Should You Follow Realtor Advice?
Working with a realtor can help you cut down the time it takes to buy or sell a home. In addition to helping you with the legalities of buying and selling real estate, receiving realtor advice is part of the service. Whether you’ve worked with your realtor in the past or this is your first time, it’s important to know when to follow professional advice and when to ignore it.
Realtor Advice to Follow
Unless you’re an expert on real estate contracts, following realtor advice on the contract structure of your home sale is a wise idea. In most cases, your realtor has extensive experience dealing with home contracts and can advise you on what points you must include to legally cover all your bases. Your realtor should also be able to provide valuable insight on the best price point for your home to maximize your profit without increasing the time it takes it to sell.
Realtor advice on communities and specials features of the homes can be a goldmine to homebuyers new to the area. An experienced realtor knows the ins and outs of the local real estate market and can inform you of which homes are the best value. If you have children, your realtor should also be able to provide information on the local school district.
Realtor Advice to Ignore
With typical real estate transactions, you can follow realtor advice without reason for pause; however, there can be times when ignoring the advice is in your best interest. When your gut tells you something’s wrong with the home or neighborhood your realtor believes is perfect for your family, even when all the numbers add up and you know your realtor is working in your best interest, you should always be able to feel at ease in your own home. If any aspect of a prospective property doesn’t seem right, continue your search.
Although the majority of real estate professionals act in an ethical manner consistent with your best interests, there are always exceptions. If you believe realtor advice is to withhold crucial information about your home from prospective buyers, ignore it. While your agent should know all the legal rules of what you must disclose to buyers, you are ultimately responsible for the sale of your home. Disregard any advice you receive from realtors you believe will create a legal liability in the future.