Remember These Points If You Are Resistant to Your Listing Agent Getting a Commission

23 November 2016
 Categories: Real Estate, Blog

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When you list your home for sale, your real estate agent will take a commission after the sale is complete. The exact commission is something that can differ between agents, and you may be able to negotiate it slightly. Some people are resistant to the idea that the agent will take a percentage, but this isn't a reason to contemplate selling your home by yourself. If part of you feels that you don't want to part with this commission, it's helpful to remember all of the various things that your agent does to earn this money.

Markets Your Home

Marketing your home can be an exhausting process. Given that you may be busy with work and family life, it's unrealistic to expect that you'd have time for this work yourself. Your agent will market the home in a number of ways, helping to get your listing in front of as many prospective buyers are he or she can. Additionally, because your real estate agent has a vast network of other agents, there's no question that the agent will be able to help get people interested in your home faster than you ever could.

Invests Their Time

You need to remember that your agent is putting countless hours into the sale of your home and is essentially working for free until the sale is finalized and the commission is paid. When you list your home, the agent will take several hours to go through the home with you and work on the listing. Likewise, when the agent arranges a home staging, professional photographer, and other professionals, he or she is working without getting paid at the time. Each open house takes hours of the agent's time — again, without an instant financial payoff.

Provides Plenty of Expertise

You should also remember that for the price of the commission, you're getting plenty of expertise. The agent's expertise makes your life easier every step of the way. For example, he or she will conduct a market analysis to determine exactly how much to list your home for; this is something that you might struggle with alone. Likewise, when the sale is nearing completion, the agent will handle a vast amount of paperwork and make sure that you understand each document that you're signing. You won't have to take the time to go through every line of each document, trying to understand the terms of the contract.