I once had a friend say to me there are 3 things that everyone on the planet thinks they can do – be a stand-up comic, design their own house, and make a film. I think there are a few other things missing from this list. From my business experience in particular, it seems everyone thinks it can't be that hard to sell a house, and everyone also seems to think they are a marketer. Of everything. And that ties in very nicely with thinking you can sell your own home.
Because almost everyone lives somewhere, whether it's in an apartment, a standalone property, a duplex, the list goes on – a lot of people think they know real estate. For this reason, a lot of people also think how hard can it really be to buy or sell a home? With so much information available online and in the media, it's not difficult to see why people think they have their hands on everything they need to know.
This is where great sayings like "a word to the wise" comes into play, because a lot of people may think they're wise in this regard, but there is still so much they need to know – exactly why there are real estate agents doing the job that they do. A real estate agent with a network like that which we have at Century 21 are bringing you years of combined experience from tried and true measures for real estate success. That's not something just anyone can claim or get their hands on. Real estate agents also take on a lot of responsibility when working with a customer, by way of making sure they, and you, know your way around the legals and requirements of the sales process.
So my word to the wise is, if you're thinking of buying or selling, the smartest thing you can do is get a professional to represent what is possibly your largest asset.