Why Should You Enlist The Help Of An Oxford MS Real Estate Agent?
With so much info available online these days, some folks wonder why they should hire a real estate agent in the first place, thinking they’ve got it all covered just by reading instructions found on the internet. The truth is, only a few manage to seal the deal all by themselves and they usually spend time and money doing so. While real estate websites can be a source of precious information, they simply can’t make you a professional, and many complications you never counted on could still pop-up.
Real estate agents have been professionally trained to navigate the exhaustive details and nuances of the processes of buying or selling a home.
The benefits of hiring a real estate agent are too many to name, but here are some important ones:
Experience & Education
When you hire a real estate professional who is trained in the processes of buying and selling homes, you hand off the heavy lifting to them. You no longer have to know everything about buying or selling a house because now that’s your agent’s job. While many people like to think they can get everything done all by themselves, hiring someone who is more educated and experienced on the matter really shouldn’t be an inconvenience, but a huge benefit instead.
When you feel ill, you turn to a doctor, right? Why? Because while you might have an idea of what’s wrong after “Googling” your symptoms, you really don’t know (unless you happen to be a doctor) have the qualifications to be diagnosing yourself! So why not let a professional handle your real estate issues? Hiring a trained expert gives you peace of mind. Knowing that you have an expert with tons of experience by your side makes a tremendous difference.
Guidance
Before taking you on a tour around your first potential home, a good real estate agent will get to know your preferences and needs. They will take the time to ask you about your criteria, so they can get a great sense of what you are looking for. A great real estate agent knows the market and what’s available and will very likely think of a lot of things you otherwise wouldn’t on your own. This way they can help you narrow the search and they will only show you homes that meet your needs, saving you from a bunch of unnecessary time and frustration.
Network and Contacts
When you hire an agent who is familiar with the neighborhood that interests you, they may very possibly know or find out about homes going for sale in the area, even before they are publicly listed for sale. An agent who knows his targeted area well enough also has many, many contacts in the area. That means they can provide you with valuable contacts that offer you additional leverage and value when trying to buy or sell a home – and even when it comes to finding home inspectors, lenders, contractors, attorneys, and anything else you might need along the way.
Negotiation Strategy
Your real estate agent works for you, which means you have an expert by your side, and this expert looks out for your interests. They will do anything within their scope of work to make sure you make a great choice (the exception is if the real estate agent is representing both the buyers and the sellers. In that case, the agent will explain to you what their role is so that you will be well educated in the process called “Dual Agency”). Also, using an agent to represent you instead of you directly interacting with the other party’s agent can be very valuable in terms of negotiations as well when your agent is just representing you. By having your own agent who represents exclusively you as the buyer or seller, so you know they are advocating and looking out for your best interest.
Paperwork
The paperwork in a real estate transaction can be daunting and overwhelming, especially if you haven’t done it before. And, in some cases, all it takes is overlooking one clause or failing to check a box, and your deal is in jeopardy – sometimes requiring you to resubmit everything over again, or sometimes even causing the deal to fall through – even after you were counting on moving in to your new dream house or condo, or finally selling your home. Real estate documents are complex and often on tight deadlines, and a real estate agent works with them on daily basis will know how to navigate them properly and thoroughly and together with your real estate closing attorney, will help you avoid these devastating mistakes.
Professional real estate agents don’t just drive their clients from house to house; they do much more! An expert agent will be your guide and your trusted companion leading you all the way through the home-buying or selling process, helping make it easier and less stressful for you. They commit to their client’s satisfaction and they have the necessary background, training, experience and knowledge to go through the process as smoothly as it should.
If you are considering buying a home or condo, or selling your home or condo in the Oxford, Mississippi area, and are not working with a real estate agent, please call me! I have years of experience with the Oxford MS real estate market and would love to help! You can reach me at (662) 380-7144 or by sending a message here. I look forward to working with you!
