In the age of DIY, with blogs and videos showing you how to do just about everything, it may be easy to convince yourself that selling or buying your home will be easy to do alone. However, before you decide to take that leap, I’d like to offer you some advantages to choosing a professional agent to represent you.

• We live and breathe the market.  Finding an agent that focuses on your market offers a huge advantage. If you are a seller, they may have buyers lined up who are interested in exactly what you have to offer. They also know how to market to buyers specifically looking for a home in your area. If you are a buyer, they can quickly and efficiently narrow down homes based on your needs whether that is school districts, proximity to grocery stores and restaurants, commute times or whatever is most important to you. A good agent knows the neighborhoods and constantly studies the factors that affect them. New zoning ordinances, foreclosure rates, new developments, there are SO many factors that can affect home values. Your agent will know or will quickly be able to attain information that can help make your home buying/selling decisions much faster and more informed.  
• Negotiation. Negotiation can be an art form and like any art form, it takes time and practice to master. Real estate negotiation is no different. The best negotiators know that there are always determining factors that affect the way you go about it. Real estate agents know the best ways to proceed in any home negotiation, which can vary depending on how the market looks, the other party’s goals, and many other elements that may be present. They can help you take the guesswork out deciding how to move forward.
• The Paperwork. Buying and selling homes is a BIG deal and comes with the paperwork to prove it. An agent is going to be fully trained on all the paperwork needed AND understand when things need to be handled extremely quickly. Sometimes, putting in or accepting an offer, for example, may require incredibly fast turnaround if you do not want to lose out. Having an agent at your disposal can help move that process along at the rate necessary to secure you an advantage in the process.
• The Details – There are tons of details in both the buying and selling process. You have a life outside of completing them. From home staging to mapping out a marketing plan as a seller or from coordinating with multiple agents to quickly get in and out of homes in one day to setting up appraisals and inspections as a buyer. Agents handle these tasks regularly and have developed processes and contacts to get these things done efficiently and correctly.
• We are professionals. You do your job every day. You are a professional in your industry. We are a professional in ours. Imagine talking to someone and they looked at you and said they could do your job just as well without any training. Even if you are new to your job or working in a low level environment, you were offered some kind of training when you started. You do your job better than someone else because you have been taught, practiced, studied and become an expert at it. We spend hours in classes every year to perfect our craft and create the best experience for you. We practice our craft every single day. We know what to do to make the home buying and selling experience smooth and easy for you!

There are so many benefits to having an agent on your side. If you are in or relocating to the Northern Virginia area  please give me a call at 703-969-4677  or send me a quick email to abbiesroadtohome@gmail.com and I will be happy to set up a consultation for free and with no obligation to go over how I can help you accomplish your goals. If you are looking to buy or sell outside of Northern Virginia, I am happy to help you find the perfect Realtor!