The answer might surprise most people. Most will say, "Just sell my house", but how we do that is the question. Marketing of course is a big piece of the equation. It is a given that we must be competent. Realtors with alphabet soup (those initials after their name) believe that their specialties serve their clients well because they have added specific knowledge and education that helps their clients achieve their goals.
Some of the designations and specialties are SRES Senior Real Estate Specialist, CRS Certified Residential Specialist, E-Pro, Luxury Homes, LGLS CP Live Green, Live Smart Certified Professional, EcoBroker and many more. They tell you the Realtor's values and demonstrate commitment to their profession and provide value to their clients with the added knowledge that they possess.
Primarily, the agent's job is threefold - To be a counselor, negotiator and facilitator. What does that mean? The market sets the general price for a property, but a skilled negotiator with a strategy can net you 3, 4, 5% more. Concessions and sales price can be affected favorably with a good negotiation and knowing what the goals and strategy are. Many agents have taken additional training in the area of negotiation to sharpen that skillset.
Next, a home is the largest investment most people make in a lifetime... why gamble your investment with a part timer? If you are selling your home yourself, aren't you a part-timer? Do you want a part-time doctor, lawyer, accountant? Or do you want someone who actively works in the marketplace on a daily basis? You want someone who gives full time effort to the task and treats real estate like a business so that their business is to get your home SOLD or to find you the right home and CLOSE THE SALE.
Don't forget Realtors are a great resource. The best and busiest realtors know the best and busiest home stagers, inspectors and lenders; you know, that 10% of people who do 90% of the business? It's my opinion the question is not whether to use a Realtor, but which Realtor to use.
Then think about this... You hire a Realtor primarily for what they KNOW about selling homes and secondarily for what they DO to sell homes.
Experience brings you a knowledge base for problem solving and innovative solutions that can be a huge asset when things come up in your transaction. What we do everyday becomes that body of knowledge. And it's for hire.
