Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa June 2016 | Page 56

ATLANTA Smart Selling Why You Should Always Use a Local Real Estate Agent BY RJ PALANO S omeone local is better than someone cheap. Agents from the area of the property are going to do more to sell your property for the right price. They rely heavily on the perception of them in the local community and are less likely to screw you over because it will come back to bite them. Also they know what a house in the area will go for and, more importantly, how far they can push buyers. The main reason you go to a agent to sell your house is: • they do marketing/ OFI ( open for inspection) for you (usually marketing is at a fixed price + extras if you want). • they handle all the offers/negotiations. • they will know who are time wasters/bargin hunters. • they will get up early in morning to put out signs on OFI day. • they will try to get the highest price for your house because then they get more commission. People cheap out on agents think they are saving 2-5Ks by doing it themselves. but it doesn’t work like that, you end up losing a lot more because you wouldn’t know how to negotiate and handle buyers. also selling 54 JUNE 2016 SA Real Estate Investor a house isn’t a game, its a stressful business, and you would rather have that stress on some else. Tips to find a good agent is, when you call 3-4 or how many agents you want, dont contact them for like a week or 2. WAIT for them to contact you, if they contact you and keep on contacting for least 2 weeks, then they are who i would go with. most agents wont bother contacting you after a appraisal because they are lazy dogs. Make sure you do your research and show some knowledge of the area; agents are salespeople after all, and not always your best friend. If you would like a free consultation and comparative market analysis on any property in the U.S., contact me at the email below. To your investment success, RJ Palano Director of Acquisitions www.BuyCashFlowProperties.com [phone] [email protected] RESOURCES rjpalano.com www.reimag.co.za