Should I start and finish with a REALTOR®?

1. Experience 

 A REALTOR® is trained to speak the language of real estate and to communicate effectively on your behalf.  You already have a job, why take on another one learning what REALTORS® already know?

2. Supercharged searching power 

Do you really think Zillow and Redfin have every listing?  Think again.  What about a huge network of professionals who communicate to each other about upcoming listings, pre-market listings, and off market opportunities...  Also, the local MLS that REALTORS® use is updated in real-time, every 15 minutes, giving maximum search power.  A REALTORS® nuanced, neighborhood knowledge and access to a large professional network make them irreplaceable.  

3. Negotiating skills 

Knowing the lingo, the market, the timelines, the contingencies, the paperwork...this is the stuff of real estate.   An experienced REALTOR® has the ability and fiduciary responsibility to buyers and sellers to represent their best interests and to speak strategically to other agents to extract key information and implement strategies to bring a deal to a successful close.  

4. An unmatched professional network

Mortgage brokers, attorneys, inspectors, movers, staging companies, plumbers, contractors, painters, insurance agents....these are the professionals needed to make buying or selling a home as smooth and as efficient as possible.  Working with a REALTOR®, you will have this network at your fingertips.  

5. Code of ethics

You may be surprised to know that not all real estate agents are members of the National Association of REALTORS®.  Only members may be called a REALTOR® and this title is upheld by a high ethical standard and adherence to a code of ethics.  Also, the essential repeat and referral business of a REALTOR® depends on doing things right, no matter what.

6. REALTORS® love hats

The data analyst hat, the therapist hat, the negotiator hat, the "on-call-like-a-firefighter" hat...That's right, an effective REALTOR® must wear all these hats in all their combinations to get the job done.  Analyzing critical data to ensure pricing is right, listening to your wants and needs and sometimes between the white lines, negotiating in heated bidding wars, and doing these things at a moment's notice are the job of a REALTOR®.

Don't be shy.  Be spry.  Contact your REALTOR®, to make sure you live in the dream.