Do You Really Need an Agent to Buy or Sell a Home in Tamaqua?

You have Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, and dozens of other websites offering homes for sale. Do you really need an agent to buy or sell a home in Tamaqua?

 

Some believe that real estate agents will go the way of most travel agencies – phased out as no longer necessary because 92% of all home buyers now shop on line.

 

But of course it isn't true. Real estate agents provide services that websites do not and cannot.

 

Here are just a few reasons why home buyers and sellers in Tamaqua still need agents:

 

Accurate pricing. A computer can only make comparisons based on square footage and the general area. It doesn't know all the other details that make a huge difference in the selling price of a home.

 

That computer doesn't know the details about your home, nor the details about the homes it is using for a comparison to your home.

 

For instance, it doesn't know if the walls are a pleasant neutral or psychedelic pink, if the cabinets are custom made or of WalMart quality, or if there's a cat's litter box smelling up the whole house – and it doesn't know that two identical homes across the street from each other may have different values because one falls into a more desirable school district. And that's just a sampling of the details that affect a home's value.

 

The computer also doesn’t know if changes are coming to the community – such as the construction of a landfill or a new shopping center.

 

Up-to-date listings. Since those websites allow homeowners to post their own listings, and since no one monitors those listings, you're apt to find homes listed that have been sold long ago. That's a feature that's frustrating for you as a buyer – and for me as an agent when I try to locate homes after a buyer asks to see them.

 

Photos and descriptions that entice buyers. With more than 90% of buyers looking on line to choose the homes they want to see, the photos and property descriptions are important. Agents either become expert in taking these photos and writing these descriptions, or they hire professionals to help them.

 

Paperwork. Most buyers and sellers are amazed at the number of seller disclosures required and the number of details that must be addressed in a purchase and sale agreement. Without completing these forms properly,  buyers and sellers are leaving themselves at risk of a future lawsuit.

 

Negotiation. If the day comes when homes are priced with a "take it or leave it" sticker, just like a can of peas on a grocer’s shelf, agents will be slightly less valuable. For now, negotiation is a big part of the process, and it involves a human touch.  Does the computer know the seller's motivation? Does it know whether the buyer is willing to walk away over an extra $1,000?

 

The real work of getting from agreement to closing. Matching a buyer and house and coming to agreement on price and terms is the easy part of a real estate transaction.

 

The real work comes in managing all those tasks and challenges that occur between agreement and closing. No computer program on earth can take the place of an agent who knows how to explain those steps; how to give reassurance when the going gets tough; how to locate and gain cooperation from the right people when there's a glitch in the title; how to coordinate people and events so everything gets done on time; how to smooth ruffled feathers when buyer and seller are at odds; and a dozen other things.

 

You have online resources - use them to get a general idea about the homes for sale and the price ranges in the area of Tamaqua that interests you. Then call me to get the facts and the assistance you need to successfully purchase or sell a home.