Why choose a REALTOR®?

Selling a home is a complex transaction requiring time, effort, patience and know-how. Selling it quickly at its full value requires the expertise and experience of a real estate professional - especially a broker or agent who is a REALTOR®. If you read nothing else read the following 2 paragraphs (the 2 most important reasons to hire a professional).

A REALTOR® will negotiate a higher cost for your home than if you sold it on your own. Typically, the incentive for doing it yourself is to save the commission, however, the home buyer will recognize that you are trying to save the commission and will negotiate the cost down. The National Association of REALTORS® has determined that the typical home sells for 3 to 9 ½ percent more when it is sold through a real estate agent.

Significantly, REALTORS® can assist you in understanding and adhering to complicated legal and regulatory requirements, thus limiting your exposure to liability during the home selling process. To achieve this includes required continuing education for which the general population has no access.

That said, 'For Sale by Owner' may be the four most tempting words in the world to a homeowner who feels the need to earn every penny from the sale of his or her property, but rarely do such solo ventures yield the results a professional can help you achieve.

There are numerous advantages to working with a licensed real estate agent:

REALTORS® have unique access to widespread local market information and will rely upon comparative market analysis data to establish a fair market price for your property.

REALTORS® have professional sales training and understand how to merchandise your home.

REALTORS® also can maintain objectivity in responding to buyer objections, and in presenting offers and counter offers until an agreement is reached.

REALTORS® have the capacity and resources to advertise and market your home to other agents, as well as the public, which will help bring a far wider range of qualified buyers to your front door. In addition, they will handle inquiries and arrange showings with your convenience in mind, devoting as much time as it takes to market your property until a buyer is found.

A REALTOR® can offer valuable suggestions, hints and tips on preparing your home so it looks its best when shown to prospective buyers.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has enacted some of the strictest environmental laws in the nation; and myriad legal stipulations regarding zoning, fair housing, property disclosure, consumer protection, and building codes require sellers to be more careful about their responsibilities than ever before. Today's sellers need the professional assistance and advice only a REALTOR® can provide.

Notably, consumers should understand that there are approximately 65,000 real estate licensees in Massachusetts, but only about 17,000 of them are REALTOR® members. The REALTOR® trademark is your guarantee that the real estate professional you have chosen to work with has surpassed the minimum state requirements for holding a real estate license. REALTORS® are committed to higher standards in education, business practices, and to a binding code of ethics administered by local and state REALTOR® associations. Put the REALTOR® experience to work for you to safeguard the biggest investment you may ever make.

Assessing the Market: Reasons to Sell and Making the Decision

People sell their homes because they have been transferred to a new job, a new location, or because they are trading up to accommodate a growing family, or trading down when children move out on their own. Whatever the reason, there are at least a few facts worth remembering if you are thinking about selling your home.

a. Familiarize yourself with the market

Sellers need to understand the current real estate market, because housing is a commodity, and the value of real estate properties fluctuates according to many factors including supply/demand, interest rates, and the general economy. Your home is worth only what a qualified buyer is willing to pay for it at the time it is put up for sale.

A professional real estate agent can educate you about what homes in your area are selling for at the current time.

b. Learn what your property is worth

Sellers should consider a professionally prepared comparative market analysis (CMA), which allows them to see what similar properties, in the same market, already have sold for in the recent past. Your REALTOR® will be able to help you with this process and may provide you with a CMA. Plus chances are your REALTOR® has seen the comparable homes and can determine if they are in fact comparable.

While it may seem logical to compare the asking price of others who are selling their homes, it is the closing price - the price actually paid to the seller - that ultimately determines relative worth in the real estate market.

c. Make the decision

People who must move to relocate for a new job don't have the luxury of asking, "Why should I put my home on the market when I haven't yet found the property I want to purchase?" They know they must move and so they do. In fact, it is very rare that a seller fails to find a suitable new property once an active and committed search is underway.

Selling one's current property is the most common way to finance the purchase of a new property. You won't know what you can afford to buy, if you don't know what price you can expect to get for your current home.

Sellers who don't want to list their property first risk finding the home of their dreams, only to realize another buyer (with financing and flexibility) has stepped in to make the purchase ahead of them. If you are reluctant to put your current property up for sale, perhaps you have not made the decision to move just yet.