Agents negotiate from a different vantage. Unlike most buyers and sellers, they can distance themselves from the emotional side of the transaction. Agents are more proficient in negotiating because conducting negotiations is a regular part of their professional work and because they are skilled by frequent practice. After all, it’s part of the real estate agent’s job description and training. Good agents are not simply go-between messengers delivering buyers’ offers to sellers and carrying counteroffers back and forth. They are professionals who are trained to advise their clients on options and consequences and then present their clients’ case in the best light and agree to hold client information confidential from competing interests. The real estate agent can be a buffer between seller and buyer, keeping the transaction professional and “at arm’s length.” This is important in the negotiations phase when emotions are liable to be at their highest. The real estate agent can further filter all those phone calls that lead to nowhere from bargain hunters and real estate shoppers. Having a real estate agent available when the home is being shown is a distinct advantage for a few reasons. The agent will field the scheduling calls, arranging them for the seller’s convenience. The agent will show the home, saving that seller time investment. The agent fields the follow-up questions. In short, having an agent will lessen the seller’s investment of time and bother, while inciting serious buyers to immediately write an offer. Handling real estate transaction paperwork is also a big boon to the seller. One-page deposit receipts were prevalent 40 years ago. Today’s purchase agreements run 10 pages or more. That does not include the federal- and state-mandated disclosures nor disclosures dictated by local customs. Most real estate files average thicknesses from one to three inches of paper. A mistake or omission could land you in court or cost you down the road.
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