Do You Need a Real Estate Agent?
Home sales are on the rise once again, but this time around many people are not working with a real estate agent. If you’re moving to Fort Collins or any other area of Colorado, you may be thinking about buying a home without the help of a realtor. Do you need an agent? Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of working with a real estate agent.
The Negatives
The truth of the matter is that there are some definite negative aspects of working with a real estate agent including:
1. Real estate agents don’t do all the legal paperwork. This one might surprise you, since that’s the marketing tactic that many agents use to sell properties. But, the fact is that real estate lawyers handle all of that messy paperwork, and you can hire a lawyer without the help of an agent.
2. All the information you need about a home can be found online. Now that the Internet offers many different ways to find a home, you don’t really need an agent to show you around a property. Just find the details that you want to see online, call the buyer, and arrange a meeting. These are basically the same services that real estate agents offer, and you can do all of these things on your own with a bit of legwork.
3. You’ll pay for the service of an agent. Real estate agents take 6 to 8% off of the top.
The Benefits
There are some certain benefits to working with a real estate agent too. Some of those things include:
1. A lot less work for you. If you are busy trying to pack, arrange your life in another town or state, and you work long hours, you probably don’t have the time to look for a home, find a lawyer, and negotiate deals. A real estate agent can do all of those things for you, and that means a lot less work for you.
2. Working with a seasoned real estate agent is a real benefit because these people know what a home should look like, what you want in a home, and they will work for you tirelessly to get that commission.
Some Additional Details
In most parts of the world, it takes less than two weeks to obtain a real estate license. Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions that you will ever make, so make sure that the agent you’re working with has experience. It can be really hard to find an agent that you trust too. How do you find a trustworthy realtor?
1. Seek out referrals from friends and family members that you trust.
2. Attend free real estate classes offered by agencies – this would give you some idea of the types of people that work with a specific agency.
3. Go with your gut. If you simply don’t trust or don’t’ like a realtor, look for another one. Sometimes, your intuition is the best tool that you have.
Since finding a good agent is important, we are going to follow-up this post with another post that details that questions you should ask any agent you are considering working with. Yes! You can ask realtors questions, and you should interview any agent that you consider working with. It’s common for buyers and sellers to simply select an agent without seeing any real details about that person’s work history, but that’s a bad idea. Make sure to check back on our blog for the follow-up to this post.
When You’re Ready to Move
We want to make sure that you love your new home. After reading through this post (and the post that will follow this post), you’ll be ready to move into your new place. That’s where Exodus Moving and Storage comes into play. As one of Colorado’s best moving companies, we are here to help you move from start to finish. We also have plenty of rental storage space for anything that you need to leave behind. Call us today for a free referral and additional pricing information. When it comes to moving, we’ve got you covered!
Do you have any real estate questions? Let us know! We are happy to help. Take a look at the blog post that goes with this one to see how you can interview your next real estate agent.
