How To Use a Realtor(R) To Your Advantage!

You've seen the articles. You've heard the same thing over and over. You need to hire a professional real estate agent, a REALTOR(R) who will be able to sell your home, or find your next dream property. If you want to get it done right, you "need" to do find that agent. Or at least that's the hype. But what's the reality? Perhaps the point isn't that you "need" to find this professional to help you. Perhaps the point should be more focused on HOW you can use a REALTOR(R) to your advantage in the world of real estate. Here are tips on "how" you can use a professional REALTOR(R) to help sell or purchase your next home!

1 - Whether you are buying or selling a property, you should look for the area expert. Face it, if you're looking in Wailea for the greatest deal on an ocean view condo, why would you want to work with a real estate agent with listings in Kahalui? You don't! If you are selling a piece of property in South Maui you would want a South Maui expert to list your property and market it since that's the agent with the know-how and expertise in the South Maui area. If you want to buy in South Maui, you want that same exact expert to work with you because he will be the one who knows the ins and the outs of the local market. The point is - you want to work with a REALTOR(R) who knows the area and works the area because then he's working for you...in the exact area you want him to be!

2 - Another way for you to use that area expert? If you're in the market for a home, find out about his pocket listings! Those are the little hidden treasures that are not on the open market ... and if you use an area expert, he will have some pocket listings to show you! If you're selling your home, you may, for one reason or another, want to list your home exclusively with the agent and not have it on the open market. You can use that area expert to your advantage ... because the area expert will have more connections that can sell your home while keeping it off the open market. A win-win situation for everyone involved!

3 - As a buyer, make sure you pump your REALTOR(R) for information. Get as many referrals and recommendations from him as you can. You can learn who the lender with the best customer service is, which appraiser will be the easiest to work with, which home inspector has the most experience in the field...get the idea? Your real estate agent is full of information and is the person with the connections that you can use throughout your purchase.

4 - Make sure you use your REALTORS(R)' negotiation skills to their fullest! Real estate professionals are trained to negotiate between both buyers and sellers. They read books and take classes ... all to hone their skills of negotiation to a fine art. Ever wonder how your neighbor got such a great deal when he sold the house next door? Or how your aunt had the Jacuzzi and the patio furniture added into her purchase of a home without spending an extra dime? It all boils down to the negotiating skills of the REALTOR(R).

5 - Okay, so just about every real estate agent out there has a website...but you want to find the one who knows what to do with the technology out there. You want to find a REALTOR(R) who knows how to harness the power of the Internet and turn that into your next home sale or purchase. So while you are looking for this real estate expert, don't ask "why" she uses the internet for her real estate business, ask her "how." How does she use the internet to market her listings? How does she use the web to help her buyers find their next dream home? The key word to use when talking with the real estate agent is "how."

In the end, you can think of your real estate professional as a handyman of sorts. When you call a handyman over, you may ask for help with anything from fixing a squeaky door to adding knobs to your cabinet drawers...but the point is, you ask for the help and you expect an end result. You don't need to understand all the steps in between, you just want to make sure the REALTOR(R) has the tool he needs to complete the job and leave you a satisfied customer in the end.

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