While there will always be homeowners who feel qualified and capable to manage the sale of their home, numbers continue to show that the vast majority still choose to rely on the services of a real estate professional when the time comes to sell. In fact, according to industry data provided by the National Association or Realtors®, 89% of home sellers utilized the services of a real estate agent to market their home. But what some of these homeowners may not realize is that their agent can do more to assist them than just market their home to find a buyer. If you are planning to use a professional real estate agent to sell your home soon, it is important that you know all the ways in which you can get more from this very important relationship and the following examples can help. 

Your agent can provide pre-listing advice on prepping the home for sale

Home sellers who do all the work of prepping their home for sale before engaging a listing agent may be spending time or money on improvements that won't necessarily improve their profit margin at the closing table. Instead, sellers should consider hiring their listing agent before starting the preparation process and then asking their agent to tour the home with them to help them determine exactly what needs to be done to prepare their home to attract the most qualified buyers.  

Your agent can provide referrals for contractors and other service providers

Successful real estate professionals are masters at networking with the best contractors and service providers in your area. Because of this, sellers can depend on their agent for reliable referrals for home repair and maintenance contractors, insurance brokers, moving companies, and more. If you plan to move to another area, your agent can also provide you with an excellent referral to a buyer's agent in the new city or town to help you.  

Your agent can assist you with meeting specific timelines or needs

Moving from one home to another can be difficult to juggle, especially for sellers who are trying to meet deadlines in a purchase agreement for their next home. Instead of trying to work through all the logistics of this process on your own, sellers should consider discussing their goals and timelines with their listing agent and then working with them to establish a plan to meet each one.

When selecting a listing agent to assist you with the sale of your home, take time to engage them in a detailed discussion of your actual situation. A seasoned, successful real estate professional will be able to use their experience to protect your interests and support you throughout the entire home sale process.