What Do Real Estate Agents Do?

Real estate agents don’t just dress in suits and talk on phones all day. They provide a valuable service to homeowners, home buyers, renters and anyone else interested in real estate. Here’s a look at the many services real estate agents provide.

You see them wearing suits and talking on phones. Their smiling portraits can be found on billboards, in newspaper ads and printed on those little notepads left at your front door. They’re ready to help you with your real estate needs. But what exactly does that mean? What do real estate agents do?

The people in those smiling portraits are professionals who assist homeowners, home buyers and renters in real estate transactions. They are individuals who have successfully completed specialized training, testing and licensing before beginning their careers. Real estate agents continue their education throughout their careers, attending workshops and participating in classes to stay on the cutting edge of real estate, all to serve you better.

A lot of what real estate agents do takes place behind the scenes, and often on weekends. They research properties for sale and rent on an ongoing basis to keep current with the pricing and availability of homes in a neighborhood. Agents familiarize themselves with schools, shopping centers and services local to the area, so they can better recommend properties to clients. They regularly visit neighborhoods in person, keep in contact with residents, businesses and services, and get updates on what’s happening in the community.

Between holding open houses, finalizing paperwork at escrow offices and meeting inspectors at properties, real estate agents rarely spend a full day inside the office. Thankfully, today’s technology has made communication between agents and clients convenient for everyone. Accessible agents offer several modes of contact, such as office, home and mobile phone numbers, email addresses, chat and text IDs and even social networking sites.

Marketing properties requires time and effort, and real estate agents use a variety of tools for the job. Online marketing through websites and social media is often combined with established forms of real estate advertising, such as newsletters and ads in the local paper. Your real estate agent will best know how to market properties in your specific area.

Real estate agents keep abreast of current real estate news, laws and trends, and so are equipped to handle contracts and ensure all the details are properly addressed. They know which forms need to be filled out and submitted and what pertinent information must be included in these forms. They make sure all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed to meet with the legal requirements of selling a property.

It's everything you don't see that enables real estate agents to connect buyers and sellers, helping clients to find their home sweet home. And that's what keeps those agents smiling.

© M.S. Ross - All Rights Reserved

When selling a property, carefully consider the pros and cons of selling it yourself (FSBO or For Sale By Owner) as compared to using the services of a professional real estate agent. Trained professionals know which documents are vital to include in the transfer of a property and which tasks must be completed before the close of escrow. Since they are quite familiar with the entire process, professional real estate agents can navigate all the legally required inspections and documents of real estate transactions, and you can rest assured that all the details have been addressed.