The Importance of Finding
an Agent You Can Trust

6-25-26

Buyers and sellers hire real estate agents for many reasons. Since it would be challenging to just give one reason, let’s explore a few of the most common reasons below.

The real estate agent you pick needs to understand the market. This is very important because getting a home under contract in this market can be challenging, so understanding the market and how it relates to pricing and marketing your home to sell it is essential. In the current market, it is necessary for sellers to understand there is more inventory and that buyers are often asking for a seller concession to buy down their rate or to get assistance with closing costs. It is about making sure sellers have realistic expectations. 

On the flip side, buyers need to be educated about what makes sense in this market when deciding on their offer price. Your agent will look at the comparable homes that are actively for sale, under contract and recently sold. Currently, we are not seeing as many multiple offers, and if we do, those offers are not typically way above asking price, like they were at the height of the market back in 2020, 2021 and 2022.  I recently heard a crazy story where there was only one offer submitted on a home, and the buyer added an appraisal gap to their offer. There were no competing offers, and thus, no need for an appraisal gap. Appraisal gaps are typically a strategy if there are multiple offers, and a buyer bids over asking. This strategy shows a buyer is willing to bring extra cash to closing if the house doesn’t appraise as high as their offer. Unfortunately, the buyer used this strategy, which was a strategy they didn’t need in this market, and they lost money. They needed an agent who understood the market and who would help them negotiate better terms for their purchase.

A stellar real estate agent is also needed to negotiate inspections. Because there is more inventory in this market, sellers are usually willing to do more during the inspection phase in order to get their homes to the closing table. This does not mean they are “giving away the farm” or will do everything a buyer asks for. It is important to have help navigating this. On the buy side, it is important to have an agent who understands what is important to ask for after an inspection, meaning what is reasonable versus what is regular home maintenance. Being unreasonable with requests after an inspection can potentially lead to a termination situation.

After getting through the inspection phase, all parties have to get through appraisal and the final walk through. The items mentioned so far are only a few of the major items that buyers and sellers need to think about in today’s market conditions. During any transaction, there can be many potential pitfalls along the way. That is why you should have a skilled real estate agent in your corner. That said, you need to trust the agent you are working with to give you expert advice. Remember, you hired them for a reason.

As mentioned, it is important to pick an agent you trust and whose professional opinion you can lean on to get you through all of the hurdles within a real estate transaction. At TK Homes, we have many years of experience, we watch the market closely, and we want our clients to depend on us. We do this for a living, and we are full-time, full service real estate agents. We have seen so many different challenging situations over the years, and we have excellent problem-solving skills. If you are a seller, we will keep your motivation in mind while selling, and we will do everything possible to net you the most for your home and in the time frame you need to sell. If you are a buyer, we will work to get you the best deal on your purchase with the terms that are the most beneficial to you. If you are interested in buying or selling, contact an experienced TK Homes agent you can trust to make your real estate goals a reality!

~ Written by TK Homes REALTOR®, Mary Smith