Monday, January 11, 2010

Learning About Realtors

By Tara Millar

Real Estate Sales Representative are people who help in connecting the buyer to the seller. Many Real Estate Sales Representative also assist with rentals wherein they connect tenants with landlords and sometimes maintain a property on behalf of the landlords. The Real Estate Sales Representative will work by linking the two interested parties and charging a commission once a deal is complete and closed.

For sales, they charge commission only to the seller but for rentals (i.e. agent managed rentals) the commission is charged to both parties involved in the transaction. Real estate agents generally calculate their fee as a percentage of the selling price (in case of sales) and as part of the rent (for rentals). People, who want to sell/let their property, leave the details of their property with the real estate agent (and in fact, even leave the keys of the house so that the real estate agent can arrange for viewings without them getting into any hassle). The other interested party (i.e. the buyer/tenant), gets access to this information by contacting the real estate agent. That's how the real estate agents become a hub of information.

A lot of home buyers and investors use the services of Realtors for getting good deals but also getting information on the newest properties available. Realtors are the most familiar with the market situation and it makes sense to approach them to get an idea of the current market value for properties in that region. Realtors know the prices of various properties types in various locations and are always able to give a Current Market Evaluation to determine what a property might be worth.

A property seller can possibly get a few thousands more for his/her property by using the advice received from a good real estate agent. A good real estate agent will also analyse the needs of a home buyer/tenant and provide suggestions on what kind of home could be available to them within their budget.

So a good real estate agent will not only just throw a list of properties to the buyer but will also discuss their needs to make suggestions. This, in fact, works to the favour of the real estate agent. If the real estate agent sells the property they get their commission and if they make a new buyer happy they earn a good reputation (and hence more business).

However, it is worth noting that real estate agents work on seller's behalf. So, beware if they are trying too hard to sell a property.

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