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Page 1: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

Why Sellers Need to Hire a Real Estate Agent

11 Reasons Why Sellers Need to Hire A Real Estate Agent

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Page 2: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

It is easy to see why a lot of home sellers do not want to hire a real estate agent. As a seller, ofcourse you want to get as much money as you can out of the sale so you would rather sell thehome and not have to pay commission to an agent.

Often those same sellers find out the hard way that agents do a whole lot more than just put a signin the yard and hope someone buys yours property. They do a lot of marketing, take care of themyriad of issues that pop up, find resources to help you with whatever your needs are, and typicallyhave your best interest at heart.

Unless you are well versed in selling homes yourself, it is always better to hire a real estate agentto help take you from listed to sold on your property!

Here are 11 good reasons why sellers need to hire a real estate agent when they are ready to puttheir home on the market.

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Page 3: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

Seller Price Guidance

This is important if you want to ensure your home is market priced to get the most money possiblein the current market. There is a fine line between being at the top of the price market and being apoor deal for buyers. Overpriced homes typically sit with very little activity. It is just that simple!

If you price it too low you may be leaving funds on the table and selling your home way below itspotential selling price. With the help of an experienced real estate agent, you can price your hometo generate buyer interest and be competitively priced at the same time.

Right priced properties get plenty of attention and often sell quickly for top dollar. No doubt, that iswhat all sellers want, regardless where you call home!

Access to Real Estate Agent Professional Network

This industry is a massive one that requires a network of professionals for best results. This is whyreal estate agents team up with other professionals like handymen, inspectors, lawyers, mortgageprofessionals, painters, photographers, and the like. Often times it takes this entire team ofprofessionals to get a home through closing.

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Page 4: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

That is part of the reason why it is very important upfront to check out several agents beforedeciding on one to represent you in the sale of your home. The right agent will have a long list ofresources they can rely on when needed.

You want your agent to be able to tap into their trusted and proven network when the need arisesto solve whatever issue comes up quickly and professionally. You also want them to provide qualityadvice, that may or may not require one of their partners to get involved, in order to give your homeevery advantage of catching the attention of real estate buyers and investors. Anything less isdefinitely a disservice to you!

Get the Best Options for Financing Purposes

Yes, even sellers need financing, especially when there is work to be done to the home before it issold. By taking advantage of available financing options, you can get the money that you need tofix your home and increase its resale value. The better your home looks the longer buyers will stayin it to determine if it is the right house for their needs.

Getting an equity loan may be exactly what you need to give your home a facelift or a minormakeover and take it from drab to fab. You can bet this will provide an excellent opportunity toimpress potential buyers who are out looking for their dream home in your neighborhood.

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Page 5: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

As always, ensure you discuss your options with a mortgage professional to get the best financingadvice before you decide on a plan of attack. Your local real estate agent should be available toprovide you with mortgage references and tips as needed.

Have a Marketing Expert On Your Team

In essence, real estate agents are marketers and some are definitely better at their craft thanothers. If your agent does not do any marketing, or does the bare minimum compared to their localcontemporaries, you need to look for another agent!

Without adequate marketing, you will not get nearly as much reach for your listing as you should.Search online to see which agents keep popping up, visit their websites to see what they offersellers, ask your sphere of influence about those on your short list, then ensure you interview thoseyou are interested in working with to determine what their marketing will do to improve yourchances of selling your home.

The best real estate agents constantly update their marketing techniques and skills. With theirexperience, they have determined the strategies that work and the ones that do not. Whenever indoubt, ask the real estate agents you interview what type of marketing they provide (online, offline(i.e. print media), or both), how that benefits getting your home seen and sold, and how their

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Page 6: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

marketing sets them apart from other local agents.

Get Listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

Hopefully your agent’s brokerage participates in the Multiple Listing Service that provides the list ofavailable homes in your area. By getting listed on the MLS, your listing can get a massive amountof exposure, both locally and by third party aggregate sites as well. Many agents will have a feed(IDX) setup on their site to allow you to view the available listings in your area.

The only way to take advantage of this quality service is to list your home with a professional realestate agent. They have the capability to list your home in the MLS to be seen by other agents andconsumers alike. This is not a task you can perform on your own…an agent needs to do it for you.

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Page 7: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

Tap into a Network of Ready and Qualified Buyers

How many ready and qualified buyers do you know of? Be honest…not many I would guess. Howmany qualified buyers will that “For Sale By Owner” sign in your yard attract? Sure, you can attracta lot of potential buyers provided that you market your listing right, but how many of them are reallyserious and are qualified to buy? How dedicated are you to deal with showings, issues, andeverything else that comes with selling your home?

Real estate agents, in addition to helping sellers, help buyers as well. They often have a network ofready and qualified buyers that are ready to buy as soon as a particular style, price point, or homein a specific location becomes available.

The agent you hire will play the matchmaker. He or she will cross-reference your home to buyers’they know and ensure those real estate consumers have the latest information about your listing tomake a solid decision on whether or not they want to view the property. Also, agents will often alsoshare their new listing details with other agents in-case those agents have buyers who are lookingfor whatever your property offers.

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Page 8: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

Get Help with the Paperwork

No one wants to plow through mounds upon mounds of paperwork, regardless of the reason.No.One. Unfortunately, the process of buying or selling a home often takes reams of paperworkthat requires your attention, understanding, and your signature (numerous times). All the morereason to work with an agent who has been through the process numerous times and can helpmake the process as smooth as possible.

A good real estate agent can help you with the paperwork, provide the guidance you need whilereviewing the information, simplify any hard-to-understand paperwork, and even provide ways tomake the process a bit easier (such as electronic signatures). If it gets too complicated, or you arestill not sure what the information means, your agent can refer you to a real estate attorney whocan provide clarification on misunderstood issues or concerns.

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Page 9: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

Agents Knows How to Package Your Home

This is important if you want to sell your home quickly and for top dollar. The agent will take a lookat your home and pinpoint its key and important features. Many agents will then lightly stage yourhome (or recommend a professional stager) to highlight these features. In addition, they can alsosee the potential of your home that you never really saw before.

For example, if there is a corner area that you do not really use, perhaps it can be used as areading nook, quiet space for writing or studying, or even a cool place for pets, toys, or other hobbyessentials. The agent can stage your home (or use their network to find you a stager) to show thisarea in its best light.

That is just one simple example of how your agent can accentuate the features of your home toshowcase those properties for active buyers and investors. They can also blog, video, and sharethe details about your house on a host of social media sites, targeting local consumers who may belooking to buy a home with specific details. Do not underestimate the power that a well staged andexpertly marketed home has in the local market!

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Page 10: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

Get Objective Advice

Savvy real estate agents get it! It is incredibly easy to get emotional throughout the process ofselling a home, sometimes to the point where your good common sense is clouded. After all, this isyour home complete with many memories that we are talking about. Do not let your emotions get inthe way of a decent sale! This is one of the areas where a seasoned real estate agent is worth theirweight in gold.

Excellent agents understand they need to be objective and even keeled as emotions can quicklyderail a home sale. You are looking for an agent that will step in and give solid counsel, providingadvice that is void of emotion, to help you see the forest through the real estate trees.

The end state is to hand over the keys so you can move forward with the next chapter in your life.Let your agent help you do that by leaning on them when you feel like you are losing control. Theydo this for a living and will do their best to maintain their cool in the midst of the real estate storm.That is exactly what you want when home negotiations are fast and furious and thousands ofdollars are at stake.

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Page 11: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

Comply with the Rules and Regulations

As you can probably imagine, there are a lot of complicated rules and regulations when it comes toselling a home. Agents have rules, lenders have rules, inspectors have some of their own as well.With so much at stake, it is good to know there are plenty of checks and balances along the way togetting your house sold.

Real estate agents constantly update themselves on the ever-changing rules and regulations. Whatbetter way to ensure you follow the letter of the law, and ensure you stay compliant, then to entrusta real estate pro to help.

Whether it is encroachment issues, septic concerns, homeowner association rules, or a myriad ofother governing topics, it is important to build trust with your agent so you know they will do theright thing, have or research the correct answer, and keep you on the straight and narrow pathtowards closing on your property.

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Page 12: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

Sell Your Home Quickly

Sure, you have to pay your real estate agent a commission if they sell your home, but that is asmall price to pay considering that a good agent will do everything in their power to help you sellyour home quickly for the most money possible. You can bet they will work long hours, resolve anyissues that arise, and keep you abreast of everything going on all the way through your real estatetransaction.

When you take into account all the things your agent will do for you, it is wise to let these realestate professionals do what they do best….sell homes! After all, if they do right by you there isalways the chance you will mention how good their service was and recommend them to others.

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Page 13: Why Homeowners Need To Hire A Realtor

Selling a home is stressful, so help yourself by hiring a quality agent to manage the process,allowing you to focus on more important tasks. As I often tell consumers looking to buy or sell ahome in Bonaire GA and the surrounding communities, anyone can put a sign in your yard andhope for the best, but a top-notch agent will take care of the big, little, and all the in-between thingsthat can hang-up a deal before it even gets going. Do not pick an agent…instead choose a realestate partner!

Additional Seller Tips

Outstanding Seller Resources via Bundlr

Killer Seller Tips at realtor.com

Real Estate Sellers on Pinterest

The Infographic was provided as a courtesy by ContractorQuotes.us. Please follow the link toshare the full infographic directly from their site so others can benefit from the quality sellerinformation.

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