Going at it Alone vs Having Realtor Representation

With the hot market these days some of you might be thinking of taking care of your real estate needs on your own. I want to share why having a realtor representation is a benefit to you whether you are thinking of buying or selling and let me tell you why.
In a market with short supply and many buyers needing housing it takes a knowledgeable expert to navigate you through it. When selling, you may receive multiple offers, which is great but knowing which of these offers to accept is the key. Buyers can blow a lot smoke up your *#*# to make themselves appear better than the others even when they aren’t really capable of buying. Knowing the right questions to ask to make sure you have a bonafide buyer who can go the distance and close is key. For example, if you are planning on buying a new home and it’s important that your current one closes so you can buy your next home  otherwise the sellers are going to sell it to someone else who is in line right behind you who is just hoping your deal falls through. What if the offers are coming in way higher than recent sales. How is the appraisal condition handled and so forth. There are a lot of details that go into the process of  bringing the transaction to completion. Knowing the right nuances to look for that make a difference in a transaction is important.
When you’re the buyer the same thing goes. Having an expert guide you in knowing what to include in your offer to make it stand out above the rest will help your odds at being the offer that gets accepted. There are a lot of factors besides price that go into getting your offer accepted.  During the process it’s beneficial to have a realtor to assist with handling expectations throughout the transaction and keeping it moving forward. Also buying and selling real estate can get emotional and it can be a relief to have a Realtor as a go between that has the experience to keep the focus off the emotions and just on the transaction to navigate you through to a successful sale.
Scenario of FSBO- ing your home/property and having Realtor’s bring you a buyer where you’re Co-oping to pay the fee for a Buyers Agent to bring you a ready, willing & able buyer. Unless you’re skilled and knowledgeable in real estate transactions you might really put yourself at a disadvantage. This can be the result of many factors that come up in a property sale.
Another scenario as far as being a Buyer is “I found the property I want to buy on the internet and instead of using a Buyer’s Agent I’m going to see if I can get a “deal” by going direct to the Listing Agent or Seller.” The listing agent represents the Seller and not you so as a direct Buyer, unless you know what you are doing, you don’t have anyone to advise you. Also as far as getting a “Deal” whatever terms that have been decided upon as far as the Fee goes for a direct Buyer or paying a Buyer’s agent to bring a Buyer have already been negotiated in the Listing Contract.

Real Estate Trends in Boulder County

2014 has seen a continued increase in demand for Boulder County real estate. With low interest rates, local companies continuing to hire, and the influx of out of state buyers, condominiums, town homes and single family homes have been in high demand. Subsequently there is a low supply of properties for sale which is benefiting sellers with an increase in their sales price from previous years. If a home is properly priced a seller has a good chance of getting full asking price and in some cases even more when there are multiple offers and a bidding war ensues. We’re at a fascinating cross roads for buyers having great purchasing power by having access to historically low interest rates, and for sellers taking advantage of the strong demand. It will be interesting to follow this trend and see how it tracks into the future.

For more information on market statistics from the Boulder Area Realtors Association:
November 2014 Boulder County Statistics