At Edina Realty, we have more than 2,300 real estate experts with invaluable community insights who help buyers and sellers across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We’re committed to making our digital house hunting tools the best in the industry, and we are also proud to have the local expertise to back up our high-powered search. Here are five reasons you should always hire a local real estate specialist when buying or selling your home.
An unbiased perspective
While it may be hard to imagine, some buyers put their blinders on when they see a home that looks beautiful but has glaring pricing issues or plumbing problems. By working with a REALTOR® who specializes in the area, you’ll be sure that you have an unbiased perspective from someone who has been to hundreds, if not thousands, of showings.
Plus, keep this in mind: homebuyers spend between $4,000-5,000 more on their homes in the first year after purchase than existing homeowners spend. So even if you buy the most perfect house on the block, it’s only natural that you’ll find home improvements or purchases to take on after you buy. By setting a realistic expectation of the kind of home you want, your agent can help protect you from buying a “lemon” of a home that requires even more than the usual post-purchase upgrades.
Here’s what a recent buyer had to say about working with an Edina Realty local specialist: “My Realtor, Tami, has proven to be very knowledgeable and a valuable asset in my home search. Plus she’s promised to help with needs to come by offering maintenance and repair recommendations, and more.”
Community knowledge
Sure, you saw that the local elementary school has an “A” rating, but what does that mean? When an agent lives in the community, they aren’t spouting off test scores or graduation rates. They can tell you the name of their daughter’s kind second grade teacher, or the best competitive soccer league that doesn’t schedule tournaments on holiday weekends.
It’s possible to aggregate almost any kind of data online these days, but it’s not always easy to translate how those data points would affect your daily life. When it comes to community knowledge, the word of someone you trust always means more than a website rating.
Sneak peek
Once a listing agreement has been signed, agents begin networking properties to one another to check for buyer interest. Often, local agents participate in a “broker open,” which is kind of like a pre-open house for real estate agents only. If you work with an agent who is on the phone with other community specialists discussing local inventory, then you’ll know that the perfect house won’t slip past without notice.
Trusted partners
For many, the hardest part of buying a home isn’t finding the right number of beds and baths, it’s qualifying for a loan and finalizing all the paperwork. By working with a local specialist who has trusted partners across the lending, title and insurance fields, you can be sure you are getting honest and expert advice about the best home, loan, warranty and homeowner’s insurance policy for you.
A better selling price
Finally, if you’re considering selling your home without enlisting an agent’s help, you may want to look at the numbers. In 2014, the average For Sale By Owner home sold for $184,000 while the average home sold by a Realtor sold for $230,000 (National Association of Realtors).
Even after you’ve paid a local agent’s commission, you’d still end up ahead in this average selling transaction. Plus, you’re off the hook for the listing photos, marketing, showings, negotiations and closing paperwork that comes with selling on your own.
The long and short of it
We won’t pretend that we aren’t biased. We are proud to have spent 60 years as the leading real estate agency in Minnesota and western Wisconsin and we believe that Edina Realty agents have insights you won’t hear from anyone else. But we invite you to try for yourself.
Call, email or chat today to connect with a local expert who works in your area and knows your community. Then, tell us what you think.
