Real estate agents are going to ask you a lot of questions so that they can determine what you want and don’t want in a new home. This is essential to finding a property you’ll buy. However, real estate agents don’t necessarily tell you everything. Here are the top things a real estate agent may not tell you but that you should definitely know.
Commissions Are Negotiable
Real estate agents rarely tell you that commissions are negotiable. However, you can negotiate these things. Don’t try to sell a home without a real estate agent. While they may charge a commission, real estate agents and savvy home buyers know that they can subtract the real estate agent’s standard commission off the selling price.
They’ll Show You Properties that Are Not Quite in Their Area
Real estate agents are there to sell you a home or help you sell your current one. They will have areas that they are intimately familiar with. However, they’ll also show you properties that they’re less familiar with so that they can try to sell you a property. This means that they may not know the finer details that can impact quality of life, such as the current HOA dues in a neighborhood, the rankings of the local elementary school, or current downward trends in home prices. This is why you want to find real estate agents with ultra-local knowledge. Select Cameo Shores real estate agents when shopping for homes in that area, not just the first real estate agent who works in the general vicinity.
The Environmental Issues Can Often Be Dealt With
If you’re selling a home, a real estate agent is unlikely to tell you that a home smells bad. They may suggest a deep cleaning or having the carpets cleaned, but they’re probably not going to say that the pet or mold odor is going to scare away clients. After all, they don’t want to offend you. On the other hand, realtors often clean up the property themselves before a showing to maximize the odds it sells.
If you’re a home buyer, they may point out issues that subtract from the value of the home but can easily be dealt with. For example, you may hate the carpets and they suggest replacing them. However, the real estate agent isn’t going to go through the property like a building contractor and give you a plan to quickly upgrade the home for a modest price. They don’t know that a certain soil amendment saves those trees or that a few hundred dollars in cleaning supplies will make the bathroom or kitchen look like new.
The Real Estate Agent Has Little Control
A real estate agent is more like a match maker than an event coordinator. They will find potential properties and show them to you. However, they can’t make the home seller clean it up or force someone to lock the dog in a back bedroom. They can bring home buyers to a home, but they can’t prevent home sellers from being in the middle of dinner or keep their kids from interrupting the showing. Nor can agents control how fast the home sells. They can give advice on lowering the price or paying more in marketing. The only exception to this is when the real estate agent has wholesalers lined up to buy the home by a set deadline, but know that this typically reduces the selling price of the property.
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