With so much information readily available online, clients sometimes ask, “Why should we hire a real estate agent?” They wonder, if they couldn’t buy or sell a home through the Internet or through regular marketing and advertising channels without the representation of a real estate agent. Some do OK, however, most don’t. So if you’ve wondered the same thing, here are some reasons why you might want to consider hiring an experienced real estate agent.

Education & Experience
You don’t need to know everything about buying and selling real estate if you hire a real estate professional who does. Why not hire a person with more education and experience? We’re all looking for more precious time in our lives, and hiring pros gives us that time.

Agents are Buffers
Agents take the spam out of your property showings and visits. If you’re a seller, your agent will filter all those phone calls that lead to nowhere from lookie-loos and try to induce serious buyers.

Neighborhood Knowledge
Agents possess intimate knowledge and know where to find the industry buzz about your neighborhood. They can identify comparable sales and hand these facts to you, in addition to pointing you in the direction where you can find more data on schools, crime and demographics. For example, you may know that a home down the street was on the market for $350,000, but an agent will know it had upgrades and sold at $285,000 after 65 days on the market and after twice falling out of escrow.

Price Guidance
Contrary to what some people believe, agents do not select prices for sellers or buyers. Selling agents will ask buyers to weigh all the data supplied to them and to agree on a price. Then based on market supply, demand and the conditions, the agent will devise a negotiation strategy.

Market Conditions Information
Real estate agents can disclose market conditions, which will govern your selling or buying process. Many factors determine how you will proceed. Data such as the average per square foot cost of similar homes, median and average sales prices, average days on market and ratios of list-to-sold prices, among other criteria, will have a huge bearing on what you ultimately decide to do.

Professional Networking
Real estate agents network with other professionals, many of whom provide services that you will need to buy or sell. Although agents hesitate to recommend a certain individual or company over another, they will let you know which vendors have a reputation for efficiency, competency and competitive pricing. Agents will give you names of references with whom they have worked and provide background information to help you make a wise selection.

Negotiation Skills & Confidentiality
Top producing agents negotiate well because, unlike most buyers and sellers, they can remove themselves from the emotional aspects of the transaction. Good agents are not messengers, delivering buyer’s offers to sellers and vice versa. They are professionals who are trained to present their client’s case in the best light and agree to hold client information confidential.

Handling Volumes of Paperwork
Some purchase and sale agreements can run 10 pages or more. One tiny mistake or omission could land you in court or cost you thousands. Thank goodness agents will handle the disclosures so you don’t have to!

Answer Questions After Closing
Even the smoothest transactions that close without complications can come back to haunt you. For example, taxing authorities that collect property tax assessments, doc stamps or transfer tax can fall months behind and mix up invoices, but one call to your agent can straighten out the confusion. Many questions can pop up that were overlooked in the excitement of closing. Experienced agents are ready to assist.

Develop Relationships for Future Business
The basis for an agent’s success and continued career in real estate is referrals. Few agents would survive if their livelihood was dependent on new business alone. This emphasis gives agents strong incentives to make sure clients are happy and satisfied. It also means that an agent who stays in the business will be there for you when you need to hire them again, years later. Many will periodically mail market updates, etc. to you to keep you informed and to stay in touch.

Why New Agents Sometimes Struggle
Think back to the last real estate agent you hired. Is your agent still in the business? Were you satisfied with your representation and the service provided? Odds are if your agent is still active in the real estate business -and you were happy with that agent -you probably had hired a real estate agent with experience.

The Benefits to Experience
An experienced agent is one whose mistakes are few. Successful agents learn something new every year; while lesser agents tend to repeat past mistakes over and over again. Top agents treat each client as though their business depends on the client’s success.

Agents who are experienced:
Offer solutions based on previous results
Anticipate problems before they occur
Enjoy solid reputations with other agents
Have practiced strong negotiation techniques
Refer time-tested vendors such as mortgage lenders, title companies, home inspectors, appraisers, general contractors, pest inspectors
Understand the complexities of changing real estate markets
Provide an analysis and market data to clients
Professionally guide clients to smooth closings

How Much Experience Should Agents Have?
Top producing agents are consistent, and this consistency comes from experience. The minimum number of transactions many brokers expect an agent to complete per year averages out to about ten (10) - almost one per month.

Here are some of the skills successful agents possess that help them to prosper in the real estate industry:
Organizational
Time management
Communication
Technology
Patience to handle conflict resolutions
Marketing expertise
Self promotion
Projection of an outgoing personality