A real estate agent is more than just an “agent.” They act on your behalf as your agent, providing you with advice and guidance, and doing a job – helping you buy or sell a home. While it is true they get paid commission for what they do, but only once the sale is done, so do other professions that provide advice, guidance, and have a service to sell –such as Accountants, Lawyers even a painter and decorator.
The Internet has opened up a world of information that wasn’t previously available to homebuyers and sellers. The data on listings available for sale is almost current – but not quite. There are times when you need the most current information about the property, location, what has sold or is for sale, and the only way to get that is with an agent.
If you’re selling a home, you gain access to the most buyers by being listed in the Multiple Listing Service. Only a licensed real estate agent who is a member of property portals can get you listed there – which then gets you automatically listed on some of the major real estate web sites. If you’re buying or selling a home, the property portals are your agent’s best tool. And this is at no cost to you until the time of sale or purchase.
However, the role of an agent has changed in the last couple of years. In the past, agents were the only way home buyers and sellers could access information. Now agents are evolving. Because today’s home buyers and sellers are so much better informed than in the past, expertise and ability are becoming more important.
The real estate agent is becoming more of a “guide” than an “agent” — but your personal representative in buying or selling a home. They are there to help you. So this is why I should use a real estate agent.
