The BEST Real Estate Agent in Northern Michigan: AMBER CYMAN REAL ESTATE

Real Estate Agent Traverse City, MI

A real estate agent worth their salt wears a lot of hats. Marketer. Negotiator. Analyst. Copywriter. Stager. Counselor. Maybe even pet sitter in a pinch. They shift through these jobs seamlessly to rise to every occasion from start to finish.

Isolate each role, and you could think about removing them from the equation. Price your home? Ah, well, you can run your own comps to do that.

Prep your home? You’ve cleaned and decluttered before.

Find a buyer? Well, that’s what the internet is for.

Yet at the end of the day, the whole of an agent’s contributions are greater than the sum of the parts—and they all come together to give you a big advantage: selling at a higher price in fewer days.
43% of FSBO (for sale by owner) sales happen because the seller doesn’t want to pay a commission. Fair enough.But what if the odds were you’d make more money with an agent anyway? Then you’d go through all that trouble only to leave money on the table (more than the cost of a 6% commission).

Curious yet? Let’s look at the numbers.
According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, “FSBOs typically sell for less than the selling price of other homes.”OK, but how much less?

Well, about 30%—a study found that FSBO sellers sold for a national average of $190,000, while agent-assisted sellers sold for an average of $250,000. That’s a difference of $60,000.That national average drops to only $160,000 when the FSBO sellers knew their buyers—pushing that percentage up to 50% more for agent-assisted home sales.

How Do I Hire A Real Estate Agent in MI?

1. Talk to a lender before you hire a real estate agent

Sometimes home shoppers hire a real estate agent and dive into their home search before they ever talk to a lender. Most experts recommend that you talk to a lender first to learn how much how you can afford.
Getting preapproved for a mortgage will provide you with the maximum amount you can borrow and identify issues that need to be worked on early in the process. This helps you stick to homes in the right price range, and it will show potential Realtors (and sellers) that you’re a serious buyer. In competitive markets, you’ll need a preapproval letter in order for buyers to consider your offer.

2. Get referrals from your network

Ask friends and family members if they can recommend a real estate agent with whom they’ve had a good experience. Ideally, you’ll want someone with experience working with clients who are similar to you. The needs of first-time buyers, for example, are different than those of repeat buyers or homeowners who are looking to downsize.

Look for a real estate agent who is a Realtor with a capital R. That means they’re a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and have formally agreed to abide by the group’s code of ethics. Some Realtors also have certifications to show that they’ve completed training in a certain area of real estate. Some designations include:

CRS (Certified Residential Specialist): Completed additional training in handling residential real estate.

ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative): Completed additional training in representing buyers in transactions.

SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist): Completed training aimed at helping buyers and sellers aged 50 and older.

3.Research potential candidates

Start by examining their online presence. Check their websites and active social media accounts they use to promote their listings. Take a look at their online reviews as well. Don’t worry about one or two negative reviews, but more than that could be a red flag.

Check with your state’s real estate regulator to find out whether an agent you’re considering is licensed or has any disciplinary actions. Vet candidates you’re interviewing on your local Better Business Bureau’s website to see if they’ve received any complaints.

4. Interview at least three real estate agents

This is your opportunity to get a sense of the real estate agent’s style as well as their experience. Ultimately, you’re looking for a Realtor who is familiar with a particular area and understands your budget needs.
“See how polished and professional their proposal is,” says Katherine Hutt, a spokesperson with the Better Business Bureau. “The more effort they put into a presentation for you, the more effort they’ll put into presentations when they’re working for you. You want someone who is really savvy.”
The interviews also give you a chance to find out the agent’s preferred method of communication and their availability. If you’re most comfortable texting and expect to visit homes after work hours during the week, you’ll want an agent who’s happy to do the same.

5. Request references — and check them

Ask real estate agents to provide information on homes they’ve listed and sold in the past year, with contact information for at least a few recent clients. Call those clients to find out their experience and what type of support the agent provided throughout the process, including during the negotiations. Ask if they’d hire that agent again for their next real estate transaction.

6. Go with your gut

Just as important as the knowledge and experience an agent brings is their ability to guide you smoothly through the process. Above all, go with an agent you trust and will feel comfortable with if the road to closing gets a little bumpy.
“It’s just like dating — sometimes it just comes down to chemistry,” says Herman Chan, an associate broker and Realtor with Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty in Berkeley, California. “If everything checks out, but you just don’t vibe with that person, don’t go with them. There are plenty of other real estate agents out there that will be happy to help you that might be a better personality fit.”

7. Take a close look at your contract

Do Real Estate Agents Deal With Rental Properties?

If you're familiar with the struggle that is finding an apartment online, the idea of an agent who can help you in your real estate search might sound like a godsend. We all know agents help people buy real estate, but did you know they can also help people find and view apartments, townhomes, and rental houses?
An agent can save you the hassle of tracking down landlords and property managers from Craigslist rental listings, especially in bigger cities, though the services they provide (and the fees they charge) vary by location. Here's what you need to know.

Five Reasons Why You Still Need A Real Estate Agent

The proliferation of services that help homebuyers and sellers complete their own real estate transactions is relatively recent, and it may have you wondering whether using a real estate agent is becoming a relic of a bygone era. While doing the work yourself can save you the significant commission rates many real estate agents command, for many, flying solo may not be the way to go--and could end up being more costly than a realtor's commission in the long run. Buying or selling a home is a major financial (and emotional) undertaking. Find out why you shouldn't discard the notion of hiring an agent just yet.
Both the buyer's and seller's agent work full time as real estate agents and they know what needs to be done to get a deal together. For example, if you are looking to buy a home, a real estate agent will track down homes that meet your criteria, get in touch with sellers' agents and make appointments for you to view the homes. If you are buying on your own, you will have to play this telephone tag yourself. This may be especially difficult if you're shopping for homes that are for sale by owner.
Similarly, if you are looking to sell your home yourself, you will have to solicit calls from interested parties, answer questions and make appointments. Keep in mind that potential buyers are likely to move on if you tend to be busy or don't respond quickly enough. Alternatively, you may find yourself making an appointment and rushing home, only to find that no one shows up.

Negotiating Is Tricky Business

Many people don't like the idea of doing a real estate deal through an agent and feel that direct negotiation between buyers and sellers is more transparent and allows the parties to better look after their own best interests. This is probably true--assuming that both the buyer and seller in a given transaction are reasonable people who are able to get along. Unfortunately, this isn't always an easy relationship.

What if you, as a buyer, like a home but despise its wood-paneled walls, shag carpet and lurid orange kitchen? If you are working with an agent, you can express your contempt for the current owner's decorating skills and rant about how much it'll cost you to upgrade the home without insulting the owner. For all you know, the owner's late mother may have lovingly chosen the décor. Your real estate agent can convey your concerns to the sellers' agent. Acting as a messenger, the agent may be in a better position to negotiate a discount without ruffling the homeowner's feathers.

A real estate agent can also play the “bad guy” in a transaction, preventing the bad blood between a buyer and seller that can kill a deal. Keep in mind that a seller can reject a potential buyer's offer for any reason--including just because they hate his or her guts. An agent can help by speaking for you in tough transactions and smoothing things over to keep them from getting too personal. This can put you in a better position to get the house you want. The same is true for the seller, who can benefit from a hard-nosed real estate agent who will represent their interests without turning off potential buyers who want to niggle about the price.

Contracts Can Be Hard To Handle

If you decide to buy or sell a home, the offer to purchase contract is there to protect you and ensure that you are able to back out of the deal if certain conditions aren't met. For example, if you plan to buy a home with a mortgage but you fail to make financing one of the conditions of the sale--and you aren't approved for the mortgage--you can lose your deposit on the home and could even be sued by the seller for failing to fulfill your end of the contract.

An experienced real estate agent deals with the same contracts and conditions on a regular basis, and is familiar with which conditions should be used, when they can safely be removed and how to use the contract to protect you, whether you're buying or selling your home.

Real Estate Agents Can't Lie

Well, OK, actually they can. But because they are licensed professionals there are more repercussions if they do than for a private buyer or seller. If you are working with a licensed real estate agent under an agency agreement, (i.e., a conventional, full-service commission agreement in which the agent agrees to represent you), your agent will be bound by common law (in most states) to a fiduciary relationship. In other words, the agent is bound by license law to act in their clients' best interest (not his or her own).

In addition, most realtors rely on referrals and repeat business to build the kind of clientèle base they'll need to survive in the business. This means that doing what's best for their clients should be as important to them as any individual sale.

Finally, if you do find that your agent has gotten away with lying to you, you will have more avenues for recourse, such as through your agent's broker, professional association (such as the National Association Of Realtors) or possibly even in court if you can prove that your agent has failed to uphold his fiduciary duties.

When a buyer and seller work together directly, they can (and should) seek legal counsel, but because each is expected to act in his or her best interest, there isn't much you can do if you find out later that you've been duped about multiple offers or the home's condition. And having a lawyer on retainer any time you want to talk about potentially buying or selling a house could cost far more than an agent's commissions by the time the transaction is complete.

Not Everyone Can Save Money

Many people eschew using a real estate agent to save money, but keep in mind that it is unlikely that both the buyer and seller will reap the benefits of not having to pay commissions. For example, if you are selling your home on your own, you will price it based on the sale prices of other comparable properties in your area. Many of these properties will be sold with the help of an agent. This means that the seller gets the keep the percentage of the home's sale price that might otherwise be paid to the real estate agent.

However, buyers who are looking to purchase a home sold by owners may also believe they can save some money on the home by not having an agent involved. They might even expect it and make an offer accordingly. However, unless buyer and seller agree to split the savings, they can't both save the commission.

The Bottom Line

While there are certainly people who are qualified to sell their own homes, taking a quick look at the long list of frequently asked questions on most “for sale by owner” websites suggests the process isn't as simple as many people assume. And when you get into a difficult situation, it can really pay to have a professional on your side.