are efficient and take advantage of time-saving tools that help sell your home. Honest? Professional real estate agents build their reputation on high standards of business practices. Self-motivated? Real estate agents are commission-only business people. Successful agents work hard because if it benefits their clients, it benefits them. Creative? Sometimes, it takes creativity to properly showcase a home, develop engaging content, and negotiate a sale. An agent who can quickly address any marketing need is an asset to you. Tech-savvy? Agents well-versed in the latest technology for marketing homes should have a website, social media setup, user-friendly home search options, and quality presentations online, with high-resolution images of homes, videos, and slideshows. Some real estate agencies have smartphone applications. Good agents are not simply go-between messengers who are delivering buyers’ offers to sellers and carrying counteroffers back and forth. They: • Know local purchasing history and market trends and data to help sellers know how to proceed. • Identify comparable sales and find demographic and statistical information. • Are trained advisors on client options and consequences. • Possess intimate knowledge about your home and neighborhood OR they have the contacts and resources to find the necessary information. • Hold client information confidential from competing interests. • Advise on service providers’ reputation and provide references who have previously worked with providers. • Buffer between seller and buyer, keeping a transaction professional in the negotiations phase, when emotions are
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