Are Real-estate agents still needed in our digital age of knowledge?

As we move forward in the 21st century where information and connection is only a mouse click away, we are left with the question of whether buyers and sellers with need a real estate professional. The answer is yes. While it is completely possible to sell or buy a home yourself, real estate professionals have the upper hand in areas the average person may not. Here are 5 good reasons to not make this big change alone.

1. Agents will act as your liaison.
A real-estate agent's job is to achieve your ultimate goal, while weeding out the spam surrounding it. For example, if you are looking to buy a home, a real-estate agent can narrow down the search to only homes that meet all your criteria, as well as using their knowledge to steer you away from bad financial ideas. On the same idea, if you are looking to sell your home, your agent can handle the calls, answer the questions buyers may have, as well as filtering out the calls that will lead to nowhere. Without that you may be waiting around for appointments that were never serious about showing up.

2. Agents will give you honesty.
A real-estate agent's career depends on referrals and repeat business. One wrong review could completely damage their career. Not to mention when you are working with a licensed professional real-estate agent, they are bound by law to act in their client's best interests, or there are repercussions. A private buyer or seller does not have the same repercussions. That is why when working with a real-estate agent you are more likely to get to the honest truth of the matter instead of going through this alone.

3. Agents have negotiation skills.
Some people may feel that direction negotiation between buyer and seller parties would be much more to the point and allow the two parties to really look after their own interest better. What these people are not seeing is that it is a real-estate agent's job to be able to negotiate in a healthy unbiased manner. Where a seller could become offended that a buyer doesn't like the home's decor, an agent is removed from the emotional aspect and can instead convey the issues in terms of business only. Suddenly that unwanted decor has become a discount, and no feelings were hurt.

4. Agents have knowledge of your area.
Real-estate agents spend a lot of time learning about the neighborhoods they work with. If you are selling your home, your agent has the knowledge of what your areas selling points are, what media sources in your area have worked in selling homes, which homes in your areas have sold well and why, and what type of buyers are interested in that type of area. As a buyer, this factor is just as important. Your real-estate agent can tell you the history of the area, facts on local schools, establishments, and crime rates, as well as making sure you are getting the best deal for the area.

5. Agents help keeping track of the fine print.
To buy or sell a home involves quite a lot of legal paperwork. From contracts to receipts, every word counts. One tiny mistake or omission could cost thousands of dollars out of your pocket, or in some cases going to court. To try to handle this without an agent can be stressful in many ways, not just the organization, but the protection. Real-estate agents are hired to protect both buyers and sellers by ensuring every detail is read and agreed upon, and that either party is able to back out if these conditions are not met.

While there are people out there who are qualified to buy or sell a home themselves, and certainly there could be many advantages and satisfaction from handling this process alone, this is a very serious journey to take alone. Even though knowledge is a click away in our world today, the fact that so many sites on this subject have pages of asked questions shows that this process is not as simple as one may think. So when it comes down to it, wouldn't it be more reassuring to have a professional next to you, helping you through the confusion?