should I hire a realtor to help buy or sell my home?

Photo Credit: NS Real Estate Association http://nsrealtors.ca/

Thinking of buying or selling your home? You should enlist the services of a real estate agent to complete the transaction. Buying or selling your home is one of the largest transactions you will complete in your lifetime. Its important to get it "right".  A real estate agent can help you do this in a number of ways.

They bring expertise to the table. While dealing with all of the logistics and negotiating of a real estate transaction can be overwhelming and stressful for you, for them it's their day job. Agents are familiar with the process, and are more apt to know if things are moving along smoothly, or if something has been missed. They are also more prepared to find a solution in the event that something in the transaction goes awry.

They bring an impartial perspective to the transaction. They are familiar with the market and the area and are able to provide you with a realistic price for either buying or selling a home. Homes that are overpriced sit on the market, and if you underprice your home you are losing money.

They also have experience presenting properties, and making yours look its best when you list. Today agents often have listings on several websites and take photographs of the home, and sometimes even do virtual tours of the home for these web platforms. This presents your listed home in the best light. On the flip side of that, when you are buying they will be able to spot "red flags" about a potential home that you may have missed.

Negotiating is a large part of a real estate transaction. They bring both the above mentioned impartial perspective to the negotiating table, but they also bring experience in negotiating. They negotiate deals of this sort every day. They may even have a working relationship with the agent on the other side already. They are also more familiar with what is generally included in an agreement of purchase and sale, and what may need to be added in any particular case. The agreement and disclosure statement can be confusing for some people. It is helpful to have someone with experience helping you finalize your agreements prior to signing. In many cases it is only your agent that will be seeing the agreement prior to finalizing the deal. Most agreements of purchase and sale are signed before they get to a real estate lawyer.

They will do the research, correspondence and set up times to view or show homes. These things can be very time consuming. Having an agent can drastically cut down the interruptions to your schedule.

Agents are also part of a large network of local real estate professionals. They are set up on MLS and other networks to put your listing in front of as many people as possible. Or, if you are buying, they have more resources to find listings that fit your criteria. This exposure is invaluable when you are trying to sell your home, or looking for one to buy.

Bottom line: buying or selling your home can be stressful; let your team of professionals make the experience a positive one. 

If you have any questions about realtors you can call us at (902) 826-3070 or email us at info@highlanderlaw.ca to set up a meeting with one of our lawyers at our Tantallon law firm. You can also schedule a no commitment Issue Review Consult for $250+HST where you have the opportunity to explain your situation to a lawyer and get basic advice before deciding whether or not you'd like to retain us.  

By: Briana C. O’Grady, J.D. – Associate Lawyer

The information and materials on this blog are provided for general informational purposes only and are not intended to be legal advice. Nothing contained on this blog is legal advice or constitutes a legal opinion. While it is our goal to provide information which is current, legislative changes and court decisions, among other matters, may result in some information no longer being current or accurate. You should consult a lawyer before relying on any information. The views expressed herein by individual contributing lawyers posting entries to the blog are solely those of the authors and should not necessarily be attributed to or considered representative of the firm of Highlander Law Group Lawyers