Role of Real Estate Listing Agents
Buying or selling a house or home is a complex process that can be very tedious. You cannot compare it to the purchase or sale of any other commodity. What causes this complexity? The complexity stems from the fact that the idea of buying or selling a house is not an easy one. This therefore means that people must plan before they can seek to buy or sell homes. The link between buyers and sellers of homes must also be well established.
Luckily for many people the world over, there are agencies or companies that have noted this challenge. They have gone on to craft a formula that would help home buyers and sellers meet easily and expeditiously. Real estate agents is the name given to such agents in most countries. It is however possible to find people who call the real estate brokers. The fact that they stand between buyers and sellers makes some people see them as brokers.
Arguably the most popular among real estate brokers is the real estate listing agent. The listing agent primarily assists people to sell their houses. The client of the listing agent is therefore the seller. Registration is mandatory for companies that wish to operate as listing agents. They mostly run offices from where potential clients can reach them.
What procedure is followed by listing agents in their work. First of all, the listing agent is usually approached by the home seller. At this point, the listing agent will ask the home seller to furnish him or her with every piece of information about the house to be sold. In all cases they usually seek to also physically visit the home so as to have first hand views about the home. Valuation is usually done well if the every piece of information is availed.
Having received all information about the house on sale, the listing agent then advertises the house. A wide range of platforms can be used to carry out this advertising. The variety of advertising platforms is wide not like in the past when people relied on print, visual and audio media. The internet for instance is a common advertising platform in recent times. Social media has for instance become a platform of choice for many listing agents world over.
Finally, negotiations are done on the actual sale of the house. Potential buyers usually approach the listing agent to present their bids before negotiations can commence. The least price is in most instances set by the home seller. The financial settlement of the deal happens in the presence of the listing agent who ensures that it is concluded smoothly. Payment for services rendered by the real estate listing agent is usually in form of a commission which is commensurate with the price of the house that has been sold.
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