Why Hire a Real Estate Agent When You’re Selling or Buying

Why hire a real estate agent if you’re selling

Selling a house takes more than just listing it online—it involves pricing it right, staging it well, marketing across channels, managing showings, and negotiating offers. A real estate agent handles all of that and more, helping you avoid stress and maximize your profit. Here’s how a seller’s agent adds value to your home sale:

1. Get you more money for your property

Some sellers believe they can get more money for their property by foregoing the option of partnering with an agent, taking the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) route to avoid paying the agent’s commission. Historically, the average agent commission is 6% of the home’s sale price, split between the listing agent and the buyer’s agent, with each receiving 3%.

By selling the property themselves, FSBO sellers no longer have to pay the listing agent’s fee. Additionally, the new homebuying and selling rules brought about by the landmark settlement with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) further reduce costs, as sellers are no longer required to cover the buyer’s agent commission. Buyers are expected to negotiate fees directly with their agents.

Nonetheless, some sellers still feel the need to pay the buyer’s agent commission to speed up a home sale or attract more buyers. When sellers choose to sell with a Realtor, they are looking at paying 6% of the home sale price for commissions alone.

“The common misconception is that we get to pocket all that money,” says Kim Erwin, a top-selling agent in Corpus Christi, Texas, explaining that the commission typically paid by a seller is usually split evenly with the buyer’s agent.

FSBO sellers are walking away from home sales with less, according to a 2024 report by NAR. Only 6% of sellers opted to go this route, and the median price of a FSBO-sold home amounted to $380,000, far lower than the median of agent-sold homes at $435,000.

When you do the math, homes sold by agents typically sell for $55,000 more than FSBO homes, a difference that often outweighs the cost of commission.

2. Facilitate a speedier sale

Agents have experience with proven strategies that help sell properties quickly. An expert agent who knows your area will be well-acquainted with the current housing market, understand what motivates buyers in your area, and come prepared with a comparative market analysis (CMA) of similar houses that have recently sold nearby.

If you need to sell your house in days rather than weeks, HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform allows you to close in as little as 7 days. After you answer a few basic questions about your property, you’ll receive an all-cash offer within 24 hours from the largest network of cash home buyers in the U.S.

You can skip the repairs, prep work, and showings, and won’t pay any program fees or closing costs. With Simple Sale, you’ll even have the option to choose a move-out date that fits your schedule.

3. Help juggle many moving parts at once

The lifecycle of a real estate transaction comes with many moving parts, timelines, and professionals involved. Think of your agent as a project manager and liaison for each stage of the sale.

To tick all the boxes, each step in a real estate transaction requires expertise, focus, and constant communication — not to mention abundant paperwork — to move the home sale forward.

With all the tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities, a home sale goes beyond what a layperson without the proper expertise and training can manage. If you’re thinking of selling your home, find a top agent to get started.

4. Identify home improvements to help the sale

Real estate agents advise sellers on priority home improvement projects that will deliver the best return on investment (ROI). They encourage sellers to improve curb appeal before listing a home for sale. Your agent might suggest improvements that won’t break the bank, like adding mulch to flower beds, power washing your home’s exterior, or painting the front door a vibrant color.

To tackle more labor-intensive projects, such as replacing garage doors (194% ROI) or a minor kitchen remodel (96% ROI), you’ll probably need professional help. Look no further than your agent for a network of trusted professional contacts, such as home repair contractors, handypersons, and other home improvement specialists.

5. Set the right price

For a fast sale, it’s essential to price your home appropriately for the market.

“It’s very important for the seller to have the right comparative market analysis on the property [when pricing the home] because if not, the property’s going to fall behind on the market,” cautions Hilda Dovenbarger, a top agent who sells homes 30% quicker than the average El Paso, Texas agent.

“More time spent on the market causes people to start bringing in lower offers or start wondering why this property is falling behind,” she says.

6. Market effectively

Experienced agents have a variety of marketing and sales strategies to effectively promote properties. Agents advertise on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) database, social media, and other advertising platforms, but they also maintain a network of buyers and buyers’ agents.

Below are some of the basic tasks they do to market homes effectively:

Optimize listings: Agents know how to write captivating real estate listing descriptions that incorporate keywords and details that appeal to both buyer agents and potential buyers.

Prepare the home: Agents help sellers make their homes look more inviting in online listings and in-person showings using the following techniques:

• Deep cleaning
• Decluttering
• Depersonalizing
• Painting the interior and exterior
• Staging the space

Staging, the process of selecting and arranging the right furniture pieces to make a home stand out, lets buyers envision your property as their own, providing a blank canvas for them to imagine their personal touches and belongings.

Not up for deep cleaning and decluttering? An agent can recommend a professional cleaning service to make your home sparkle or an organizer to keep things neat.

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7. Manage (and explain) all those documents

There are over 20 documents in every real estate transaction. Sometimes, the industry jargon in contracts and documents can feel like a foreign language. There are financing industry terms, attorney legalese, title company lingo, and real estate vocabulary — and all of it can be mind-boggling for buyers and sellers.

Some examples include:

• Escrow 
• Contingency period
• Hard money loan
• Settlement fees
• Debt-to-income ratio (DTI)
• Seller concession
• Conventional mortgage loans

Real estate agents will take the time to explain the purpose of each document, answer any questions you have, and clarify the terms you’re agreeing to and signing. Once all parties have signed the documents and contracts, your real estate agent will organize them for easy future access.

8. Negotiate with your best interests in mind

A top real estate agent is well-versed in negotiation tactics that will help you get the best price for your property. Effective negotiation requires knowledge of the current market, research, and expert skills.

Dovenbarger says agents understand the difference between so-so properties and exceptional properties, the latter of which may require the buyer to sweeten the deal. “We can say, hey, this property has a beautiful yard, a beautiful swimming pool, all that. It’s important to let the buyer know that it’s in their best interest to pay for the survey and to pay for the closing costs,” notes Dovenbarger.

Other expenses that can be negotiated down include home warranty premiums, repair costs, and cosmetic updates to the home. The buyer can also opt to pay their own closing costs.

9. Serve as an advocate from listing to closing

“As a Realtor, we’re required to have the best interests of our clients in mind and work as their advocate,” says Dovenbarger. “So every time we strike a deal, we’re looking out for the best interests of our client. That’s our fiduciary responsibility to look out for your best interest.”

10. Offer a voice of reason when things get overwhelming

Selling a home can be an emotional rollercoaster, especially when you’ve built memories and a life in that space. It’s common for sellers to feel attached, anxious, or even overwhelmed by the thought of letting go. This is where real estate agents step in, helping you focus on the facts and market realities rather than emotions.

They give you honest advice on things like pricing and offers so you don’t make choices based on feelings alone. When things get tough, your agent stays focused on what you want to achieve and helps keep everything moving smoothly. Having someone like that by your side makes the entire journey less stressful and easier to handle.

Why hire a real estate agent if you’re buying

From searching for the perfect home to making a competitive offer, buying a house comes with a lot of moving parts. A skilled real estate agent helps you navigate the market, handle the paperwork, and avoid costly mistakes along the way. Here are some of the ways a buyer’s agent helps in your home purchase:

1. Connect with off-market listings

If you prefer a non-traditional route to buying a home, you can purchase a house off-market rather than buying a home on the open market. Well-connected agents have a list of sellers for off-market sales, also known as office exclusives, for the following reasons:

• The seller values a discreet sale for personal reasons, such as going through a divorce
• The property is in poor condition and needs a lot of repairs
• The seller doesn’t want to disturb tenants renting their property
• The seller wishes to maintain confidentiality because they’re a high-profile individual
• The home is about to go into pre-foreclosure or foreclosure, and the owner needs to sell it fast

If you want to find out if off-market listings are right for you, ask a top agent.

2. Spot red flags

Unless you’re a home improvement professional or an experienced agent, you might miss red flags when viewing a home on your own. Some expensive home repair issues your agent can spot include foundation damage, furnace problems, roofing issues, plumbing leaks, mold contamination, and insect infestations. While these issues would likely come up during a home inspection, spotting them early can save a lot of time if these are dealbreakers for you.

But red flags can go beyond inspection issues, such as when a property is priced above market value, says Dovenbarger. “Those are the kind of red flags we see on properties. You want to have an expert help you research and do the right due diligence for that property.”

3. Craft a competitive offer

If a home ticks all your boxes, chances are it’s catching the eye of plenty of other buyers too. So, how do you compete as a potential buyer?

“As a Realtor, it’s important that we guide our clients to make the correct and right offer,” says Dovenbarger. If you’ve found your dream house, your agent might suggest waiving certain contingencies to persuade the seller to accept your offer over someone else’s.

There are a few tricky situations that come up when making an offer on a home. For instance, knowing how to offer below asking price without turning the seller away takes experience. Agents help by analyzing the market and recent sales to determine a fair starting point, and they coach you on how to present your offer in a way that highlights your strengths as a buyer.

Your agent can also help you add important contingencies, like needing to sell your current house first, so you’re protected but still competitive. With their support, you’ll feel more confident navigating these tough spots and increasing your chances of success.

4. Help you negotiate in a hot market

In a slow market with a healthy amount of inventory, a seller may consider covering certain costs to seal the deal. Similarly, agents may advise buyers in a hot market with low inventory to improve the chances of winning a property by paying:

• Title insurance
• Seller’s taxes
• Survey costs
• Higher earnest money deposit

Dovenbarger often helps buyers negotiate by offering a higher earnest money deposit or by shortening the option period. “If the property is hitting everything on a buyer’s wish list, they could offer to lower the option period from 10 days to three days,” she explains.

“We had this property that was only two years old and had its warranties. It was in perfect condition, so we lowered the option period to three days,” says Dovenbarger. “The buyer was guaranteeing the seller the buy, but we still had a little leeway to differentiate ourselves from other contracts that were asking for more time.”

Other ways Dovenbarger helps buyers negotiate with sellers are by offering $6,000 to $10,000 over asking or by paying the seller’s closing costs.

5. Navigate contingencies

A contingency in a sales agreement is a clause stating that a certain condition must be met for the sale to proceed. Real estate agents put contingencies in place for various reasons. For example, a home inspection contingency lets the buyer get the house checked out and gives them a chance to ask for repairs or walk away if serious problems turn up in the inspection report.

On the other end of the spectrum, an escalation clause is a contingency that enables the buyer to increase the offer to a specific dollar amount above the highest bid that includes a cap. This helps the buyer win that property. However, a qualified agent will ensure the addendum for an escalation clause asks for proof of documentation of the highest bid.

“We make sure we have the correct addendums in place so buyers can move toward the closing in the right direction, without having all those hiccups and headaches,” Dovenbarger says. “At the end of the day, if we’re not using the right addendums, the right paperwork for that contingency, the buyer can lose that property, and they can also lose money.”

6. Create solutions for unpleasant surprises

Title issues, inspection problems, a low appraisal — these are common surprises a buyer never wants to come across.

“The agent is the first one to find out about [these] surprises, or when something goes wrong,” says Dovenbarger. “By the time we deliver that information to the buyer, we have the solution. We find out what exactly is wrong and what it’s going to take to get it resolved.”

“Things are time-sensitive, so you need that expert to think outside the box and say, ‘This is the paperwork we need, these are the phone calls we need to make, and we are closing on time.’”

Get an Estimate on Your Home's Value

Our Home Value Estimator is a great starting point for understanding what your home is worth, though we still recommend working with a top real estate agent to nail down a price if you’re looking to sell.

To get an estimate, it only takes two minutes to answer a few questions. You’ll receive a detailed analysis of your home straight to your inbox immediately.

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Final thoughts on why you should hire a real estate agent

Dovenbarger emphasizes the importance of choosing an agent who is familiar with the local area and markets properties accordingly.

“The Realtor and the client need to have the right connection. Remember, we’re going to be working together for quite some time, so we have to make sure that we’re both on the same page and are the perfect match,” Dovenbarger says.

“At the end of the day, the client and the agent are working as a team.”

Because a strong connection between you and your agent is essential, choosing the right person makes all the difference. Use HomeLight’s Agent Match tool to find trusted local Realtors who understand your goals and can guide you every step of the way.

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