{"id":5233,"date":"2025-02-06T02:00:45","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T10:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=5233"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:31:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T23:31:48","slug":"what-can-real-estate-agent-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-can-real-estate-agent-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can a Real Estate Agent Do That You Can\u2019t? 5 Things That Only Come With Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a reason only 6% of home sales were For Sale By Owner (FSBO)<\/a> in 2023 \u2014 and it\u2019s not just the daunting mounds of paperwork involved in selling<\/a> a house. What can a real estate agent do that makes such a difference?<\/p>\n

The best real estate agents in the country<\/a>, the ones who have to turn down clients because they\u2019re so slammed with business, tell us that it\u2019s their sharp negotiating<\/a> skills and objective lens that homeowners need the most.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the little moments at the kitchen table when you can\u2019t decide if you should accept an offer or counter. It\u2019s wondering whether you should trust a buyer who your gut tells you isn\u2019t serious. It\u2019s someone who can tell you straight that your asking price is too high<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

Connect with a Trusted Top Agent for Top Results<\/h3>\n

HomeLight can connect you with a top-performing, trusted agent in your market. We analyze over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to determine which agent is best for you based on your needs.<\/p>\n \n

\n Find Agent<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

So what can a real estate agent do for you that you can\u2019t do for yourself? Here are five things that only come with experience and detachment from the home.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

1. Agents make an unbiased evaluation of your home<\/h2>\n

Homeowners often look at their property through the rose-colored glasses of the happy memories they made in their home.<\/p>\n

The deck, even though it\u2019s falling apart, is where you hosted so many barbecues. You can hear the sound of the kids unwrapping Christmas gifts in the living room. The pencil marks measuring heights through the years tug at your heartstrings.<\/p>\n

Homeowners have an emotional relationship with their homes, and that connection makes figuring out what your home is worth<\/a> that much harder.<\/p>\n

Few buyers even bother to look at houses that are overpriced. And if buyers don\u2019t see your home, they won\u2019t make an offer.<\/p>\n

Luckily, real estate agents evaluate your property without the vision-clouding emotional attachment that you have as a homeowner. Just ask Kim Erwin<\/a>, a top-selling real estate agent in Corpus Christi, Texas<\/a>: \u201cI\u2019ve been selling real estate for over [40] years, and the trick is understanding the mortgage industry within your community and looking at the house through the eyes of the buyer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without that emotional baggage, an expert real estate agent can:<\/p>\n