Not sure what you’re walking into when buying or selling a home?
You need a dedicated Real Estate Agent advocating on your behalf. Here are 7 ways your agent should support you.
Picture your first time meeting a REALTOR. They unlock the home of your dreams and open the door. You walk in, love the home, and are ready to put in your offer. But do you know what you’re REALLY walking into?
Buying or selling your home is complicated, messy, stressful, and downright scary! But as your REALTOR, my job doesn’t just start with opening the front door during a showing, and it definitely doesn’t stop there.
It is my job to field all the curveballs and answer your questions to minimize your stress. From your very first home showing until the day you close on your new home. Here are some of the ways a dedicated REALTOR—myself included—should support you throughout the buying and selling process.
- Strategy: In today’s competitive housing market, having a strategy in place before you step foot into a potential home is key. When working with buyers, I sit down with my clients and review how we’ll play our cards right over the competition. We discuss budget, location, flexibility, and any other factors that offer an advantage. I also help the buyer navigate financial options that they might be unfamiliar with.
When selling a home, I perform an in-depth analysis of the local market to ensure we list at the right price. My Interior Design partner develops a vision for prepping a home for the market and we execute our strategy—from cleaning and organizing, to investing in minor upgrades, to staging, and marketing. It’s all hands on deck to put our best face (or front door) forward!
- Writing a Winning Offer: With an average of five offers per home, writing a competitive offer in today’s market is one of the most valuable resources a REALTOR can provide. It is important to communicate with the client that the highest bid doesn’t necessarily always win. It’s about understanding what could motivate the seller and make your offer shine – as well as being available and professional with the listing agent so that they know that we are reliable.
- Negotiations: Master Facilitator – that is my nickname. I was fortunate that I entered the real estate business as an established marketing professional. This means you get a REALTOR with a trained eye to spot patterns and trends and who will go to bat for you for price, home improvement, and other contract negotiations.
- Emotional Support: Even the smoothest of home purchases comes with its bumps. A great REALTOR will prepare you for the potential curveballs when buying or selling and be there for you if things don’t go as planned. Sure it’s business—but emotions can run high on both sides of the transaction. My job is to remain calm and collected as we work through any obstacles.
- Translate Contract Language: If it is your first time buying a home—or it’s been a while since you did—real estate language can sound a lot like gobbledygook. A REALTOR walks you through the contract and reviews disclosures with you to ensure you clearly understand the buying/selling process.
- Legal Protection: If you’re considering selling your home, then it may have crossed your mind to go the For Sale By owner route. After all, keeping thousands of dollars in your own pocket that you would typically pay a real estate agent in commission DOES sound appealing. Selling your home without a Real Estate Agent is not only difficult, but risky.
There are so many nuanced legal aspects that go into the transfer of real property: ensuring title, escrow, required disclosures, and communicating with the buyer in an objective way. My role as a REALTOR is to guide you through the sale of your property and advocate on your behalf.
- Trusted Resources: When you work with a trusted REALTOR, you don’t just tap into their knowledge and experience. You also gain access to a rolodex of their trusted resources. Need an amazing lender who can get you prequalified today? Need help transforming the house you just bought into a home? How about movers? I’ve got you covered.
Not sure what you’re walking into when buying or selling? I do. I walk the path of real estate every day. I’d love to help. Reach out any time!
–Melissa
