By Jaime Silveira
BRE #01706045
I am constantly reading up and staying informed about what is happening in the real estate industry as well as our local market. Of late, it seems the value of putting together a top-notch real estate team can not be understated when making sure your purchase or sale of your home runs as smoothly as possible.
The National Association of Realtors (N.A.R.) has put together a 7-step bulleted list of reasons why buyers should work with a Realtor. Because I know first hand the value added when working with a professional Realtor, I wanted to share it. This list is as follows:
- Act as an expert guide. Buying a home typically requires a variety of forms, reports, disclosures, and other legal and financial documents. A knowledgeable real estate agent will know what’s required in your market, helping you avoid delays and costly mistakes. Also, there’s a lot of jargon involved in a real estate transaction; you want to work with a professional who can speak the language.
- Offer objective information and opinions. A great real estate agent will guide you through the home search with an unbiased eye, helping you meet your buying objectives while staying within your budget. Agents are also a great source when you have questions about local amenities, utilities, zoning rules, contractors, and more.
- Give you expanded search power. You want access to the full range of opportunities. Using a cooperative system called the multiple listing service, your agent can help you evaluate all active listings that meet your criteria, alert you to listings soon to come on the market, and provide data on recent sales. Your agent can also save you time by helping you winnow away properties that are still appearing on public sites but are no longer on the market.
- Stand in your corner during negotiations. There are many factors up for discussion in any real estate transaction—from price to repairs to possession date. A real estate professional who’s representing you will look at the transaction from your perspective, helping you negotiate a purchase agreement that meets your needs and allows you to do due diligence before you’re bound to the purchase.
- Ensure an up-to-date experience. Most people buy only a few homes in a lifetime, usually with quite a few years between purchases. Even if you’ve bought a home before, laws and regulations change. Real estate practitioners may handle hundreds or thousands of transactions over the course of their career.
- Be your rock during emotional moments. A home is so much more than four walls and a roof. And for most buyers, a home is the biggest purchase they’ll ever make. Having a concerned, but objective, third party helps you stay focused on the issues most important to you when emotions threaten to sink an otherwise sound transaction.
- Provide fair and ethical treatment. When you’re interviewing agents, ask if they’re a REALTOR®, a member of the National Association of REALTORS®. Every member must adhere to the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, which is based on professionalism, serving the interests of clients, and protecting the public.
At a minimum, these steps are what a quality real estate professional should provide. In addition, your local expert will guide you through the nuances that a unique area demands. I am sure you will agree, our beautiful Central Coast cities are areas that draw attention and may not fit standard or typical scenarios found in more urban real estate markets.
Further, when building your team, your professional Realtor’s affiliations and connections with professionals in the industry are extremely important. Lenders, for example, are critical to the process and should be part of the conversation from the very beginning. From first-time homebuyers to those wanting to relocate and need to sell an existing home before purchasing a new one, to investors, etc. With different client needs, there are many avenues for financing that only a professional in the industry can present to you. Did I mention that local is best? From your Realtor to your Lender to every individual that is part of what we call the “transaction,” a local professional can understand our market and help guide you through as smoothly as possible.
The value behind your real estate team can make or break your sale or purchase of a home. Make sure you interview your agent and ask the tough questions. Your agent should be well versed in the local real estate market, allowing them to properly direct you.
The complete list can also be read at nar.realtor/magazine/tools/client-education/handouts-for-buyers/7-reasons-to-work-with-a-realtor
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