Buying or selling real estate is a rather complicated process. It is important to understand the legal nuances, understand how to check the documents, and be able to find a buyer for your property in case of sale or a suitable apartment to buy. If there is no time and desire to understand everything, you can use the services of a realtor. We tell you how this specialist will help the buyer and the seller.
Why does a buyer need a realtor?
If you are buying real estate for the first time, it is quite difficult to understand all the nuances of finding an apartment that suits all the parameters. It is important to find an object that will suit the price, location, area and other characteristics. In addition, the buyer is faced with the task of choosing a legally clean property.
To make sure the apartment was not a problem with the documents and suitable for the needs of the buyer, it is easiest to look for it with a realtor. An experienced professional already knows what documents to check, how to identify a suspicious object, and how to quickly find options that match the desires of the client.
So, what realtor services can be useful to the buyer:
- Analysis of the real estate market in Kiev or any other Ukrainian city, the selection of current offers from sellers;
- assistance in the evaluation of housing and determining its real value - so the buyer will not accidentally buy an apartment at an inflated price out of ignorance;
- presence at each inspection of the potential object, assistance in detecting hidden defects in the dwelling;
- collecting information about a particular apartment and checking for problems;
- collection of documents necessary for registration of the right of ownership;
- advising on the payment of taxes;
- Support for the purchase and sale of real estate.
Finding the right property is only one of the steps a realtor performs, but it is by no means the only one. Although many buyers mistakenly believe that the agent's duties include only the selection of housing options. A real estate specialist is the main assistant of a buyer in the transaction of buying and selling an object, who clearly observes all the necessary formalities.
Why do you need a realtor for a seller?
Realtor's services can be used not only by the buyer, but also by the seller of real estate. If you need to sell an apartment or house, the agent will help to do it with the maximum benefit for the owner of the object and in a short time to find customers. Applying to a realtor, the seller saves time and effort as he delegates many tasks to a specialist: finding buyers, negotiations, advertising the property, the routine moments of working with documents, etc.
What realtor services can the seller use:
- conducting an appraisal of real estate in order to determine its current value;
- performing a number of tasks to increase the price of the apartment being sold;
- Conducting showings of housing to potential clients;
- Finding a buyer who is suited to such an object;
- drawing up a package of documents in the pre-sale preparation of real estate;
- preparation of the contract of sale;
- conducting the sale and purchase transaction.
It is convenient and profitable to cooperate with an experienced realtor. Specialist will advise how to improve the living space in order to sell it more expensive, will find a buyer faster, will accompany the process of payment and the conclusion of the transaction, so that everything went lawfully and safely for the seller. If there are any questions during the sale of the apartment, you can also ask your agent for advice.
Cooperation with a realtor is a good opportunity for the seller, if there is no time to deal with all the stages personally due to the strong employment, but the property should be sold.
Can you do without a realtor
You can buy a home on your own without going to a real estate agency or a private realtor. You can look for an apartment through friends or on special Internet sites with ads. You can also submit your own ad that you want to buy an apartment with these parameters.
Buying an apartment on your own can save some money, because you don't have to pay a commission to a realtor. But it is a controversial question, because time is money too. The buyer will have to spend a lot of time personally looking through the ads, calling the sellers, agreeing on viewings, bargaining, etc. In addition, the one who wants to buy the apartment should understand the legal issues, to know how to check the documents. The risks of falling into the hands of crooks seriously increase.
It is quite realistic not only to buy, but also to sell an apartment by yourself. But the seller should at least minimally understand the main points of the procedure. It is important to know what actions to take, so that the apartment was sold at a set price and in a short time. The seller should be able to present the apartment on the right side, to advertise it, to know where to find buyers, how to negotiate with them, so they would not bargain too much and agree to the initial price. It is also important to be responsible for the preparation of documents, so that later there will be no disputes between the seller and the buyer.
You can do without a realtor, but is it necessary? It is not so easy for the parties to the transaction to come to an agreement. And even if they find a compromise on their own, any real estate transaction remains a multi-step process with many nuances. The realtor has more experience, because he constantly negotiates the purchase and sale, and he is not selling or buying an apartment for the first time in his life. To save your time and nerves, it is better to give the procedure to the experienced specialist, who understands all the nuances.
How to distinguish a good realtor from a bad one
In order for the home buying or selling procedure to be successful, it is important to find a responsible realtor. Not all professionals fulfill their obligations to the fullest extent.
There are a few rules to follow when looking for a good realtor:
- Choose qualified realtors who work in an agency with a name and reputation. In such companies, specialists are constantly developing, and also work in cooperation with lawyers. Any issue can be solved easier and faster.
- When meeting in person, check the realtor's documents as a legal entity. If it is a company, the statute must contain such activity as information and intermediary or consulting services in the purchase and sale, lease, exchange, donation of real estate. If it is a private entrepreneur, the certificate of registration must include such activities as information and mediation and consulting services.
- Check the details of the real estate company at the place of its registration, which is indicated in the documents mentioned above. To do this, visit the city's district administration to find out if the company is actually registered there and if it has been deregistered.
- Find out if the realtor is a member of a professional association. Agency membership in one of the unions indicates that it has a unified database of apartments and houses, which significantly increases the choice that the specialist will be able to offer the buyer.
- Establish contact with the management of the agency, if the selected realtor still has little experience. You should not refuse to cooperate with an agent if he has been working in the field for less than 5 years. In this case, you can visit the real estate agency office, make sure that the young specialist has the support of more experienced colleagues, that the company welcomes teamwork, etc.
A bad realtor can be identified by certain characteristics. Such a "specialist" will not offer to sign a contract for services, which should be spelled out the rights and obligations of both parties. Should also alert if the agent takes a small commission compared to other realtors.
A bad specialist will negotiate without the client's participation, insist on suspicious objects with low value, shift their work to the buyer or seller, for example, require the preparation of certificates or documents, which he must collect himself.
If a realtor claims that he or she is not required to provide legal assistance in the transaction, such a specialist should also be rejected. A good agent works with a lawyer, so he or she can prepare or review the documents that will be needed for the transaction.
What is better - the agency or a private realtor?
To understand who to turn to - to a private realtor or a real estate agency, you need to know the features of each option.
Cost of services
Private realtors can charge a smaller commission than real estate agencies. The former do not need to rent a large office, spend money on advertising the company, to keep a large staff. But when choosing a specialist or agency should not be guided only by this parameter.
Legal support of the transaction
When selling or buying real estate requires legal support. The agency staff most often includes not only realtors, but also lawyers. The latter will check the documents and may be present at the conclusion of the sale. A private realtor usually cannot provide legal assistance.
Warranties and responsibilities of the parties
In the agency, employees are responsible for the failure of the deal, so they are more responsible for the entire process. In addition, the contract spells out the client's guarantees. If the realtor is working as a private entrepreneur, he is only obliged to provide consulting services. In any case, you need to carefully read the contract before concluding it with the agency or a private expert.
Object advertising
If you need to sell an apartment urgently, the agency can do it faster, because they have their own client base. If a private realtor has been on the market for a long time, he can also find a client quickly enough. In general, the agency still has more tools for advertising the client's object.
If the priority is reliability, safety and stability, it is better to opt for a real estate agency. If you want to save money on services, you can turn to a private realtor, although not always the amount of commission of such a specialist is less than an agency employee. In the "Mayak" real estate agency work experts who will help you buy or sell real estate profitably, quickly and legally. Realtors have experience, confirmed by regular transactions.
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