Why it Pays to Work with a Local REALTORŪ
By Rives Bailey, President, Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORSŪ

In today's hot real estate market, some home sellers have decided they don't need a professional REALTORŪ to sell their house. Most are finding out there is a lot more to selling a house than putting a sign in the yard and running an ad. If that's all there was to it, then everyone would sell their own home. Instead, a vast majority of homeowners use a professional REALTORŪ when it is time to sell.

Most homebuyers also use a professional REALTORŪ when they want to buy a home. A typical family will purchase less than five homes in their entire life. Having a professional REALTORŪ as an advisor is the best way to handle such an important and complicated transaction.

Top 10 Reasons it Pays to Use a REALTORŪ

1. Time is money! REALTORSŪ take away the time consuming burden of buying and selling homes. You have a life, REALTORSŪ let you live it.
    
2. REALTORSŪ are in tune with recent changes in development and zoning issues, disclosures, agency and fair housing laws, regulatory issues, financing options, and much more.
    
3. REALTORSŪ use state of the art technology to assist their clients. REALTORSŪ invest millions of dollars every year in high-tech tools to make the buying and selling process efficient. REALTOR.com and CAAR.com empower REALTORSŪ and their clients to take advantage of the Internet.
    
4. Pricing a property correctly is the most important part of selling real estate. There is great value in a REALTOR'SŪ knowledge of the market and trends in the industry.
    
5. Professional REALTORSŪ are committed to ongoing education. Many REALTORSŪ have made the commitment to obtain professional designations to further their knowledge of the complex real estate industry.
    
6. It is not a good idea to let just anyone in to your home. REALTORSŪ know their clients and bring quality buyers to see your home.
    
7. Buying or selling a home is an emotional process. It is critical to have a REALTORŪ coordinate the negotiations to make sure the transaction is handled professionally. When you take advantage of a REALTORSŪ' expertise, you can feel more confident in your decisions. Let's face it, real estate is what they do -- real estate is their life.
    
8. REALTORSŪ are specialists! There are many types of real estate - residential, commercial, land, farms, etc - and there are trained REALTORSŪ ready to fill every niche market.
    
9. REALTORSŪ have a strict ethical Code they must follow to ensure your interests are protected. Don't just use a real estate agent - use a REALTORŪ.
    
10. REALTORSŪ have set up a secure lockbox system to protect your property while allowing other REALTORSŪ to show your home to potential buyers.