So many people become agents because they feel they don’t need a real estate agent and want to buy or sell by themselves. In our small Augusta, Ga town averages 1250 agent members on the real estate board and even more hold licenses without affiliations. Anyone that passes the state exam can become a real estate agent and sell real estate.
I stumbled across an article that listed 5 reasons why you don’t need a real estate agent written by By Luke Mullins at U.S. News & World Report and I was intrigued by what he would say. As an agent and a real estate coach I know most real estate agents don’t even make minimum wages by the end of the year. So, let’s tackle his bullet points:
Just Point and Click. There are many online research tools on the internet that helps you find what you should list your home for, as well as, places that will put your home in front of buyers while they are searching.
You can market yourself. You don’t need a real estate agent to put your house on the internet or put a sign in your yard. There is always Trulia.com, Zillow.com , and the host of the above mentioned article forsalebyowner.com . Some non experienced or older real estate agents had the trusty MLS or Multiple Listing Service as the tried and true marketing tool to get your house sold. This is not the case in today’s market. There must be something more than internet selling to get your house singled out from all the millions of other homes on the internet market too.
Agents aren’t Appraisers. Real estate agents give their opinion on price based off similar homes sold in the area. Appraisers do the same thing although their opinion is the gospel to the banks. If a person is paying cash, appraisals don’t even have to come into play. Agent opinions must be close to the appraisal price otherwise alot of work for nothing if a bank is involved. The sales price must be close but not over the bank’s appraisal price.
Agents aren’t Attorneys. You should hear this if you ever work with an agent. Agents do not write contracts and SHOULD NOT, if the agent is members of a real estate board they use forms that are already drafted by attorneys. Agents have forms for every possible real estate issue. Actually, I wouldn’t want an attorney to draft my contract either. When you go to court it is always a matter of interpretation. So, would you rather use a form that judges are familiar with or something they have to interpret?
Attorneys come into play in a transaction for again….the banks. The at closing the attorney represents the bank, of course unless you are paying cash. They make sure that the title deed is clear from anyone else claiming the house after it is purchased, they make sure the banks contracts and instructions are understood and carried out, and they also make sure that all checks are distributed.
You can do what an agent does. This was so good I just need to quote “The main service that real-estate agents provide is convenience,” Healy says. “All of the services they offer — finding a real-estate attorney, coordinating home viewings and so on — can be done by any homeowner willing to put in the effort. “Remember that a real-estate agent license takes under two weeks to get,” Healy says. “So after those two weeks, that person can be in charge of the selling or buying of a person’s home, which is one of the largest financial assets in a person’s life.” By Luke Mullins, U.S. News & World Report
Agents provide the convenience to be in charge of selling or buying one of the largest financial assets in a person’s life….And you don’t want to hire a professional to assist you with that???