All real estate licensees are not the same.<\/strong> Only real estate licensees who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS\u00ae are properly called REALTORS\u00ae. They proudly display the REALTOR \u201c\u00ae\u201d logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. REALTORS\u00ae are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS\u00ae subscribe to a strict code of ethics<\/a> and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. An independent survey reports that 84% of home buyers would use the same REALTOR\u00ae again.<\/p>\n

Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney? Considering the small upside cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of a REALTOR\u00ae.<\/p>\n

But if you\u2019re still not convinced of the value of a REALTOR\u00ae, here are a dozen more reasons to use one:<\/p>\n

1. Your REALTOR\u00ae can help you determine your buying power \u2014 that is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give a REALTOR\u00ae some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt, he or she can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you. Most lenders \u2014 banks and mortgage companies \u2014 offer limited choices.<\/p>\n

2. Your REALTOR\u00ae has many resources to assist you in your home search. Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your agent to find all available properties.<\/p>\n

3. Your REALTOR\u00ae can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property. Agents who are REALTORS\u00ae have access to a variety of informational resources. REALTORS\u00ae can provide local community information on utilities, zoning. schools, etc. There are two things you\u2019ll want to know. First, will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?<\/p>\n

4. Your REALTOR\u00ae can help you negotiate. There are myriad negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your agent can advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.<\/p>\n

5. Your REALTOR\u00ae provides due diligence during the evaluation of the property. Depending on the area and property, this could include inspections for termites, dry rot, asbestos, faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. Your REALTOR\u00ae can assist you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and can be mired in confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limitations; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Your REALTOR\u00ae, title company or attorney can help you resolve issues that might cause problems at a later date.<\/p>\n

6. Your REALTOR\u00ae can help you in understanding different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.<\/p>\n

7. Your REALTOR\u00ae can guide you through the closing process and make sure everything flows together smoothly.<\/p>\n

8. When selling your home, your REALTOR\u00ae can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.<\/p>\n

9. Your REALTOR\u00ae markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. Often, your REALTOR\u00ae can recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the salability of your property. Your REALTOR\u00ae markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. In many markets across the country, over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. Your REALTOR\u00ae acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service or other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc. The REALTOR\u00ae Code of Ethics<\/a> requires REALTORS\u00ae to utilize these cooperative relationships when they benefit their clients.<\/p>\n

10. Your REALTOR\u00ae will know when, where and how to advertise your property. There is a misconception that advertising sells real estate. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS\u00ae studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts. When a property is marketed with the help of your REALTOR\u00ae, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR\u00ae will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.<\/p>\n

11. Your REALTOR\u00ae can help you objectively evaluate every buyer\u2019s proposal without compromising your marketing position. This initial agreement is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections and financing \u2014 a lot of possible pitfalls. Your REALTOR\u00ae can help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will be more likely to make it through the process.<\/p>\n

12. Your REALTOR\u00ae can help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. For example, unexpected repairs are required to obtain financing or a cloud in the title is discovered. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Your REALTOR\u00ae is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).<\/p>\n

Copyright National Association of REALTORS\u00ae. Reprinted with permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS\u00ae are properly called REALTORS\u00ae. They proudly display the REALTOR \u201c\u00ae\u201d logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. REALTORS\u00ae are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS\u00ae subscribe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realteamcda.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realteamcda.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realteamcda.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realteamcda.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realteamcda.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/realteamcda.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143,"href":"https:\/\/realteamcda.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64\/revisions\/143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realteamcda.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}