In 2022, do you even need a Waterloo Region real estate agent?
Like other sectors, the real estate market is changing swiftly. The amount of available, public information is continuously growing, and technology is transforming the old real estate paradigm. Buyers and sellers have many options, but none of them can replace the expertise of a knowledgeable local realtor.
But, you might argue, with all that information, who needs a Waterloo Region real estate agent? You can figure it out by watching YouTube videos. Everything you'll ever need to know about marketing, preparing, listing, and buying a home is readily available. The forms are also available online. Isn't there some kind of app for that? It's all fairly basic, right? Any amateur could do it?
No, no, no, no and no. Although the traditional real estate model is rapidly evolving, realtors continue to play an important role in the process. Buying and selling real estate is a time-consuming and complicated procedure. If you don't have the right person to guide you through it, a lot can go wrong. Whether you're looking to buy or sell, the first step should be to contact a local real estate agent.
The Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Local Realtor
1. No one knows it better than them.
The first reason is that they are familiar with the area. Not merely from the standpoint of someone who has worked there or sold some properties there. A local realtor will be familiar with the local businesses as well as the schools. They'll know where to find the best dog parks and unique hangout spots for the locals. Not only will a local realtor be able to tell you about the best cycling and jogging trails in the area, but they will also know the people in the area and have an intimate awareness of the particular nuances that you won't find out about online.
If you're selling your home, a local realtor can help you sell your lifestyle as well. Your home may have already been sold twice or three times by a local agent. They are aware of the accessibility to amenities and have the knowledge and experience to respond to any inquiry posed by a buyer. A local realtor can advertise your home to the appropriate buyer demographic, whether it's first-time buyers, families with children, or downsizers.
2. They care about the community.
Maybe you have a cousin who lives on the other side of town and recently started working in real estate; you know he'd be thrilled to come to your neighbourhood and assist you with your purchase or sale. Perhaps you're considering phoning the person your mother really wants you to call in order to hire her friend's daughter. They may both be excellent realtors, but you will never see them in your neighbourhood. They won't be found in the neighbourhood coffee shop or at the supermarket. When you're dropping your kids off at dancing or cheering for the soccer team, you'll never see them.
Your local real estate agent is also your next-door neighbour. They invest in the community in order to make it a better place for everyone. Your neighbourhood realtor is probably a big supporter of everything local, including hospitals, sports teams, social events, and even homeless shelters and art exhibits. Your neighbourhood realtor is an important part of what makes your neighborhood great.
As a result, your local realtor has a strong motivation to provide you with the best service possible and to achieve the best possible result for you. Your mother's friend's child and cousin may be good at what they do, but they are not invested in the community where you are buying or selling, and hence have less incentive to provide you with outstanding service.
3. They are connected
If you've ever gone through the home buying or home selling process, you know how frequently things go wrong and how quickly you need a professional's help. Real estate transactions are time-sensitive, with everything from landscaping to legal counsel falling under tight deadlines.
Mortgage specialists, appraisers, interior designers, stagers, electricians, plumbers, home inspectors, insurance agents, all have a part to play. A knowledgeable, local realtor will have spent a significant amount of time cultivating excellent relationships with reputable professionals. They'll have all the connections you'll ever need both throughout and after the process.
4. They get local trends
A seasoned local realtor is aware of the current market conditions. The local economy, the bigger economy, the unemployment rate, popular design trends, local market conditions, and things like days on the market and list to sale ratios are just a few of the elements that play a role in real estate transactions.
There is a lot of information that your realtor will need to know and use in order to customize your buying or selling experience. Because they are so involved in the local market, your local agent will detect trends before they are even reported in the media, and will swiftly steer you in the right direction.
There is a wealth of information available online, but don't you want a realtor who doesn't take additional time to obtain, analyze, and verify data on top of the mountain of other duties involved in the buying and selling process? Few people have the time or the desire to do it. Furthermore, there is a great deal of fake news out there. Trust a local realtor who knows the area.
5. They make the process less stressful.
A knowledgeable local realtor understands the value of the homes in their area. They've personally seen comparable properties and have a great plan for pricing your house competitively, so it sells for the most money. If you price your property too low, you risk losing tens of thousands of dollars; if you price it too high, you risk losing interested qualified purchasers while it sits on the market for months.
The worst-case situation is when an agent undervalues a property, then rejects offers and hikes the price. By squandering their colleagues' time and aggravating buyers, they are losing face, respect, and reputation.
A knowledgeable local realtor will also assist you in preparing your home to sell. Painting, staging, cleaning, and even landscaping will all be covered with help and resources. Your home will be priced correctly and shown in its best light. When you sell your house with a local expert realtor, it will be more desirable to buyers than other listings in your neighborhood, and they will help you receive the most money possible.
On the buyer's side, the local realtor's experience can go a long way toward assisting a buyer in determining what the best offer is, as well as how strong the other offers may be in a competitive offer scenario based on the experience of the other agents. Your local, knowledgeable realtor will have the connections and inside knowledge to know if a similar house is going to market in the next week or if an investor has purchased surrounding properties to develop. Your local realtor will be familiar with the ins and outs of many of the players and will be confident in negotiating the best deal for you.
Angelica and Aron - Team Pinto - are longtime Waterloo Region residents who are actively raising a young family in the area while working hard to provide the best possible service to all their clients, whether those people are buying or selling a Waterloo Region home.
Getting ready to buy a Waterloo Region home, or sell the one you own? Let Team Pinto use their huge local real estate experience and expertise to help you. Contact the award-winning Team Pinto here, or book a free Zoom consultation to discuss your unique Waterloo Region real estate needs here.