I have the Internet — Do I Still Need an Agent?

Technology has invaded the real estate industry.  Let’s be honest, prospective buyers and sellers no longer need an agent to identify properties.  Properties can easily be found online through websites hosted by real estate companies as well as third party entities like Zillow and Trulia and  Craigslist.  Of course, this may overstate the situation.  In Pittsburgh, many homes are bought and sold without ever making it to any of these sites.  Often agents have buyer clients who have been looking for a certain kind of property and as soon as they hear of a potential match they get their client in the door before the sign hits the yard.  At my agency, new listings are placed on a hot list circulated to other company agents and toured first by Howard Hanna agents.  But If your view of an agent is that of “house finder,” you arguably might be right in thinking that the Internet devalues that role.

But that would be a short sighted view of what a good agent will do for you.  The job of a real estate agent is to help you buy or sell a home at the best possible price in the shortest amount of time.

A savvy agent knows the competition and knows what area buyers are looking for. She has toured the other properties on the market and can give you up-to-date information on the price and condition of competing properties. She can recommend repairs or cosmetic updates that will significantly increase the value and salability of your property.  These are key factors in helping you properly price  your property and get it sold for top dollar, quickly, and with minimum hassle.

A reputable agent markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. Your agent acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service, open houses for agents, etc. Because only licensed agents can list properties on the MLS, homes for sale by owner will not be marketed to the vast majority of buyers and buyer agents.  Real estate agents also have access to a wide variety of marketing options and company financed advertizing.  At Howard Hanna, our properties and services are advertised on all major local print media, in television, on the radio, and in direct property specific mailings, as well as on the Internet to ensure that all types of buyers are reached.  In addition, we offer buyers a variety of programs specific to the company including one stop shopping with mortgage, title, and insurance services offered in-house, our 100% money back guarantee, home warranty, and other special offerings.  These programs attract buyers who look to the real estate company to meet their specific needs and thus look to their properties when purchasing a home. This also means that we can refer prospective buyers to our mortgage company for pre-approval and thus ensure that you are not opening your home to people who have no ability to make that purchase.  I have heard multiple stories of For  Sale by Owner deals crashing months down the road when the buyer is unable to secure financing.

Perhaps most importantly, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts. This is a pool of prospective buyers that are simply not available without the use of an agent.

Your agent can make your life easier and help close the sale of your home. The initial agreement is only the beginning of a long and, frankly, tedious process of appraisals, inspections and financing.  Pennsylvania law requires that you, the seller, comply with a number of obligations including an accurate and complete Seller’s Disclosure Statement.  Your agent can help you navigate the paperwork, avoid a myriad of pit-falls, and write a legally binding sales agreement that will be more likely to make it through to closing without derailment.  Regardless of everyone’s best efforts, between the initial sales agreement and closing, questions and/or problems may, and often do, arise. For example, the lender may require unexpected repairs or a cloud in the title is discovered.  Your agent is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and ensure that your house gets sold.

Your agent should know and use online and social media marketing techniques. A good agent will use progressive marketing techniques to sell your home.  She will make sure that your home receives a dedicated individual property website, complete with high quality photo and/or video tours, and that your listing is syndicated to all of the major real estate search engines and social media marketing techniques.  She will post your listing on Craigslist and disseminate your home information to all potential buyers in her database.