What Does a Good Realtor Do To Help Sell a House?

Selling a house triggers many emotions. Regardless of your reason for selling, you’ll want to close the sale quickly and at your asking price or better.

Working with a realtor can help you achieve those goals. However, since this could mean paying 5% of the sale price (up to $35,000, going by the average sale price for homes in Washington), many potential sellers wonder if they really need a realtor.

What does a good realtor do to help sell a house? A whole lot. Requesting realtor assistance in home selling and pocketing the commission can help you prepare your home and get as much money as possible for it. We’ll cover the details below.

How a Good Realtor Can Help When Selling Your House

According to various sources, 90% of home sellers work with a realtor during the sale of their home. That number is not surprising, looking at all the work a good realtor puts in during the sale of a property. Getting realtor support for property sales provides plenty of benefits, including the following.

Accurate Pricing for Your Home

Pricing your home correctly is one of the most important things a realtor can do for you. Pricing the property too high will keep it on the market forever. 

On the other hand, undervaluing it just to net a quick sale could mean significant losses. It may also put off potential buyers who are wary of listings they might deem too good to be true.

Professional real estate agent services will use real data from recent sales of properties comparable to yours to set an accurate price for your home. But they won’t stop there. An experienced realtor will also draw on their local market knowledge and professional intuition to tweak the price to ensure it's competitive. They are better than online valuation models in this regard because they can measure intangibles, such as recent innovations, curb appeal, nearby facilities, and more.

A great agent also knows how to nudge buyers into paying the maximum amount for your home. This skill can significantly affect the final sale price. This explains why the NAR research report shows that homes listed with a realtor net a higher price (up to $58,000 higher).

Expert Guidance on Home Preparation

One thing to keep in mind when selling a house is that you’re selling a potential home. A well-prepared home generally means a faster sale and a higher selling price. With quality real estate agent guidance, you can avoid mistakes and unnecessary spending.

Some of the things a realtor will do to optimize your home’s appearance include the following:

• Conducting a walkthrough of the property to identify areas you have to repair, improve, or update
• Recommending updates or repairs within your limited budget that can make your home more marketable
• Providing guidance on how to depersonalize, declutter, and organize a space to make it feel more inviting
• Using their highly experienced staging team to highlight your home’s best features and make it more visually appealing to potential buyers

Implementing an Effective Marketing Strategy

According to HomeLight, only 9% of homebuyers find new homes by calling a number on a sign somewhere. Thus, the importance of a sound marketing strategy for selling your home cannot be overstated.

That’s where your realtor comes in. They know the most effective house-selling strategies. Some of the things they can do in this area include:

• Developing a comprehensive marketing plan that targets the ideal buyer around your property, detailing its unique benefits
• Promoting the property on all major channels (including the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and social media platforms) and more private channels
• Hiring a top-notch photography crew to take images of the property and design virtual tours
• Networking with other real estate professionals to generate more interest in the property

So, when you ask, “What does a good realtor do to help sell a house?” Remind yourself that not using one means only a handful of people will know you’re selling the house — unless you’re a real “people person” and are okay with doing the legwork.

Read this first-time home seller guide to get a realtor's tips for selling homes if you’re committed to going it alone.

Coordinating Open Houses and Showings

Showings and open houses are excellent opportunities to make a good impression and get buyers and sellers more interested in your property. A realtor can make the process seamless. Here are some of the things they can do for you:

• Creating the perfect schedule for showings and open houses in line with your preferences and availability and also considering local dynamics
• Advertising the showings and ensuring many potential buyers know about the schedule
• Being present to field questions from potential buyers and also highlighting the best parts of your property
• Following up with potential buyers and their agents to gather feedback and measure interest in the property
• Communicating the results of the showings and recommending possible improvements to boost the property’s appeal based on the reactions of the buyers

Powerful Tactical Negotiation

The success of your sale depends heavily on how you handle negotiations with potential buyers. Most buyers will use an agent. Going up against them on what is likely your first rodeo is swimming in shark-infested waters.

Working with a realtor means allowing the professionals to slug it out. A realtor knows your desired price and other contingencies influencing the sale. Therefore, they know the pacing to go with during negotiations.

They will keep your interests at heart throughout the process of making counteroffers. Working with a realtor who can masterfully navigate the obstacles in the negotiation process increases your chances of completing a satisfactory sale.

Eliminating Unqualified Buyers

Unfortunately, many people visit house showings with no intention of buying. Some others are interested in buying the home but have yet to get their financing in order. Qualified realtors know how to screen out these unqualified buyers, freeing up time to target the better prospects.

An experienced realtor knows to only work with buyers who are already pre-approved for a mortgage.

Work With Odigo Real Estate Club To Sell Your Home on Your Terms

What does a good realtor do to help sell a house? As we’ve seen thus far, it’s a whole lot. And these are just the tangible, measurable things. Realtors do much more in the background to get you closer to that perfect sale.

The upsides of using a realtor are limitless, while the downsides of not using one can be highly debilitating. Are you ready to take advantage of an experienced realtor's market knowledge and negotiating skills?

Schedule a free consultation with a full-service real estate agent at Odigo Real Estate Club today.