What Do Real Estate Agents Do? 5 Things You Should Know
Have you ever tried visiting an open house? If yes, you might’ve seen a person who facilitates the traffic of people visiting the place, which are called real estate agents. Aside from that, they’re in charge of answering the questions of interested parties.
Real estate agents don’t have the same tasks every day. What they do changes depending on the status of the properties they’re managing. In addition, they also tend to the needs of the buyers and sellers of the properties.
So if ever you need to buy or sell a property, it’s best if you hire real estate agents to guide you through the process. However, if you’re not yet aware of what they do, then you should check the list below!
1. Promote houses, and update the list of available properties
Real estate agents are licenced professionals acknowledged for helping home and property owners in all transactions. They earn money through commissions, so if they guide two parties every step of the way, there’s no doubt that they’ll earn enough money.
As real estate agents help in the process of buying and selling, they also have an updated list of properties for sale and rent in the area they’re assigned. For instance, if you’re looking for a property around Richmond, you can easily find a real estate agent who knows the available properties.
Aside from the listings, real estate agents promote the value and benefits of buying a certain property. It includes the location, the value for money, and the information about the neighbourhood. You can just inform the agent about your preferences, and they can easily guide you through it.
2. Prepare and oversee open houses
As mentioned before, real estate agents are often seen in open houses. However, they’re not there just to point out the best features of the house. Additionally, they prepare and inspect the whole property to give you insights into what you can do more about the current situation.
For instance, if you’re a starting family with one kid, they can tip you off about the closest school, parks, and supermarket on the property you’re interested in. Moreover, if you’re having a hard time choosing among different properties, they can give you advice on the best choice.
Meanwhile, if you visit an open house, you must prepare questions that will help you decide of the property suits you or not.
3. Inform buyers, renters, and sellers about the properties
Whether it’s your first time buying, selling, or renting a property, real estate agents are there to answer your questions. It would be hard to ask the owner of the property directly, so real estate agents are there to guide you.
So even if you’ve enquired about the listings and attended a few open houses, you can still ask specific questions to your agent. It doesn’t have to be a complicated one, and just be honest with what else you’re interested to know about.
On the other hand, if you’re a seller, the agent will ask you some essential things before the property goes up for sale. Some of these requirements are setting a time frame, asking price, and necessary documents.
4. Assist with negotiations
Buying, selling, or renting a property is not easy, especially if it’s your first time. And as a non-expert in this field, you may find it hard to negotiate. However, when you hire a real estate agent, there’s someone who can tell you how far you can go with the negotiation.
You may not notice it right away, but an agent, being an expert in this field, can give you the proper advice you need. For instance, if you think you can buy a certain property for a certain amount, they can tell right away if it’s justifiable or not.
5. Manage all the paperwork
Once you’ve found the property you’re looking for, you can start with the paperwork. Fortunately, real estate agents are usually the ones who handle such things. If the negotiation comes to a positive end, then both parties, the buyer and seller, will just have to fulfil the needed requirements to proceed with the transaction.
After that, the agent will just have to review all the documents both parties submitted before the approval. If you’re a buyer, you must have pre-approval or other loans that can support your payment.
On the other hand, if you’re a seller, then you’ll just have to agree upon the requested mode of payment of the buyer. And once everything’s clear, you can just enjoy the relief of selling a property.
If you haven’t tried hiring a real estate agent before, then you should give it a try. You might think it’s just a waste of money at first. However, once things move faster than expected, then you don’t need to worry about processing things. Just remember always keep your line open for clear communication.
Have some tips for finding the best real estate agents? Then don’t hesitate to comment below!