you may use home valuation tools, but it's best to work with your agent to make sense of all the information you collect. They will use their market knowledge to figure out a price that will get someone to buy your home, but will also get you the most for your home.
  
• Their will handle buyer inquiries and home showing, a process that can be time-consuming. They may get calls from people who are just kicking the tires and don't intend to buy soon, as well as calls from people who are serious about purchasing a home. Your real estate agent will spend much of their time talking to buyers and giving tours of your home.
  
• They will handle all the advertising. They know what works: which Web sites get results and which magazines and newspapers are most often read by potential home buyers. They will take care of taking pictures of your home to post on the Web or in ads and will update postings and listings. You'll never have to think about it.
  
• Your agent can help you stage your home before showing it to potential buyers. Many professionals say the first impression can make or break a deal. The agent will know how to clear out the clutter and arrange your furniture to make your home more appealing to potential buyers.

More Real Estate Tips.

What does an agent have access to that you don't?

There are reasons to use a real estate agent to sell your home, aside from the work they will save you. Real estate agents have access to resources that people who sell their own homes do not, and those resources can result in a faster sale and higher price for you. You should use an agent for the following reasons:

• They have access to the national and local Multiple Listing Service, or MLS. This is only available to real estate professionals, so you can't list your own home on one. Other real estate agents use the MLS to find homes to show their clients, so you can attract a great variety of potential home buyers.
• Real estate agents have an intimate knowledge of your local housing market and will know the ins and outs of how to sell a home there. Have prices in your town been declining, as they have been in many states across the country? Your real estate agent will know how to price your house to sell.
• Agents also have access to other agents and, via them, hundreds of home buyers.

More Real Estate Tips.