REALTORS® aren’t just agents. REALTOR® is a federally-registered trademark reserved exclusively for members of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and its affiliated state and local chapters. Members abide by a Code of Ethics that holds them to standards of practice that exceed state licensing law, differentiating them from non-member agents. Today, only about 1/3 of all real estate agents in Massachusetts are REALTORS®.
7 Reasons to Work with a REALTOR®
1. Ethical treatment. Every REALTOR® must adhere to a strict code of ethics, which is based on professionalism and protection of the public. As a REALTOR®’s client, you can expect honest and ethical treatment in all transaction-related matters. The first obligation is to you, the client.
2. An expert guide. Buying a home usually requires dozens of forms, reports, disclosures, and other technical documents. An expert will help you prepare the best deal and avoid delays or costly mistakes. Also, there’s a lot of jargon involved, so you want to work with a professional who can speak the language.
3. Objective information and opinions. REALTORS® can provide local information on utilities, zoning, schools, and more. They also have objective information about each property. REALTORS® can use that data to help you determine if the property has what you need. By understanding both your needs and search area, they can also point out neighborhoods you don’t know much about but might suit your needs better than you’d thought.
4. Expanded search power. Sometimes properties are available but not actively advertised. A REALTOR® can help you find opportunities not listed on home search sites and can help you avoid out-of-date listings that might be showing up as available online but are no longer on the market.
5. Negotiation knowledge. There are many factors up for discussion in a deal. A REALTOR® will look at every angle from your perspective, including crafting a purchase agreement that allows enough time for you to complete inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase.
6. Up-to-date experience. Most people buy only a few homes in their lifetime, usually with quite a few years in between each purchase. Even if you’ve done it before, laws and regulations change. REALTORS® handle hundreds of transactions over the course of their career.
7. Your rock during emotional moments. A home is so much more than four walls and a roof. And for most people, property represents the biggest purchase they’ll ever make. Having a concerned, but objective, third party helps you stay focused on the issues most important to you.
Competition in Real Estate - How to Find the Right REALTOR® to Sell Your Home
Remember, you have many choices when selecting an agent. Along with determining if the real estate professional you are interviewing is a licensed agent or a REALTOR®,
here are 10 crucial questions to ask when selecting an agent to sell your home. REALTORS® are mostly small business owners who work to ensure buyers and sellers have the greatest access, transparency and choice through independent, local broker marketplaces that level the playing field for all types and sizes of brokerages.
How Local Broker Marketplaces Foster Competition
Independent, local broker marketplaces create highly competitive markets that are friendly to small businesses and new market entrants.
Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) are independent broker marketplaces that focus exclusively on residential real estate in local real estate markets. Access to inventory and free advertising as well as the practice of the listing broker paying the buyer brokers’ commission incentivizes participation in these local real estate marketplaces and creates the largest, most accessible and most accurate source of housing information available to consumers. That levels the playing field among brokerages, allowing small brokerages to compete with large ones, and provides for unprecedented competition among brokers, including different service and pricing models.
