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One of the most common question sellers ask is "Why should I use an agent to sell my house when I can sell it myself?" The answer is that selling your house takes more than just putting a "For Sale" sign on the lawn and an ad in the paper. It takes experience and training to learn how to correctly price a home to sell, effectively market a property to bring top dollar and to anticipate and solve the many problems that can arise during the sales process. In addition, since it doesn't cost anything for a buyer to work with an agent, the buyers coming directly to you may be looking to buy your house at a lower price because you are saving the brokerage fee. If your goal is to sell your house for the best price in the least amount of time without a lot of stress, then you need a real estate agent.
Before you select a sales agent to sell your house it's important to understand the role of your agent.
Why an Agent?
A real estate agent, also called a sales associate, is an individual who has studied real estate, passed a state licensing examination and has been granted a license by the state. He or she is retained by you for a single purpose: to find a buyer for your property. The agent works for and represents a specific licensed real estate brokerage company owned and managed by a real estate broker. The company is paid a brokerage fee (commission) by you for assistance in the house selling process. The listing broker and the agent are the people you hire to represent you through the sale, from pricing your home to closing. The selling broker is the individual who produces a buyer for the property. The brokerage fee is divided between the brokerage that lists the property and the brokerage that sells the property. The agents receive their portion of the brokerage fee from their brokers. However, in some cases, the selling agent may have a contractual relationship with and be paid by the buyer. Your REALTY WORLD® agent can explain the different relationships.
A broker is a real estate agent who has completed advanced level real estate training and passed state broker licensing tests. Only a broker can represent the public in real estate transactions. However, the agent will be your day-to-day contact while the broker is in the background helping the agent and double-checking the paperwork.
Agent Services
When you select an agent to sell your house you are selecting someone to work on your behalf, not the buyer's. Your real estate agent will protect your rights as well as handle matters that you either can't do or would find difficult. Your REALTY WORLD® Carolina Properties agent will:
- Enter your property into our Multiple Listing Services (MLS), which exposes your house to all of the buyers working with cooperating member brokers. By using the MLS, availability of your home is made known to every agent in the area.
- Post your property on www.rwcp.net, our personal web site developed here (in Pittsboro), which promotes your property to buyers and sellers all over the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Expose your property to a large network of qualified buyers that have been generated over a period of years. Without an agent, you are reduced to putting a For-Sale-By-Owner sign on your lawn, running a classified ad and crossing your fingers that enough people will drive by and see your house for sale!
- Provide you with the market information you need to price your house to bring top dollar.
- Qualify potential buyers.
- Provide objective answers for the buyer and guide the buyer to purchase. Buyers often shy away from asking homeowners questions and homeowners are often defensive about defects in their houses. That's why it's best to have a neutral third party involved.
- Assist in contract negotiations. Your agent's experience in mediating sensitive issues can help speed the process along.
- Lead both you and the buyer through the maze of rates, points, fees and financing options, help with loan placement and follow-up (including the recommendation of specific loan offers). Expert knowledge of financial resources can be crucial to the success of your sale.
- Protect your interests throughout the entire selling process.
Remember, in most instances, the agent you choose has more training and experience with real estate transactions than most people could get in a lifetime of selling their own properties. Your agent is the expert and knows how to guide you through this very complicated process.
In addition to using the expertise of your real estate agent, you may want to consult a qualified real estate attorney to handle the final details of the selling process.
The REALTY WORLD® System - Experience You Can Count On!
The first thing you should consider when selecting an agent is the quality of the real estate company that agent works for. The REALTY WORLD® System has the experience you can count on. Founded in 1974, the REALTY WORLD® System has helped and guided literally millions of buyers and sellers. Our professional team consists of thousands of agents in companies located throughout the United States. Our agents are award-winning professionals who are required to pass stiff state licensing requirements as well as attend ongoing training seminars to help them keep abreast of the ever-changing real estate market. Our agents belong to the National Association of REALTORS® which means that they subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics that goes beyond state regulations.
In addition, the REALTY WORLD® System has a variety of special services unparalleled in the real estate industry that are designed to make selling your house easier. Our goal is to market and sell your house as quickly as possible and for the greatest profit.
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