Advantages of hiring an El Paso or Canutillo Realtor
This article was written by Matt Schexnayder. Matt is on the SpareFoot marketing team and writes for the SpareFoot blog. SpareFoot is the largest online marketplace for self-storage that offers consumers the most complete comparison shopping experience in the storage industry.
It is that time once again, you are committed to a move and you are ready to buy a home. You have done your research and you know what you are looking for, but then the question comes up, “Should I do this all on my own or instead hire an experienced real estate agent?” While I hope that the answer would be obvious, I will go ahead and tell you that you should definitely hire a professional El Paso Realtor.
As a buyer, you don’t risk anything by using an El Paso real estate agent because the seller pays the agent a commission. A percentage of the commission goes to the listing agent (the agent who put the house on the market on the seller’s behalf), and the remaining commission goes to the buyer’s agent (the agent that represents you, the buyer). Typical commissions range from 5 to 7 percent. So if nothing is coming out of your pocket, why not take advantage?
Additionally, real estate transactions usually involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. The average transaction exceeds $100,000. If this were any other situation, you know you would deal with it with the assistance of a professional right? Considering the small downside and the large upside, it would be foolish of you to not seek out the help of an El Paso or Canutillo Realtor.
If you still aren’t convinced, there are multiple other reasons why you should consider seeking out these services:
1. Realtors can help determine your buying power. Agents can help you determine how much you can afford when purchasing a home. If you give a Realtor some basic information about your income, savings, debt etc., he or she can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you.
2. Your Realtor will know how, when and where to advertise your property. Realtors are experts at marketing a home. Studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts. Clearly, they know what they are doing. And this way, you don’t have to let strangers into your home; your agent can prescreen qualified prospects and decide if they are welcome to view the property.
3. Realtors have many resources to assist you in your search. Some properties may not be actively advertised or not advertised at all. With a little investigation from you agent and a wide range of tolls at their disposal (i.e. contacts, Multiple Listing Service), you should be able to see all available properties. Your agent is the best point of access for all homes and can arrange showings for homes of interest.
4. Realtors can help you negotiate. Let’s be honest, most of us are not great and haggling the price down. Agents on the other hand, are a natural. Your agent can advise you as to which price is reasonable, which period of inspection time is appropriate, and what needs to be done by the seller before you move it assuring you get the best deal possible.
5. Your Buyer’s Rep. Realtor can provide objective criticism about each property. As we already said, Realtors have access to a variety of informational resources. This will allow them to inform you about every aspect of your potential new home. For example, how long it has been on the market, the home’s best features, how the neighborhood/school is etc.
6. Realtors can give you up-to-date info on what is happening in the market. If you are selling, you don’t want to get haggled yourself, so make sure you are setting an appropriate asking price before you place your home on the market so that you get the best price, quickly and without hassle.
7. Realtors are tech-savvy. Nowadays, people who are on the market for a new home tend to use the Internet to search out properties. RE/MAX Realtors know exactly which sites are most often used by prospective home buyers. Furthermore, a good Realtor will know which search engine optimization techniques will boost your home listing to a high place on Google.
8. Finally, RE/MAX Realtors can help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing, questions will more than likely arise. Your Realtor is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction along.
Whether you are buying or selling, consider attaining the services Yvonne Russell, a professional Realtor. Eighty-five percent of sellers were assisted by a real estate agent when selling their home and seventy-nine percent of buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent last year. Obviously, many consumers are taking advantage of these amazing services, and you should too.
