Are you working with a local Little Rock agent to sell your house? Or maybe you’re thinking about it? If so, we’ve collected the top 4 things you need to expect when selling with an agent — to help you navigate this process easily!
There are many ways to sell your house and many people choose to work with an agent to help them during that process. Do you plan to work with an agent? If so, here are 4 things you need to expect when selling with an agent in Little Rock…
4 things you need to expect when selling with an agent
#1. Money
A real estate agent is a professional who performs a service for your benefit. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, and yet many people are surprised when they learn that the agent charges a commission for their service… and this commission can be thousands of dollars in some situations! For some people, that’s okay because they want the benefits that an agent provides, but it can be a costly surprise if you’re not prepared.
#2. Time
You probably want to sell your house as quickly as possible. An agent wants that too. However, an agent is at the mercy of what buyers want… and agents will work hard to find a buyer for your house but they can’t always guarantee that your house will be sold within a certain timeframe. (Note: if you need to sell in a certain timeframe, the fastest way to sell is to skip an agent and just let us buy your house directly. Call us at (501) 708-1951 to learn more about this service).
#3. Showing
For an agent to find a buyer who wants to buy your house, they have to show it to people. Buyers will obviously want to walk through the house and decide for themselves if it’s the right house for them. Therefore, if you work with an agent, you should expect the agent to arrange showings with buyers – which means you may need to leave your house while buyers walk through it, as well as maintain a ‘showable’ condition: keep it nice and clean!
#4. Unknowns
Agents provide a great service but the truth is – agents can’t control the process. There are many unknowns that will influence the sale of your house. These unknowns include: the number of other sellers selling similar houses, the number of buyers who want to buy, the number of banks willing to lend money for mortgages, the state of the economy in the city, within the state of AR, and in the country as a whole. Therefore, you may want to sell right now at a certain price, and the agent will do their best but you may be forced to sell later at a lower price. Many times the price that you get at your closing is less than you originally expected, due to closing costs, buyer’s concession requests, extra repairs spent on the house, and the extra time it took to sell it (more mortgage payments, insurance, utility bills, etc…)
Summary
Selling your house can seem daunting, which is why many people choose to work with a real estate agent. If that’s how you want to sell your house, make sure you know these 4 things you need to expect when selling with an agent in Little Rock.