This is what buyers and sellers expect from their real estate agent

The role of the real estate agent has come under scrutiny lately due to class action lawsuits over agent commissions, but the feedback agents want about their practices comes primarily from two sources: home buyers and sellers.

A new one report of the National Association of Real Estate Agents (NAR) surveyed buyers and sellers about what they expect from their agents. And despite all the talk about getting a good deal on a purchase or sale, people still just want to find the right home and have a smooth process.

This was clear among home buyers. When asked what they want their agent to help them with, the most common answer was ‘finding the right home’, mentioned by 49% of buyers.

These concerns even outweighed the factors related to money. It may be surprising to learn that only 11% said help with price negotiations is the most important need, while only 14% said they wanted help negotiating the terms of the sale.

Responses from home sellers show that they are more concerned about monetary issues than buyers, but that practical matters still take precedence.

Help with marketing their home was the biggest response from sellers at 22%, while competitively pricing the home came in second at 20%. Help negotiating with buyers who have registered for only 13%. Logistics such as selling the home on time (18%) and preparing the home for sale (15%) were also frequently registered among sellers.

The research also sheds light on the different methods used by real estate agents to advertise homes for sale. The hotly debated Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP) – a NAR rule that requires agents to list a home on a NAR-affiliated multiple listing service (MLS) within one day of signing a listing agreement – ​​is likely playing a role in the reactions .

In response to a “Select all that apply” question about marketing methods, 86% of sellers said their agent placed the listing on an MLS, which was by far the highest option. More outdated methods such as garden signs (61%), open days (58%) and direct mail (8%) also emerged in the study.