Our business is completely family run and has been now for nearly 8 years.  We are full time Realtors® and that means a lot for marketing potential of properties we list.  Ask yourself this question, "If their entire family income is dependent upon real estate transactions will they be more or less likely to do all they can to sell my property?"  Yes, we are very motivated to sell your property and not just list it.  We have invested literally tens of thousands of dollars to refine and develop our marketing system to insure quick sales as well as satisfied clients. 

Absolutely not.  Actually most articles and magazines recommend that you do not.  You need someone whose vested interest is in making sure you get the best price and terms you can possibly ascertain.  Sometimes dual agency ( which is when the agent represents both parties to the real estate transaction) can be a hindrance due to the fact that the real estate agent has to balance the interest of both parties.  

Commissions are not really as big an issue as some make of them.  Think about commissions this way.  If you were to sell a home For Sale By Owner, what benefit would you have?  Some say saving the commission.  Well, think about that a second.  If an agent were to bring you an offer, most people would be willing to pay that agent 3%.  So we are really talking about only three percent you possibly would save or would you??   It on average takes a for sale by owner about three times as long as a real estate agent to sell a property.  The homeowner will  run a few ads in the local paper, they may even put their home on the internet using some of the popular for sale by owner websites, but do they have a proven marketing system refined to maximize the seller's bottom line.  On average the statistics from NAR say that For Sale by Owners sell for an average of 15% less than a listed property.  So think about this if your property is  on the market three times as long, and you sell for an average of 15% less, than are you gaining anything besides the headache that comes with trying to find venues to sell your property?  No, actually you are taking a huge loss not only in sales price, but continued monthly payments on your mortgage not to even mention utility bills and if interest rates were to edge up the cost could be tens of thousands of dollars that you stand to lose.  Oh, by the way, NAR also says that some 85% of FSBO eventually will list their property with a Realtor® so why not list from the beginning with an experience agent with a proven track record?

Sure you could find a house on your own.  You could drive around for days on end looking for signs and not really seeing the entire market.  You could be missing homes that request no signage in their yard and you could overpay for the ones that are found.  Think about it this way.  A Realtor® can pull every home that is listed currently on the market.  A Realtor® can  pull comparables (price properties near your property have sold for in the past) and give you a very good idea of the price the property should sell at.  Also not only will a Realtor® insure you get the best price for the property, he can tell you simply when to walk away.  Also a Realtor® who has been in the business for a while will know which Title Companies to avoid, know which Home Inspectors do a good job and whom do not, know reputable Lenders (we all know what that means in the latest news about predatory lending practice), and walk a person step by step through the purchasing process (which includes, contracts, inspections, lenders, and reputable closing companies) , all free to you, why would you not use that person? 

Absolutely yes.  We may review the entire market so you get an idea of properties that are currently for sale, but if you are only interested in one central location, we can simply only view properties in that area.  We can also define price ranges and also insure that the sales price has comparables to support it.  The market changes not only daily, but actually minute by minute.  You need to keep updated on the latest trends to insure that all your goals and aspirations of your new home are met.