Travel Agents Gone Missing... Do We Need Realtors Anymore? Of Course.

Years have gone by without travel agents doing the bulk of our vacation planning for a majority of  us.  Those of us comfortable using Orbitz, TripAdvisor, and Expedia are prone to complete our vacation plans without the help of a third party.

Does the same apply to Residential Real Estate Agents?

With the emergence of sites such as Zillow, the question inherently begs to ask:  What will become of the Real Estate Agent?  Will they have the same fate as the the Travel Agent?  Do they still serve a significant purpose in the current marketplace?  

Well, the answer is obvious:  Yes.  A $6,000 vacation is leagues different from the sale and purchase of a $999,900 house in North Cleveland Park.  Most real estate transactions cost more than $100,000 today.  Could you imagine if you had, for example, a $100,000 tax issue and attempted to solve it without a CPA?  

A few serious reasons why anyone looking to buy or sell should hire a Real Estate Agent are as follows:

1)   They have been educated to thoroughly do the job.  Would you represent yourself in court without an attorney?  Obviously not!  So why would you think about handling such a large monetary transaction by oneself?  Best to find a Realtor who has certifications on top of the initial licensing that every Realtor must by law maintain.  Ask to see if a Realtor has their GRI designation (Graduate Realtors Institute), which is a distinction committing a Realtor to an exception level of service for their client.

2)  A good Realtor will save you time and money, conducting a ton of behind the scenes work--especially when it comes time help you understand lengthy, verbose contracts.

3)  You will need a skilled, experienced negotiator by your side, and a good guide to help you through the process.  When emotions begin to run high, and you only have a few weeks/months to move, and you need to put a timeline on making sure everything that gets done needs to get done, a Realtor will be your light at the end of the tunnel, ensuring the process goes as seamlessly as possible!