Do You Really Need a Realtor?

Real Estate Professional is Essential

Okay, I am a Realtor so of course I am going to tell you YES!!!  I am going to tell why…………You are essentially making the biggest Sale or Purchase of your life and you want to go at it alone?  Don’t you normally seek the advice of a professional when you a question about the law, medical advice or your finances?  Buying or selling a home is not an easy process and getting a professional is essential.  It is true that Realtors buy and sell homes for a living so they have to make a commission.  Believe me they earn every cent of it.  The Seller is responsible for paying not only their real estate agent a commission, but also the buyer’s agent commission.   If you are a Buyer and think you can get a better deal on your own, you are wrong.  As a Buyer there is no reason you should search for a home without a Realtor because it will cost you nothing.  The typical Realtor commission today is 3% of the sale price of the home to both the Seller’s agent and the Buyer’s agent.

If you are a Seller who is trying to sell your home “For Sale by Owner” you may be selling yourself short.  Ultimately, a real estate agent is going to get you the most money for your home and save you money in the long run.  A Realtor is going to do a comprehensive market survey of homes that were recently sold in your neighborhood which will help determine the market price for your home.  Remember if your house is not priced right, it is practically invisible to buyers.  Tampa currently has a little under 20,000 homes on the market today, which equates to about 18 houses per buyer.  Buyer’s will ignore your over-priced home and only look at the homes that are priced right.  A Realtor is also going to list your property in the Multiple Listing Service that will advertise your home to every single Realtor in the greater Tampa Bay area.  They will also heavily advertise your home on major real estate websites like Realtor.com, YouTube, their personal websites and list goes on and on.  A Realtor is also going to help you prepare your home so that it shows well by cleaning out the clutter and maybe rearranging some furniture.   You would surprised how many buyers I have that do not like a home because of the decor or because it is dirty.

Not all Realtors are created equal.  Believe me, I know there are agents out there that shouldn’t be in the business so it is important to make sure you choose a Realtor who is knowledgeable and qualified.  You want your Realtor to be established in the area you are looking to buy or sale in.  A Realtor who knows their area will have extensive knowledge of the neighborhoods, pricing history of homes bought and sold in the area and what life is like in the neighborhood.

Looking for a new home?  Go to www.buytampafl.com for a list of all available homes in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.

Tags: buyers, finding the right realtor, homes, Realtor, sellers, Tampa Real Estate, Tampa Realtor