Top 5: Reasons for a Realtor (When Selling Your Home)

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With the property market remaining strong in favour of the seller, you’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and make a move. But… should you connect with a realtor and get yourself a licensed listing agent, or go it alone and list privately?

Although selling as ‘For Sale By Owner’ (FSBO) may sound attractive in some respects, are you prepared to mitigate the risks and handle such a large financial transaction without a well-connected and experienced support line?

Here are our Top 5 reasons to partner with one of our market-leading REALTORS® to walk you confidently and safely through each step of the selling process, and save you time and money along the way…

 

  1. PRICING EXPERTISE

Working with someone who is not only qualified but up-to-speed on all the current movements and trends happening within your local market is one of the most obvious reasons to have a realtor by your side. Why?

•   An experienced realtor can assess and offer services to provide a current home valuation so that you can receive a clear indication of what your home is worth at that point in time. This not only gives you clarity around what other homes similar to yours or in your same neighbourhood are listing for, but by making sure your home is priced right, opens up to the doors for greater success to sell quickly

•   By having a licensed agent assist with your sale, you can be assured they will communicate your home to the best-matched audience who are looking specifically in that price bracket, increasing the quality of exposure, and weeding out any unqualified buyers

•   Real estate agents are well-versed in negotiations and know how to handle any price-point – it’s their job as well as in their best interests to get you the best possible price for your home! All our Stilhavn agents come with broad experience and know-how to talk to the current market, the features and benefits of your home (and location) and can navigate through any emotional back and forth counteroffers

 

  1. ORGANIZING PAPERWORK

Are you ready to stay vigilant and organized across all the documentation and legal requirements needed for selling your home? Do you know who to reach out to, who does what and when they need to have it done by? Our agents are already familiar with each step of the paperwork journey, which might be new and daunting to someone planning to sell privately. Some areas they can manage on your behalf include…

•   The written offer, along with any counteroffers

•   Inspections (which may include unfamiliar details that need addressing)

•   Lists/management of repairs to be executed before the sale

•   Confirmations of any inclusions as part of the sale

•   Avoid closing problems by understanding everything included in the title

•   Loans and financing approvals

•   Affidavits

•  Transfer tax

Not only will a licensed agent keep on top of all the paperwork prior to the sale for you, making sure nothing falls through the cracks, but they’ll also keep it all on file for many years once the sale has gone through. Although we recommend keeping your own copies, it’s great to know your realtor is only a call away if you find you’ve misplaced something down the line.

 

  1. PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

Working with a realtor can directly link you to other contacts you may need during the sales process. Through their time in the industry, our agents have built up a strong personal network with complementary services that could be of great benefit to you. For example…

•   When it comes to valuing a home for sale, it’s important to undergo a home inspection to consider various factors that help piece together your listing price. Areas include: the age of the home, the location, materials used in the build, repairs, and updates that might be needed and the current market position. By having a realtor put you in touch (or organize on your behalf) to have an inspection done, you can rest assured they will suggest using reputable contacts to get quality feedback and information, which could end up saving you a lot of money

•   Say you’re selling your home after already purchasing the next, and you’ve already moved your furniture out. A realtor can help connect you with an expert, local staging company that can help highlight unique features of your home, giving potential buyers a chance to gauge more of a ‘lived in’ feel when they come to view

•   As part of a wider professional network, our licensed REALTORS® have access to significant resources such as the Multiple Listing Service®  – an online exposure tool for agents to keep across new listings, open homes, and property information in real-time that they can share with their clients, allowing your home to reach more prospective leads

•   If your home requires any repairs, refits or updates to areas such as hot water, electrical, roofing or windows, your realtor will have the contact details for someone they personally recommend to get these areas up to code and you on to the next step in the selling process

•  Our REALTORS® have strong rapport and connection with other real estate agents – whether as part of our same brokerage or others who still work within the same locations – to help expedite the sale of your home

 

  1. IT’S A FULL-TIME JOB

Keeping tabs on all the moving parts when selling your home can feel like a full-time job. Unless you have the capacity, working with a realtor helps you pass the duty baton off to them to take care of. Not only do you need to be across the paperwork, pricing and legal side to a sale as we’ve discussed already, but there are other pieces to the puzzle also. Keep your time freed up for work and family, and let your agent take care of areas like the following…

•  As soon as your home is listed, you can expect prospective buyers to be keeping the phone and email lines hot, especially in today’s market. It’s here your agent takes on the onus of buyer interaction and communication

•   Your licensed realtor will be making time in their day to schedule viewings with those interested in seeing your home and will personally show them through your property, talking through all of the features and benefits and directly answering any questions they have on the spot

•   As our agents want to fulfil their commitment to selling your home, extra care is taken to market and promote your home to a best-matched pool of buyers. Although dedicating efforts to clients who are most aligned can take a little more time to review and cross-check, it’s this bit extra that helps your home meet its new owner a whole lot quicker

 

  1. ETHICS

Did you know that all REALTORS® abide by a standard of conduct outlined in The Canadian Real Estate Association Code of Ethics. This code and its standards ensure that the rights and interests of consumers of real estate services are protected, and a REALTORS® ethical obligations are based on moral integrity, competent service to clients and dedication to the interest and welfare of the public. Meaning, our agents are obligated to put your best interest first.

So, by working with one of our credible agents, you can sell your home with the peace of mind that comes from working with true market leaders, who know not only how to sell, but how to do it with the utmost professionalism on behalf of you and the industry.

Keep in mind that once you select an agent, that agent’s job is to do what is necessary to achieve the goal that you both set out to achieve together – selling your home is as important to them as it is to you. At Stilhavn, we don’t strive to be the biggest, but we do strive to be the best. That’s why we have full faith that our agents will be your best ally when it comes to making one of the largest transactions you’ll make in your lifetime.