It may seem to you as though sites like Redfin, Zillow, Trulia, etc. have made the modern-day Realtor obsolete. Au contraire, my friends. Those sites may be helpful for the house-hunting process (though the number of expired listings on those sites is kind of silly), but that’s really just one small piece of the home-buying puzzle. Here are just a few of the many pieces that a good Realtor will help you put in place:
- Once you find the perfect home, do you know what documents you’re required to submit in order to put in an offer?
- Are you familiar with the various contingency options, and do you understand the implications that adding or leaving out a particular contingency may have re: the likelihood of your offer being accepted?
- Do you know how to best craft your offer to protect yourself from accidentally buying a lemon or overpaying for a property?
- Once your offer is accepted, do you know what needs to be done before you can get to the settlement table?
- Who’s going to do your home inspection? Termite Inspection? Appraisal? Provide your Home Warranty? Do you even need to get all of these things done?
And, in my humble opinion, the most important point of all: sure, you’re most likely smart enough to figure this stuff out yourself. But do you really have the time to figure it all out yourself?
The bottom line is, a good realtor has more time, experience, and expertise than you do to get you through what is unquestionably a complex process and one of the most important purchases you’ll ever make. Being able to sift through listings and open houses with an iPhone app doesn’t change any of that. Trust me, the house hunt – while important – is just the tip of the iceberg.
The Washington Post agrees, though I felt like their analysis really just scratched the surface of the issue. There’s some interesting input in the comments section though. (No, seriously!)
On Tuesday, the quintessentially mainstream American real estate brokerage–Re/Max–went public. The housing market is hot enough, its initial filing explained, that raising investor cash could launch it into markets around the country it hadn’t yet reached.
But wait–real estate agents? Wasn’t the internet supposed to drive them out of business?…
Urban Living By Alia 