A REALTOR® is a licensed real estate professional belonging to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). NAR is a real estate trade association that requires all of its members to follow a 17-article Code of Ethics. This means that your REALTOR® is required to have your best interests in mind.
Your REALTOR® will help you set the right price for your home, reach potential buyers and help you negotiate the sale. Your REALTOR® will also help with staging your home and adding curb appeal. They will make sure that you feel supported every step of the way and ensure you receive the best deal. Good real estate agents have a deep understanding of their local market and want to show your home in the best light. They also have relationships with photographers and home stagers, who can all work as a team to highlight the amenities that local buyers want.
According to Zillow research, 36% of home sellers attempt to sell their homes themselves, but challenges along the way lead many of them to eventually hire an agent. In the end, only 11% of home sellers end up selling their home without a real estate agent.
FSBOs accounted for 7% of home sales in 2017. The typical FSBO home sold for $200,000 compared to $265,500 for agent-assisted home sales, according to NAR.
With access to the local MLS and online listing portals, social media presence, professional networks, connections with other agents, and name recognition, your real estate agent can get a lot of eyes on your listing and plenty of potential buyers in the front door.
Experienced agents can spot serious buyers and guide you toward the strongest offers, which eliminates the burden of calls and negotiations with less motivated shoppers. Agents are extremely familiar with both the selling process and your local market, so they can recommend appropriate counteroffers. Bottom line: They’ll help you get as much money as possible. No wonder 82% of home sellers surveyed by Zillow said they value their agent’s ability to lead contract negotiations.
There’s a lot of documentation involved when you sell a home, and without an agent, the burden of making sure it’s complete and accurate falls on the seller (or an attorney you’ve hired to help). Seasoned real estate professionals are experts at the purchase and sale process, and all the legalese that comes with it.