Realtors are a different breed of people, highly professional and licensed and their main aim is to help people buy and sell homes, give them advice on mortgage payments and negotiate with the agents of the opposite parties. Though they play an important role in the society, some people decide to bypass the role of a realtor and decide to buy or sell on their own. Often they realize that it was a foolish decision (but by then, it would be too late to make amends) because most of the time, they don't have the knowledge or the experience that a realtor has.
Realtors have fiduciary responsibility
When you hire a Realtor he becomes responsible to you and therefore it would be your best interests that he has as his top priority. Every realtor should adhere to the rules mandated in the Code of Ethics released by National Association of Realtors.
Realtors are aware of the changing rules in the real estate market
Buying a home is not like purchasing the ticket to your favorite show. You have to adhere to the laws that get changed on a regular basis. It is not easy to keep yourself updated with the latest trends in real estate unless you are in touch with it on a daily basis. Realtors have thorough knowledge of all the laws and they are aware of the trends in pricing a home.
Realtors have access to all sorts of properties
Realtors are professionals who can contact other agents and exchange views about homes that are not in their area. They communicate with the agents of that particular area and communicate this knowledge to their client. They can easily access a property based on the requirements of their client.
Handling the complex paperwork
Closing a deal involves a lot of tedious paperwork. You can easily get this process done if you hire a professional Realtor. The documents and the jargon are too tough for a layman to easily understand, whereas for the realtor it is too simple. He will also be able to explain everything to you in case you have doubts while signing. The contracts would be too long for the buyer to read and understand, some contain more than 50 pages.
Negotiating is not as easy as you think
At any point you would want to negotiate with the other party. However reasonable you may think your demands may be, there will always be confusion and objections. It is important to have someone to negotiate the demands and expectations of both parties. If there is something that the buyer didn't like in the house, then he would feel comfortable communicating the same to the seller through the negotiator. In other words, a professional real estate agent acts as a competent messenger that understands both the buyer's and seller's viewpoints.