Sometimes I think that a lot of real estate agents' value is lost on the public as well as themselves. A lot of agents take a very passive approach to marketing real estate. They take a listing, enter it into one or more multiple listing services and wait for a buyers agent to come along and sell the property.

In these cases, agents essentially sit back and wait for someone else to make something to happen. These are the agents that might make you wonder, "Why am I paying this person 6% of the proceeds of this home sale"? It's a fair question in such cases. Real estate agents on the buyers side sometimes get that one in hundred client they take
out home shopping and on the first day happen to find the right home, make an offer, and close a sale. In those cases a person might say "Wow, that was 'easy money" for that agent, they hardly did any work." These reactions are very natural since real estate is a high stakes financial affair. However, professional real estate agents take nothing for granted in trying to sell a home.

Here are some of the key attributes of top professionals:

1) Very straight forward - The don't "candy-coat" matters of importance such as condition of a home. Other key areas of candor would be around buyer qualification. They ask questions of you to try to understand your motivation.

2) They know the local market and come prepared to talk with you about prices, market conditions and what you can expect of them in the process.

3) Open houses for agents and prospects, general marketing and countless property showing are all a part of the reason agents earn their money but, again, that's for you to decide.

4) Negotiations - This is such an essential part of the sales process and it is so often underrated. Having a buffer between you and the seller, if you are buying, is a huge deal. This is one of the top two or three things and agent brings with them. the better the negotiator the better your chance of winding up with what you want.

5) The ability to deal with all of the nuances in a transaction, like inpections, the appraisal process, interaction with the lender, escrow company, other agents and the transaction
process in general. Their knowledge is paramount.

6) Security - Agents are smart to deal with their own security in showing homes and using of the safeguards that MLS services offer. They apply these things in selling such as pre-qualifying buyers, electronic tracking of dates and times and by whom properties
are shown helps adds layers of security to the home selling and buying process. These things aren't failsafe, but they all help as deterrents.

If you're selling by owner, or buying from an owner, you expect to have save some part of the commission. The reality is, neither buyer and seller is likely to save all of the commission and
the broker is earning that money as a part of their entire offering of expertise to you. In point of fact, not only do they negotiate the sale, good agents will mentor a buyer and selelr through the process.
so they know what to expect. The fewer the surprises, the happier you will be by the end of the transaction.

Whether you agree with an agents level of value to the transaction or not is entirely up to you. When you consider all of the issues with which you deal in a transaction, and whether you want to do them or want them done for you, it's important you know you options and using an agent is certainly one of those valuable options to consider.

Please understand that as a company, it is our position to provide you with information on the realities of the marketplace. How you choose to utilize the data is entirely up to you.