The aggrandizement of services that aid homebuyers and sellers in completing their own real estate needs is relatively recent, and it may have left you pondering whether procuring a real estate agent is becoming a relic of a bygone era. Going solo when it comes down to real estate might save you a handful sum of money by cutting down the significant commissions you need to pay the agents. Well, the question is: Would you rather try flying solo or reach out for a helping hand?

Buying or selling a property even in a buyer’s market is challenging and time-consuming. A significant proportion of people doesn’t trust or rely on real estate agents to meet their needs. However, these guys will be forever missing the luxuries of what a real estate agent can bring to their plates. Buying and selling properties indeed take time, and with the help of the right expert, one can surely save a lot of time and make things hassle-free for themself.

Here’s how hiring a real estate agent can assure you in achieving the ‘all-time American Dream’ of owning a property in your name…

1. Hiring an Expert

Rather than being entitled as an agent, they prefer being called experts. Real estate agents are the best when it comes to their line of business. You’ll experience the pinnacle of professional real estate services by hiring a property expert. Right from negotiations to the final settlement of the price, they’ll act as a loyal mediator between you and the seller omitting you from all the hectic formalities and paperwork.

Negotiation is a tricky business, and there’s an excellent chance that the other party can easily bamboozle one without an adequate record of experience in this line of business. A real estate expert has enough experience when it comes down to revealing all the ambushes and deceptions and taking countermeasures. So, whether you are selling a property or buying one, hiring a real estate expert will always give you the upper hand.

2. Are The Encyclopedias of Property Listings

Finding a house with your specific interests can be challenging. If you are a working person who rarely gets time to spare, this becomes even more challenging. Moreover, what if the house with your interests is on the other side of the state? This is where a real estate agent comes in handy! They have an enormous database of property listings that can match your interests. Tell them what kind of house, neighborhood or even locality you need, and they can present you with the shortlisted properties which resemble your attention. All you need to do is pick one.

Most of the real estate agents have a secure and robust network when it comes to property listings. They make use of these networks to keep in touch with all the property owners and sellers all over the state. By hiring a real estate agent, you are not only experiencing hassle-free services but also given access to the network mentioned above of extensive property listings.

3. Saves Time and Money

Roaming around your locality or neighboring state in search of available properties can drastically eat your time and money. Well, we would say there’s no point in drifting along with the current without a destination or goal. With the aid of a property dealer, the path towards your target will be apparent, and you can set the course at full speed. Property dealings always include a lot of paperwork and legal procedures and don’t forget the expenses too. A real estate agent can volunteer for you to take all the trouble of hefty paperwork and costs providing you with the ownership of the property or house.

For example, selling a property which is listed under foreclosure or short sale is pretty challenging and hectic. Most of you might feel like you are going through the most terrible phase of your life. With the property listed under foreclosure or short sales even, interested buyers might back off thinking of all the legal troubles they might need to go through. By hiring an experienced real estate agent, selling your foreclosed or distressed properties will be quicker and more straightforward.

Still not convinced in hiring a real estate agent?

Let us brief you up with a few more scenarios in real estate business. When stepping into real estate business, most of you might have come along the terms like foreclosure, short sales, distressed properties, estate sales, probate sales and much more. Hiring a real estate agent will make it easy to acquire properties which are under these complex scenarios.

a. Real Estate Agent For Foreclosure

Foreclosure of property occurs when the borrower fails in paying the mortgage he/she is obliged to pay the property owner. Even though the number of foreclosed properties are gradually decreasing in number these days, they still do exist. As for a buyer looking for a potential property, there’s a fair chance that a foreclosed property might exactly be the house in his/her dreams. However, the reality is pretty much harsh. Instead of a smiling face handing over the key to the property, you’ll be welcomed with a ton of paperwork and legal procedures which can even last up to minimum seven months. The same happens when you are trying to sell one too.

With a real estate expert who knows his way around the market and its characteristics, selling or buying a property in foreclosure doesn’t plot an issue. Since they are experts in their line of business, finding a buyer for your foreclosed home will be more comfortable. Their motto is to help you by leaving you out of all the troubles providing a hassle-free business deal. You need to select the shortlisted buyers provided by the agent who are willing to give you a fair deal for the property.

b. Real Estate Agent For Short Sales

A short sale specialist or a lawyer? This might be the first question that comes to your head when planning to list your property for short sales. Opting for a short sale specialist rather than sticking to a lawyer can help you in many ways. Since lawyers only know about legal procedures that need to be presented in the court regarding the property they won’t do much help in advising what to do and what not to do when going for a short sale. A short sale specialist has completed thousands of these cases and is much more experienced when it comes to such scenarios. They can even find you a proper buyer for your property who can provide you with fair and desired price. Don’t forget that the legal procedures will be taken over by the agent itself, which indirectly implies they’ll be providing everything a lawyer can provide.

c. Real Estate Agent For Distressed Properties

Distressed properties have always been a headache for property dealers. These are the properties that are rarely maintained or nearly distressed but still packs a punch. Finding potential buyers for your distressed property can be challenging and daunting without a property expert. They are professionals in negotiating and convincing buyers to buy the property. The same goes when you are planning to buy a distressed property to save your wallet. Since every distressed property isn’t approachable even though they look promising from the outside. With an expert beside you who knows what to look for in a distressed property and understand its market value can land you a great deal without hurting your pocket.

The Bottom line

Investing in hiring a real estate agent will always be a boon when planning to buy or sell a property. They can lead and guide you in the right way to meet all your real estate needs.

Are you trying to sell or buy a property under short sale?

You probably must have heard the term “short sales” a lot in these past years. Short sales are something we hear more often when it comes down to real estate area. Short Sale meaning isn’t something every commoner will understand. So, let us be more clear on the topic here. A short sale is when someone sells his house, with the awareness and approval of the mortgage lender for less than what he/she owes to the lender. If the lender accepts the terms, then you can proceed with selling the property.

For example, consider you’ve defaulted on the payments and your mortgage lender has filed a foreclosure in the bank against the property. Panicking won’t do anything when you are facing a foreclosure. You can talk with the lender and put your property on short sales hoping for other buyers to buy the property. So, you owe your lender a $500,000 but, the new interested buyer is only willing to pay a $400,000 for the property. You might not be in a situation to pay off the difference amount too. So, convincing your lender to agree for a less amount than you owe is short sales. Most of the lender and banks agree to the terms as this is time-consuming and with a lot of hassle. The final result a win-win situation as the seller is no longer saddled with the debt and the buyer gets the property at a bargain price.

So, if you are selling or buying a property and is considering a short sale, here are the top things you need to know before proceeding with short sales before fixing the deal…

Know the Difference Between Short Sales and Foreclosure

This is something most of you might get confused upon. Short sales and foreclosure are entirely different scenarios. In a foreclosure, the role of the homeowner is slightly less than in short sales. People who try to avoid a foreclosure by working out a deal with the lender or bank usually go for short sales. And there isn’t any tension about evicting the previous owners in short sales as in foreclosure. Well, things do get messy in foreclosure!

Unlike a foreclosure, short sales don’t impact your credit much. Still, it’ll damage your credit score but not for as long as the damage done by a foreclosure. You’ll even have the chance to apply for a home loan for two years while in short sales.

Takes A Lot of Time

A short sale doesn’t refer to the time involved as the whole term is somewhat misleading. A short sale can take up to five to nine months to close; sometimes even longer. If it’s the bank you are dealing with, don’t expect the bank to come to you and tell how much it would accept for the property. So, what you must make sure is that while negotiating with the interested buyer, you should get the price that has been approved by the lender or the bank for the property. Finding a suitable buyer to buy short sale property or buy short sale house can be troublesome without the help of an experienced short sale negotiator. So, the whole short sale process is time-consuming and a bit nettling.

Make Sure You Are Eligible For Short Sales

Saving your property by avoiding foreclosure with short sales seems pretty alluring but, have you cross-checked your eligibility for proceeding the short sale services? You must meet all the criteria and might require a written proof stating your eligibility from the bank or the mortgage lender. This itself will be time-consuming but have patience! For being eligible for short sales, you must owe more money to the bank or the lender than the house’s total worth. If you are eligible for any loan modification, then you can rule out all the possibilities of a short sale approval. A written proof that states you can no longer afford the monthly payment and any proof of financial hardships, like laid off or divorced or having excessive medical bills will make you eligible for proceeding with a short sale.

Make sure you pass all these eligibility criteria before even trying for short sales as this is full of hassle and time-consuming.

It’s Time You Consider a Helping Hand

Buying or selling short sale property will be a lot more troublesome if you are planning to go ahead alone. You’ll be facing a lot of pressure mentally and emotionally through the whole process. The first thing you need to do is find a trustworthy agent to sort out your problem. A real estate agent who’s experienced in every aspect of real estate can make a huge difference especially if you are selling short sale property. The short sale process involves a lot of legal procedures and paper works, which will leave you frustrated in no time. A Short Sale specialist who’s familiar with all these stages will help you push further without any difficulties. Well, the time flies, and you need to act more quickly in finding a buyer, or you can still face foreclosure.

Conclusion

Keeping your patience and confidence is the main key to every successful short sale. With the right agent who knows his way around will be a boosting factor when going for short sales. Also, beware of the cunning smiling faced agents who disguise and misleads you by offering a helping hand when you are vulnerable.