"There Are A Lot Of Good Reasons To Choose A Real Estate Agent..."
These are some questions that many people ask themselves when they are looking at selling their home:
Why should I have someone sell my house for me when I can do it myself?
Why should I pay someone that amount of money to just put a sign on my lawn?
Does it really take that much work to sell my home?
Don't Real Estate agents just put it on mls and let it sit there?
These are questions that I encounter on a regular basis.
The answer to these questions is simple though.
Sure you can do it yourself, there is no question about it there are home systems that let you put a website together and give you signs and you pay just a small fee to them for there brand name and advice. With a Licensed agent you get that and a whole lot more. We have all gone college for this specific field of work and we continuing our education regularly, as a mandate from the OREA (Ontario Real Estate Association). This is our profession, we are experts in many different fields in Real Estate. We have qualified buyers and know how to qualify them before we show them houses. We have access to proven marketing and advertising systems. Do you really want to have to hold open houses regularly?
We as agents do more than just put a sign on the Lawn. We are always trying to find you a buyer for your house, we are advertising and marketing your home through websites, newspapers, magazines and speaking with clients and other agents. Putting a sign on the lawn with a strongly branded name like Royal LePage Gale Real Estate gives you credibility, as oppose to a for sale by owner sign.
How much work does it really take to sell a home? Well the initial form filling procedures, measuring the house, taking pictures, producing feature sheets, showing the home to prospective clients, openhouses, placing signage, marketing on the websites, submitting offers, home inspection, septic inspection if needed, well inspection if needed, paper advertising and market, magazine advertising, researching the property for the proper price, zoning of the property. These are all items that we as realtors do on a regular day to day basis. We know where to find the answers for all these issues.
Some agents may give you a commission reduction but they will not service your home. They will just put it on mls and let it sit there. The agents that are asking for the higher commission rates are most likely doing more work for you and selling your home. The agent wants to sell your home as fast as he/she can. This way it benefits everybody. You can move onto your next home or investment if that is the case and we as agents can service our next client just as great as we did you.
What we have in the Real Estate Industry are three types of agency. This is basically how we as Real Estate Agents work with buyers and sellers. The three types of agency are sellers agent, buyers agent and a dual agent. The following is a description of each type of agency.
1. Seller's Agent - When you are SELLING your home.
- When a real estate company is a "seller's agent," it must do what is best for the seller of a property.
- A seller's agent must tell the seller anything known about a BUYER. For instance, if a seller's agent knows a buyer is willing to offer more for a property, that information must be shared with the seller.
- Confidences a seller shares with a seller's agent must be kept confidential from potential buyers and others.
- Although confidential information about the seller cannot be discussed, a buyer working with a seller's agent can expect fair and honest service from the seller's agent and disclosure of pertinent information about the property.
2. Buyer's Agent - When you are BUYING a home.
- A real estate company acting as a "buyer's agent" must do what is best for the buyer. A written contract called a buyer agency agreement, Establishes buyer agency.
- It also explains services the Company will provide, establishes a fee arrangement for the Realtor's services and specifies what obligations a buyer may have.
- Typically, buyers will be obliged to work exclusively with that company for a period of time.
- Confidences a buyer shares with the buyer's agent must be kept confidential. Although confidential information about the buyer cannot be disclosed, a seller working with a buyer's agent can expect to be treated fairly and honestly.
3. Dual Agent - When the BUYER and SELLER work with the same agent
- Occasionally a real estate company will be the agent of both the buyer and the seller. The buyer and seller must consent to this arrangement in their listing and buyer agency agreements. Under this "dual agency" arrangement, the company must do what is best for both the buyer and the seller.
- Since the company's loyalty is divided between the buyer and the seller, who have conflicting interests, it is absolutely essential that a dual agency relationship be established in a written agency agreement. This agreement specifically describes the rights and duties of everyone involved and any limitations to those rights and duties.
Who's working for you?
- It is important that you understand who the REALTOR is working for, For example, both the seller and the buyer may have their own agent which means they each have a REALTOR who is working for them.
- Or, some buyers choose to contact the seller's agent directly. Under this arrangement the REALTOR is working for the seller, and must do what is best for the seller, but may provide many valuable services to the buyer.
- A REALTOR working with a buyer may even be a "subagent" of the seller, Under sub-agency, both the listing agent and the co-operating agent must do what is best for the seller even though the sub-agent may provide many valuable services to the buyer.
- If the seller and the buyer have the same agent, this is dual agency and the REALTOR is working for both the seller and the buyer.
Code of Ethics
- REALTORS believe it is important that the people they work with understand their agency relationship. That's why agency disclosure is included in a self-imposed Code of Ethics, which is administered by the Real Estate Council of Ontario. The Code requires REALTORS to disclose in writing the nature of the services they are providing, and encourages REALTORS to obtain written acknowledgement of that disclosure. The Code also requires REALTORS to enter into a written agency agreement with any sellers or buyers they are representing.
- We have access to the listings of thousands of agents across Ottawa, Ontario and Canada
If you're selling – you run the risk of over or under pricing your property. Aaron Cope is an advocate for finding the right deal for both parties.
"How can I find the perfect home at the right price?"
If you're buying – Aaron will match your wants and needs with a list of available properties, eliminating the frustration of wasted of time buyers so often experience.
If there's anything I can do for you, any information or advice your require... anything at all... please ask – I'm Aaron Cope – and I'm always here to help.
