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How to Choose a Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home

Many people get confused about who it really is that a real estate agent represents in a transaction. Unless you have hired them as a buyer's agent, all real estate agents represent the sellers -- and not just on the houses that have signs with their names on them. They are bound by law to get the seller the best market price for their home and sell it. On the other hand, they are bound to represent the home fairly to buyers and try to find them the perfect home for their needs.

Keep in mind that the real estate agent can't give you clues about the desperation of the seller unless it is a known fact, like in the case of foreclosure home sales where you can make bids. If they are showing you a house with an individual seller, they can show you comparable house sales to justify what the market price should be for a certain home. This gets the seller a fair price and immobilien franchise the buyer a good deal at market price.

The fact is that an appraisal should be done when you are buying a home and if you are borrowing on a mortgage, a lender will require it. This establishes the value of the home, no matter what amount the seller wants. While a real estate agent represents a seller and has to divulge any information a buyer tells them, the agents will deal fairly with both parties because it is in the seller's best interest to get the house sold.

Selling homes means that they need to be priced according to the rest of the homes in the market that are comparable in size and condition. As a buyer, this is information that can be easily found on a CMA or comparative market analysis that the real estate agent can provide. You can compare homes in the same neighborhood that are for sale and form your own opinion of market price.

Even if the real estate agent is a close friend, they are still bound by law to represent the seller, whether they are the listing agent on a particular home or not, unless you hire them as a buyer's agent. Through the MLS multiple listing service, agreements are in place that allow them to have access to any homes that are for sale. Some agents can operate as dual agents where they represent the buyer and seller on some transactions and some agents can be signed up as buyer's agents, depending on the circumstances.

If you are in doubt about agency and representation, your real estate agent will be happy to explain it in detail. Any real estate agent is going to deal fairly with buyers, even though they legally represent the seller, because it is in everybody's best interest to get homes sold that are listed. For buyers, it means that finding the perfect one that meets your needs at a good value can involve looking at several and forming your own opinions.
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