The process of selling a home can be an arduous one, from accurately estimating the value of your property to finding creative ways to market your abode. Fortunately, there is one type of person who can assist you with a home sale: a listing agent. This individual’s primary responsibility is to adequately market your property until it is sold.
According to the 2018 National Association of REALTORS ® (NAR) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 91% of sellers in the United States in 2017 received help from an agent when putting their property up for sale. Evidently, real estate professionals remain a highly reliable resource for many people across the nation. Given statistics such as these, let’s take a look at a listing agent’s duties and the benefits of teaming up with one.
LISTING IN REAL ESTATE
In the real estate world, a “listing” refers to an advertisement of a home on the Internet, in a newspaper or magazine, or in some other outlet. Per the NAR’s 2018 report, 50% of homebuyers found the home they purchased online, and 28% discovered their property thanks to a real estate agent. In many cases, a listing contract or agreement is drawn up between a broker and a property owner that grants the former the authority to act as the latter’s agent during the selling process. Three common types of such agreements are an exclusive right-to-sell listing, an exclusive agency listing, and an open listing. Each type of contract dictates different rules regarding commission payments to the broker, among other things.
WHAT DOES A LISTING AGENT DO?
A listing agent aims to market and sell a property through any legal means. They can sometimes function as a clerk and place a property for sale into a Multiple Listing Service (MLS). There is an array of services that brokers utilize to set up contractual offers of compensation and handle information related to home appraisals (assessing the value of a property).
ADVANTAGES OF PARTNERING WITH A LISTING AGENT
Here are six benefits of enlisting the help of this type of agent:
- List Your Home at the Right Price – A real estate agent can typically give you a much more accurate estimate of a property’s price than websites like Zillow can.
- Smoother Home Presentations – First impressions always matter.
- Higher Offers from Buyers – An experienced agent can help you get higher offers.
- Greater Buyer Exposure – Get significantly more showings for your home!
- A Listing Agent Can Help You Negotiate Inspection Results – An inspection is a major aspect of the home sale process.
- Expedite Time to Close Home Sale – Why not get assistance with all of the exhausting paperwork involved in a home sale?
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT LISTING AGENT FOR YOU
There are several ways to find a listing agent, although facts show personal connections remain important. The NAR’s 2018 report revealed that 39% of home sellers who enlisted an agent met this type of professional via a referral from friends or family. If you are satisfied with an agent’s services, you can then enlist this person’s help again in the future or potentially recommend him/her to a relative or friend. You can also try searching online or attend local information sessions on real estate trends in your area.
SPEAK WITH A REAL ESTATE EXPERT
Contact the professionals at the Katie Zarpas Group in Virginia Beach to learn more about the importance of using a listing agent to sell your home. Katie Zarpas worked as an assistant director in the entertainment industry for years, but since 2005 she has gradually become a major player in the luxury real estate business.
Katie has earned the Hampton Roads Realtors Association’s Gold, Platinum, and Diamond awards and has repeatedly ranked as one of the top realtors in the country. The Katie Zarpas Group has handled listings in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Portsmouth. It is also affiliated with several organizations that operate abroad, including Christie’s International Real Estate and Luxury Portfolio International®.
As a Long and Foster agent, Katie has access to a network of luxury agents and luxury real estate resources through the exclusive Long and Foster arrangement with Christie’s International Real Estate. Katie has established a vast referral-service network in the real estate market through connections such as the Mike Ferry Organization, which coaches elite real estate agents to provide top results for clients, as well as LeadingRE, which encompasses over 1.1 million global transactions in an exclusive, invitation-only network.
We always strive to remain up to date on the latest market trends in Virginia real estate and are dedicated to serving our clients’ unique needs and concerns. Call the Katie Zarpas Group today at (757) 685-4400 or contact us online for more information about our work or to schedule an appointment if you are interested in selling your home.