Buying and selling homes is a major aspect of adult life in the United States today, and adults young and old are often involved with finding houses to buy or selling their own house. But this can be complicated and difficult, so real estate agents are available to help both home buyers and sellers get what they need from the real estate business. A real estate agent may help advise a homeowner on the correct price to set for their property, and real estate agents may also help buyers find the best property for their price range. Real estate agents may also offer comparative market analysis (CMA) services to homeowners so that they can sell their property for a competitive but fair price. What can real estate agents do for a person today?
Selling a Home
Real estate agents can be very helpful when a homeowner is planning to sell his or her home, and while there are too many factors to list fully, there are some general trends and concepts that may be nearly universal. For one thing, when a homeowner is planning to sell his or her property, that person may want to know what sort of price their house should go for, rather than invent their own price. This is where CMA comes in, and real estate agents can help with this. A real estate agent will use a program that gathers data about similar homes in the market in one’s area, and use this to figure out a general price that should be asked for on a home being sold. This can draw data from similar homes that are currently on the market, or even homes that sold recently to expand the pool of statistics. In this way, a homeowner can set a fair price that closely matches what his or her property would be worth based on both its own merits and the neighborhood. Some neighborhoods are highly popular because of low crime levels or local attractions such as parks, schools, shopping malls, offices, and more.
A homeowner does not have to sell their property in the same condition as how they got it. Remodeling and landscaping can go a long way toward making a property more valuable and appealing on the market for buyers, and this can make remodeling or landscaping a cost-effective investment on the homeowner’s part. In fact, it has been found that well-landscaped homes sell about 5.5% to 12.7% more than similar homes, and can add up to 28% to a property’s value. Landscaping can involve such projects as planting trees or shrubs, or installing a swimming pool, a grill, or a wooden deck. Meanwhile, interior remodeling can involve a high return on investment, or ROI, when a homeowner decides to sell that property. The kitchen and master bathroom are the two most popular rooms to remodel, and modern, attractive features in these and other rooms make a home more distinct and valuable on the real estate market. Many real estate agents advise home remodeling for this very reason.
Buyers
Many Americans are also looking to purchase homes, and they may look for either new or used homes. Most often, it is adults aged 55 and over who are the most vigorous members of the housing market, but more and more younger adults are looking for homes to buy, slowly reversing recent trends of young adults renting or living with their parents (not that there should be shame in living with one’s parents). Those of the Millennial generation, born 1982-1995, are of great interest to many industries since these young adults are now reaching an age where they can afford to make major life purchases such as cars and houses, and real estate agents are bound to take this into account. And no matter their age, home buyers will want a home with all the right rooms, and find a house in good repair that is also found in a good neighborhood. Young and old home buyers may also prefer homes that have landscaping or remodeling work done, so that they have more features and the appliances and construction materials are more recent and work better.
