Real estate agent. Realtor. Agent. You’ve probably heard these terms thrown around before, but do you really know what they are and what they do? If not, keep reading to have a better understanding of a real estate agent and the job of the realtor.
So…What Exactly Does a Real Estate Agent Do?
You already know real estate agents help sell property, but how do they do that? Is it as simple as putting a sign in the yard with their phone number, then sitting back and waiting for the calls to roll in? Absolutely not.
Real estate agents do a lot of things. In order for someone to become a real estate agent, an individual has to pass real estate broker classes. During this class, individuals will learn the job description of a real estate agent, the requirements, which vary by state, to become one, and all of the laws that are involved.
Once passing the class, there are the national and state exams, and background checks in order to even get your real estate license. This costs money and takes time. Then once they become licensed, they usually choose a brokerage firm to work with and are trained by them in the entire real estate sales process.
Once Licensed & Trained, What are Some Jobs a Real Estate Agent Has?
Research properties to find this best market value for similar properties, in order to determine what to sell a property for, or what to offer on a property on behalf of their buyer client
Get properties ready to sell on the open real estate market
Fill out contract forms and help guide their clients through them before making a purchase or selling their home
Walk clients through the entire real estate process, whether buying or selling (or both!)
Work as a liaison between different parties- whether it’s the agent working on the other side of a transaction, lenders, contractors, inspectors, attorneys, or any other vendor that becomes a part of the real estate transaction process
Provide valuable education and resources in their real estate expertise to enable their clients to also be fully informed and therefore make the best decisions
Whether they’re a listing agent or selling agent, they will be in their client’s corner from contract to close, and often even after closing
Those are just some of the various things Realtors do. Some would say a Realtor wears many hats: marketing expert, financial advisor, moderator, assistant, negotiator, networker, planner, psychologist… that last one was a bit of a joke, but working with the public definitely requires some higher skill in sociology and communications.
This is a very basic layout of what an agent does. To learn about the more specific things an agent does, check out “What Does a Buyer’s Agent Do?” and “What Does a Seller’s Agent Do?”, or visit our Main Blog Page to see other related subjects.
