“Why bother hiring a real estate agent when you have the internet?”
The internet is a powerful thing. Almost everything can easily be done online – home buying included – quick and hassle free.
But if you google phrases like, “Florida house for sale”, “Rent to own houses Florida”, “Buy like rent houses in Florida”, or anything of the likes – chances are you are NOT finding every listing for sale.
This is the most common misconception and the first mistake of home buyers.
In the most basic sense: yes, you can find properties for sale in Florida through the internet (albeit limited). There’s no denying about some possibilities available for your taking. Though online buying can easily get disorganized and complicated — regardless if you have a real estate agent… So what more if you don’t? Hiring one can make a huge deal of a difference.
There’s no stopping you from buying a home on your own accord. It’s legal, and you have all the free will to do so. But to be fair, here are the Pros and Cons of online house buying you must consider before deciding to do so:
Pros of online house buying:
- Sets up your estimates
Buying a house online lets you see properties on the market along with the details and asking price. This easily sets up a budget estimate of your dream home and its required payment method, etc.
- Do Your Own Research
Some people prefer doing their own research and are more comfortable and natural in doing so. Though “do your own research” only applies to select people who have the time to research. Without the time and patience to pour into research, it’s best to get help from a real estate agent who works full-time on your home buying.
- Seller Contact
Digging around the listing can help you find the contact of who is handling the sale. This allows you to easily follow up directly on the seller of your promising home.
House buying may sound great but there’s always a downside to everything. In this case, here are the cons only an online house buyer is vulnerable to.
Cons of online house buying:
- No Professional Support
Obviously, you’ll be a newbie playing on the field of expert players. This is especially true if the property seller has their own agent.
Consider that hiring a listing agent and buying a home from the internet costs not all too different. To further elaborate: a listing agent can potentially lower property prices as compared to internet price. The money you saved will direct to their professional fee with all the benefits and security of a real estate agent representative.
- No Focus
With the overwhelming number of available homes online, it’s difficult to keep focus especially if you’re not familiar with the market.
Real Estate Agents can narrow this focus and are usually neighborhood specialists. Meaning, they know the differences between homes and which ones are conveniently close to locations like schools, parks, train lines, etc.
- Insufficient Information
Not all that you see is what you get when online house buying. The listings are only as good as the information disclosed online.
Some house issues are typically and intentionally not acknowledged online. A real estate agent can easily do more research offline through its exclusive network of connections.
- Limited To Online Research
As aforementioned, listing agents have more exclusive research source than just online. Agents typically talk to other agents in the market. You can have the perks of knowing which properties are about to hit price reduction or which new properties can tailor to your requirements.
These details are usually undisclosed from the internet public months after your agent’s info source. It’s sort of like a VIP backstage sneak-peak access. Once they are published online, the whole market competition would know about it.
- Pay The Right Price
You cannot simply guess for which price should you pay when buying a home. All the while, you could be worrying about overpaying or underpaying. An experienced real estate agent can determine other comparable homes. They take every variable into account, know which is a rejected or accepted offer and if you’re paying the perfect price for the quality.
- Have a representative backing up your interest
Having your own real estate agent means having someone to represent your interest. This is particularly important if the home seller has their own agent to protect the seller’s interest.
Buying a home online or through a listing agent is entirely at your personal discretion. Though you might want to consider placing the money you saved by hiring a professional play at their own field.
Hiring a real estate agent guarantees professional benefits and reassurance that you are spending every penny in its proper place.
