Have you ever wondered what makes a great real estate agent versus a normal agent? What is the agent you hired doing behind the scenes on your behalf? You may have signed an agency agreement to either buy or sell a home with a particular realty firm, and now you’re “in the market”. You may think the buyer agent’s job is to show properties to you, help you write an offer, and walk you through closing. Or a seller’s agent’s job is to put the house in the MLS and help you negotiate offers. All of these are correct, but like the saying goes, these things are just the “tip of the iceberg”.
A great agent will be working on your behalf from the moment you enter into the agency relationship to beyond the closing of your property. There are a multitude of services that a customer-service-driven agent will be doing on your behalf, behind the scenes. Below are just a few things that you should expect from a quality REALTOR during your purchase/sale.
- They shop property online
Your agent goes beyond looking through a few photos oohing over the lovely features. They look at the intricate details that you may miss or not see that can be beneficial in whether this home would truly fit your needs. Some of these things can include HOA dues, restrictive covenants, flood zones, in the path of a new highway, whether the property is leased, and other items that could be deal breakers based on your needs. - They go prospecting
Most Real estate agents spend time driving through neighborhoods checking out new listings, surrounding homes, traffic, and external factors (things you don’t see in an MLS photo). Great real estate agents also network with other agents learning about and sharing listings so they can help find the home that checks every box on your wish list. - They spend money on marketing
Most agents don’t see a penny in commission until your home has closed. So it can be an easy shortcut for less experienced seller’s agents to not spend money on advertising your home. A great seller’s real estate agent knows that your home will sell faster and for a better price when it is exposed to more than just the MLS. An investment by the agent in real marketing such as ads, fliers, showing booklets, premium online ads, open houses, social media, etc., usually means a faster sale with a better price. - They write offers, counteroffers, repair agreements, and handle all negotiations
Offers, counteroffers, and repair agreements are all items that need a proficient negotiator, and someone skilled with contracts and agreements. A great real estate agent is negotiating numerous items with the other agent on the sale, making sure that your best interests are being represented at all times. Once the negotiations have taken place, the agent should be able to translate the terms into written contracts. It is time consuming to negotiate, write them up perfectly, and manage the back and forth between buyer and seller, but a great real estate agent will accomplish these tasks without you even realizing the detail and work behind the process. - They stick around for inspections
You might not be present when it’s inspection time, but a great real estate agent should be. This gives the agent an immediate knowledge of what’s going on. Anything from termites to an iffy foundation can be relayed to the buyer immediately. Your agent can help you understand what items should be negotiated into the repair request, and how to move forward after you get the details on a home through an inspection. - They smooth bumps in the road, and keep you calm
Not every sale is smooth, and issues do arise. Buying or selling a home can be stressful and emotional for both sides of the transaction when there are hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake. Have no fear, great real estate agents have probably seen a situation similar to yours before, and can help you understand a practical approach to almost any situation and how to get through it with as little stress or heartache as possible. - They are a timeline maestro
A great real estate agent doesn’t just do what we’ve already mentioned, but they also fill in all the little tiny gaps in a sale that you probably don’t even know exist to keep everything on track. They are in constant communication with your lender, your inspectors, the other agent in the sale, and the attorney. The agent should make sure that everyone involved knows what happens next, when it has to happen, and where we go from there. When buying or selling a home, there are a multitude of deadlines to have a successful sale. Your real estate agent should be managing those timelines on your behalf and keeping things on schedule. - They fill in all the other gaps
Probably the most important piece of work that a great real estate agent does for their clients is to do everything else that is necessary to serve your needs in a sale or purchase. There are a handful of required things like a contract, closing, etc. but a great agent will be there to spot problems in a sale before they occur, keep all parties in constant communication with each other, and make sure that if problems do occur, you’re 100% confident that your next course of action is the best step for you as a buyer or seller.