CHAPTER 15 Why Hire an Agent? e an Agent?
This book is full of information on how to sell your house. By reading it, you now have a basic understanding regarding how to determine a proper list price, staging preparation, marketing, and negotiating. Consequently, you may be thinking that you might be able to sell your house yourself, without an agent. First, consider this analogy: Suppose you were given a book on stock market strategies for your birthday. The question is, are you now ready to handle your own stock market investing? The market is full of 300-point gains followed closely by 400-point losses. Just by reading a single book, have you acquired the necessary expertise, and can you cope with the emotional roller coaster of seeing thousands of dollars of your money come and go? Probably not. The truth is, in the real estate market, as in the stock market, without a professional by your side, there is a good chance you will not succeed, and even if you do, it has been proven that most sellers who choose to sell by themselves later regretted their decision and, more often than not, end up selling for less than those who chose to hire an agent. A professional real estate agent wears many hats. He or she must be proficient in every aspect of the real estate sales process. An agent who meets your specific needs is certainly well worth the commission he or she will earn. Real estate agents have direct access to real estate statistical and conditions data. Information such as comparisons of list-to-sold 71
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