August 13, 2010 by MSI
At the risk of sounding like an ad for the National
Association of Realtors (NAR), I find that I’m asking this question a lot these
days. I’ve even asked myself this question several times during the last few weeks
during my own home search and I’ve discovered numerous examples of why I should
be working with a Realtor instead of going it alone.
With the real estate market being so different within each
and every town throughout the United States, it is nearly impossible to make
good real estate decisions without the help of a knowledgeable, professional
Realtor. I was surprised to find that in the Boston area, many suburbs are
selling very well right now, while others just 20 to 30 miles south of the city
are overrun with foreclosures and short sales. And it is not just the large
cities that you might expect to be experiencing these problems. I’m talking
about previously “in demand” suburbs. In my recent search, I even found a condo
development in my hometown selling very well, while a similar newly constructed
complex just several yards away hasn’t even had its first sale, even though it
has been complete since 2009.
It’s really the story behind the story that a Realtor can provide
for a potential buyer or seller in a local marketplace. The national and local
web sites only tell a very small part of the local story. Without the ‘feet on the street’ that a
Realtor provides, consumers could be missing critical information about the
local market and how buyers, sellers, and builders are responding in the
current economic climate. Most buyers recognize that using a Realtor will typically
not cost them any out of pocket expenses as they are usually compensated
through the transaction by the seller. In the case of a seller, it’s the adage
of ‘you get what you pay for’, which in this case would be nothing if you try
to sell your home on your own.
If you decide to go with a discount broker model or online
services, be prepared for discounted service. In either case, you are only
shortchanging yourself.
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