Your Real Estate Team
The Team and the Players
House selling is a team sport. After you assemble a winning team, your players should give you solid advice so you can make great decisions. Here's an overview of the possible players on your team.
The Perfect Listing Agent
A good agent can be the foundation of your real estate team, and their negotiating skills and knowledge of property values can add 5 to 10 percent to your house's sale price. Here are ways to recognize the attributes of the best listing agents.
Understanding Agency
Real estate agents can represents sellers or buyers, and agency is the legal definition of that relationship. This covers the basics of single agency as well as some examples of dual agency.
Selecting an Agent
Finding a great agent is worth your time and this provides a four-step process to identifying and evaluating one that's right to list, price and market your house. It includes interview checklists and questions for references.
Using a Lawyer
The real estate purchase agreement you sign is a legally binding contract between you and the buyer. This covers evaluating and choosing among lawyers as well as how to work well with yours.
Who is the Broker
When you select an agent, your agent's broker is part of the package and supervises the transaction. If serious issues arise during the transaction, brokers are often the invisible grease in problematic transactions.
Other Key Advisors
This section covers the other important possible members of your team: house inspectors, the closing officer, financial advisors and tax advisors.
