If you are thinking of selling your house, you should look into the matter of hiring a real estate agent. You will gain many benefits from hiring such a professional especially in the buyer’s market borne of the recession.

Just in case you have been living under a rock, even celebrities and millionaires selling their homes have had to significantly lower their homes’ selling prices in an effort to sell these properties as fast as possible and yet nobody seems to be taking the bait. With the right real estate agent, however, you can have greater success where your moderately-priced house is concerned.

Home Assessment

Your real estate agent will start by providing advice on how you can sell the house in a quick manner and even on your own terms. Your house will be inspected from floor to ceiling and then changes will be recommended to make it more saleable. You need not worry about spending plenty of money on the recommended home improvements. For the most part, these steps will only focus on minor things like a fresh coat of paint on one part of the house, cleaning up the yard of weeds and junk, fixing up small defects in the plumbing and even removing years of clutter.

Once you have made these minor improvements, your real estate agent can then make an assessment of the house’s value. Factors to consider include comparisons with the property in the neighborhood, current market prices and the value of the home in and of itself, to name a few. From the initial valuation, you and your agent can then discuss the market list price of the property. Keep in mind that keeping to a reasonable and affordable list price is essential in making a fast sale.

Marketing Your Home

Next stop is marketing your home, which is a key responsibility of the real estate agent. Methods applied in said activity include advertisements in the classified ads, posters and, most important, the MSL. Essentially, it is a listing where brokers and agents as well as sellers and buyers share information about available properties for sale. The success of the MSL is proven, too – approximately 80 percent of all home transactions were made with the network as a common factor. You can even secure a better price for your home with said network.

Negotiating the Deal

And of course, your real estate agent will help in deal negotiations for the transaction to push through. The aspects for negotiations will include total price of the house, down payments and final payments, transaction fees and penalties. Basically, your agent should protect your interests first so much so that he can turn down offers that he believes are to your detriment. You still make the final decision but it is a good idea to listen to what the expert in the matter has to say about it.

Before placing your signature on any contract, you are well advised to read it down to the last fine prints. You want to be protected in all aspects so you might also consider talking to an accountant and lawyer for more advice. These professionals are worth their fees if only to ensure that the kinks in the contract are ironed out.

Author Bio: Article by Hank Ericson, a Realtor that focuses on Lansdale Homes & North Wales Homes.

Category: Real Estate
Keywords: real estate agent,selling your house,how to sell a home,hiring a real estate agent,finding an agent