The advantage of a professional real estate agent when buying or selling your home

In today's real estate market, we know that the internet has certainly changed the way people buy and sell homes. But one thing remains that having a real estate agent through the process is your best bet.

Ninety per cent of people do use the internet to help them when looking for a property to purchase. You can do a lot of research and look through houses online in the convenience of your own home. However, the National Association of Realtors shows that 89 per cent of potential buyers still use a real estate agent or broker to purchase a home. 

When putting your house up for sale by owner (FSBO), you will get limited exposure by putting up a sign and running newspaper ads. When you use a real estate agent, you get instant and mass exposure to a large number of prospective home buyers.

One of the biggest reasons to use a real estate agent and not through the internet alone, is because of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This huge listing provides exposure to thousands of people through real estate agents. Sales by owners are not included in this system. 

Buying and selling a home can be a huge, time consuming, even emotional experience. An agent's professional experience goes a long way. This is their full time job and they are trained to ensure that every important step in the process is done properly.

When buying a home, negotiating is very hard business. It is the agent's job to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. They can help you through tough situations and they help keep it from getting too personal. 

Working with the contracts is another difficult aspect of the process and an experienced real estate agent deals with contracts and conditions on a regular basis and is familiar with what conditions should be used, etc. for both buying and selling a home. If you get into a difficult situation, you'll be happy to turn to your agent for help. 

The 2012 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, lists the most difficult tasks for FSBO sellers:

Understanding and performing paperwork  

Getting the right price 

Preparing/fixing up home for sale 

Helping buyer obtain financing 

Attracting potential buyers 

Selling within the planned length of time 

Having enough time to devote to all aspects of the sale

Buying and selling a home is a specialized service, and you will best achieve your goals by using a professional real estate agent for the job.