A local, professional real estate agent can be worth their commission, and much more.
According to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report, a whopping 89 percent of sellers list their home with a real estate agent. The sellers surveyed listed trustworthiness, responsiveness, local market knowledge, a good reputation in the community, and a strong sales track record as the most important attributes in a top-notch agent.
A great real estate agent can make a huge difference in many aspects of your selling experience, from your stress level to your profits. Read on to explore the many benefits of selling with a local agent, and discover what it will cost you.
Real estate agents work on a commission basis, making a percentage of the sale or purchase price of the home their client is buying or selling. Typically, as a seller, you’ll pay 6 percent of the sale price, with half of the total serving as the buyer’s agent’s commission.
Keep in mind that the commission is always negotiable up front, depending on local market factors or your own situation. For example, if you’re going to be using the same agent to help you sell your house and also to buy your new home, you may be able to negotiate a lower rate since they’ll be getting two commissions.
The listing agent, also known as a sellers agent, works for the seller to help them sell their house, from listing to closing. The buyers agent works for the buyer, guiding them through the process of finding a home they love, into negotiations, and all the way through closing.
You might ask yourself, “Why use a real estate agent to sell my home?” There are a number of services and plenty of expertise a real estate agent can provide, so it’s important for each seller to take a look at the list of benefits and decide if an agent is worth the expense.
They can hire a professional photographer to take great listing photos.
Creating an enticing listing description of a property is an art form, and a skilled agent can call out features local buyers are looking for.
They list your property on the MLS and online real estate sites like Zillow. In fact, agents have access to more listing outlets than sellers who are listing on their own.
They host open houses and showings, physically showing your home to buyers.
They serve as a buffer between you and all potential buyers, fielding calls, answering questions, and scheduling showings.
There are lots of ways to find a great local real estate agent, including asking friends and family members for referrals and searching online. Check out Zillow’s Agent Finder to see a list of agents in your neighborhood and read reviews from their recent clients. It’s important to interview multiple agents before choosing one.
You’ll also want to pay attention to the duration of your agent’s contract. If you’re working with an agent you haven’t worked with before, you may want to go with a short contract term, so that if your house doesn’t sell quickly, you can pivot to an agent who better fits your needs.
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