The short answer to this is YES in 99% of home sales a REALTOR will make ALL the difference. Selling a home is an activity that is, by its very nature a stressful and life changing event, having a Realtor to assist you through the process will be one of the best decisions you will ever make as a Seller.
Who doesn’t need a Realtor? If Buyer and Seller have connected privately and they each have extensive “in-depth” knowledge of the area (ie; you are buying your next door neighbors house for your parents to live in). As you can see, this will not apply to most people.
Do I need a FULL SERVICE REALTOR? For most people, the answer again here is YES. Due to recent CREA rulings, there is lots of choices out there for people when looking for a Realtor. Some Realtors offer “mere posting” which simply place a listing on the MLS system, but offer no other services. Traditional Realtors offer “full service agency” where an agent guides you every step of the way. Some Realtors offer a hybrid model, allowing customers to pick and choose.
“Full Service Agency” has a number of key benefits to most Sellers and I strongly recommend to most of my family and friends to make finding a Realtor that “fits them” the first step in a home sale. Selling a home is stressful, and good Realtor will help you accomplish your goal of moving sooner. One of the key components of “Full Service Agency” is to ensure that you are working with a “Full Time Realtor” dedicated to selling your home. The services that Realtors provide are outlined in their listing contracts and may differ from Realtor to Realtor.
For a few people, Full Service Agency is not required. However these are usually insiders in the industry and have trained sales staff (for example developers) or very experienced real estate investors or persons who have extensive legal or real estate sales training and are competent enough to write and understand their own real estate contracts.
The bottom line here is that for the average person selling their home, a full service Realtor is usually the way to go from the start.
Article by Peter Borszcz, Kelowna Real Estate Lawyer.
Personal Side Note: I know this is an emotional “hot button” issue for the industry right now, and I am very supportive of all Realtors in the industry. No matter what model or brokerage you are with we still a) respond promptly to your calls, even on weekends! b) help you through both the easy and the tough deals, step by step, and c) appreciate every referral and the trust you place in our firm everyday.