4 real estate agent myths that need to be busted

Both buyers and sellers often have preconceptions about the real estate market, but especially about real estate agents. Below you will find 4 of the most common myths about real estate agents that we have heard most often on the Sibiu real estate market, the city where the New Concept Living agency has been operating for several years.

1. Myth: If you work with an agent, you are obligated to collaborate with him and you cannot contact another.
Truth: You are free to work with as many agents as you want, as long as you do not sign exclusivity clauses.
If you have a property for sale and you sign a collaboration contract with a real estate agent, this does not mean that you can’t work also with others. In order to do so, you should not to sign an exclusivity agreement. Even if you sign an exclusivity agreement with an agent and you agree that he is solely responsible for the promotion and subsequent sale of your property, you are not obligated to work only with him. But if you decide to collaborate with someone else, you may have to pay commissions and fees.

Whether they are in the position of seller or buyer, we advise our clients to work with more agents, thus having more chances to successfully complete the transaction. It often happens that an agent goes to viewings for a few months with the same client, who will eventually decide to buy through another agency.
This is an example of a situation that we assume 100%, because the customer's need is our priority. And if the client finds the ideal property for him elsewhere, then we congratulate him and take care with the same dedication of the rest of the clients in the portfolio.

2. Myth: All agents are the same.
Truth: Fortunately, we are all different. Both personally and professionally.
Many people think first of the general term „agent” and then label everyone who works in the real estate market in the same way.
All people are different, and the competence of a real estate agent varies depending on many things. Integrity and the „seven years from home” (the upbringing in the first seven years), the gift he has in relating to people, the perseverance he shows in everything he does, these are all important.
Then, agents are differentiated by the acquired negotiation techniques, the level of knowledge of the market and further theoretical knowledge. Experience in the field also speaks for itself when cataloging agents. Therefore, we understand that in such a broad context it is impossible for two people to be formed the same way, to proceed the same way, to relate the same way.

3. Myth: real estate agents increase apartment prices and take higher commission
Truth: The prices are set by the sellers and the agent intervenes pertinently only when the set price can decrease the trading chances.
„Real estate agents inflate prices”, we often hear from some clients. Far from being true. Real estate agencies work with both real estate developers and natural persons, and 90% of property prices are set by the latter. The real estate agent intervenes only when the price is too high for the existing market or is not directly proportional to the demand.
There may be exceptions, but that brings us to the first aspect of this article, and we remind you that not all agents are the same, so it is wrong to generalize.

4. Myth: Real estate agents „get money for nothing”
Truth: Real estate brokerage services are as complex as possible. The commission charged by an agency is not high, if we carefully analyze what services are being offered for this amount of money.
A simple comparison supports the statement above. Comparing the field of service sales with that of product sales we will notice that in the latter it is simple to analyze a purchase: you pay a sum of money, you receive a product on the spot. While in the field of services things are a little different.
In order to provide the best services to a person who wants to buy, a real estate agent researches the real estate market over several months, sometimes more than a year. He searches for the best offers for the buyer, analyzes, goes to viewings, compares properties; the customer always has the support of the agent during this whole process, and only later does he make the purchase decision. It is easy to understand that there is hard work behind the purchase of a home, and we understand that perfectly because most of the time a purchase is for life. All the more so, remuneration should be the last thing we think about, as long as quality comes first.

Instead of a conclusion.
In the near future real estate transactions will be brokered in all cities in Romania only by real estate agencies, exactly as it happens in most cities around the world. In this way, the client who pays a sum of money is spared a waste of time, money, and his needs always come first.
Because, in the end, the ideal real estate agent is the one who helps you save time and money and keeps you away from bad investments. By choosing him wisely, you will only profit, and then such myths will no longer find their place.

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