When buying or selling a home or property, many choose to hire a real estate agent to help them along the way. A real estate agent has the skills and market knowledge to help you find your new home, negotiate a good price, and sell your home for the best price.
Some, however, opt to forego an agent in the hopes of saving money. Just like everything else, there is an expense associated with hiring an agent. Usually, the property seller will pay the commission of both the buyer and the seller’s agent. Their total combined commission is typically 5-6% of the sale total.
While technically anyone can go about buying or selling without a real estate agent’s guidance (and save a bit of cash), many find out it can be a complicated, time-consuming, and frustrating process to do alone. In fact, the pros of hiring a real estate agent tend to outweigh the cons, and it’s well worth the expense for the services, expertise, and support they provide. Buying and selling a home consistently ranks among one of the top most stressful events in a person’s life, so it’s exceptionally helpful to have a seasoned professional in your corner!
Here are some ways that real estate agents will help you save money in the long run:
- Saving time: Time is money, and agents’ full-time jobs are helping you find or sell a house. You’ll save so much of your own time and energy when someone else is finding potential buyers or homes, scheduling showings, negotiating prices, and handling all the other situations that arise in any real estate transaction.
- Showing skills: Agents are like superheroes; they’re able to pinpoint the strongest selling points, turn negatives into positives, and zero in on the right properties or buyers. They can highlight the best qualities of your home while also spinning faults into more of a selling point. It’s always good to have a third party look and offer advice — they may have points you haven’t considered!
- Advertising: The key to selling anything is getting the word out to the right people. Agents will have access to great places to advertise your home for sale like their social media accounts, local publications, and other agents with potential buyers.
- Expertise: They know the market and will be able to find the best house or buyers for you and get the best deal. Agents are also able to navigate complicated transactions with legal expertise — since they are required by law to complete a real estate licensing course that covers national and local real estate laws.
Need a realtor recommendation?
The search to find the right agent can be tricky, but we’ve got your back! After working with dozens of real estate agents over the years, we’ve compiled a list of great agents who can help you save time and money. Ask us for our recommendations!
