Why hire a real estate agent to buy a home?
Navigating through a real estate purchase can be an overwhelming journey. While there are many online resources and sites that can help home buyers to deal with all the aspects of transcation on their own, there can be no substitute for an experienced real estate professional. Why?
It is because a seasoned real estate agent knows the market and can save you a great deal of time, efforts and money – by helping you make the right offer, by providing access to more listings, negotiate difficult transactions for you, tackle complicated paperwork and can get you connected with trusted professional service providers in the real estate business. In a nutshell, a professional real estate agent has all the skills and expertise to stay on top of the buying process and help you get a better deal.
1. Real-time knowledge of the market
Real estate agents have their fingers on the pulse of the real estate market. They have access to the latest data and such are able to advise you on the current listing prices and the buying strategies. They can give you a cutting edge over other bidders by being able to provide you reports on comparable homes for sale to help you make more appropriate offers that stand likely to be accepted.
2. Access to more homes
It is true that relevant websites gives buyers easy access to most of the homes that are available for sale. But there are cases when sellers don’t want to advertise aggressively for some personal reasons. In such cases, real estate agents have inside scoops on the latest market listings that are not otherwise advertised on online sources. This way you have more options to choose from.
3. Power of networking
When you are working with a local real estate agent, you will have access to other real estate service professionals. In the course of your dealings, you might need the services of a lender, a home inspector and a real estate attorney. You might also need to contact service providers – such as general contractors, plumbers and painters – who can help you with the repair and maintenance work in order to give a new lease of life to your new home. With their experience and the connections in the real estate industry, agents can easily provide personal trustworthy recommendations.
4. Paperwork expertise
Creating a successful purchase offer is a skill that cannot be learned overnight. Professional agents are experts with drafting complicated and long winding reports, offers and contracts related to the buying process. Contracts and offers are crucial part of the entire transaction process. It is very important to pay close attention to every sentence included in the contract to avoid unforeseen costs and even legal hassles down the road. The buyer’s agents have a wealth of experience as well as the expertise to draft creative offers which not only protects your interests at all levels but are more likely to be accepted.
5. Negotiating abilities
Buying a home is undeniable an emotionally draining process. For most people, it is one of the most important as well as the largest transactions they undertake in their lives. At times like these, it is possible that your judgment is clouded by overwhelming emotions. Agents, on the other hand, are able to help you look at the process with a more practical and logical viewpoint – helping you avoid making any rash decisionsgoogle
. Professional real estate agents are more skilled to handle offers and counteroffers without getting emotional about the deal while keeping your best interests in mind. In fact, your real estate agent can also help you deal with requesting the repairs with the seller – a tricky part in the process of real estate purchase. With vast repository of experience, the agent can help you decide what repair and maintenance issues are reasonable to request and what can be ignored without ruffling any feathers.
6. Avoid closing problems
When a sale approaches the closing stage, there can many things that can go wrong such as unforeseen title issues or that the financing that has not yet come through. A real estate agent is familiar with these last minute challenges and can expertly deal with them before they spiral out of control. At the closing table, there is also going to be a lot of paperwork in the form of agreements and closing contract that needs to be signed. A professional real estate agent knows where to look for the finer prints and even explain the complicated paperwork so that you can sign the closing deal with confidence.
Related article: How a good real estate agent can help you sell your house quickly?