Why is the Seller of Real Estate Well Advised to Retain a Licensed Broker for Representation?

The subject of last month’s blog post was a discussion of Buyer Agency in real estate transactions in North Carolina.  Having covered buyer representation, it seemed appropriate to discuss the reasons a seller of real property would be well advised to retain a competent licensed broker to represent him or her in the sale of such a valuable asset.  Let’s begin by mentioning the consumer information brochure, Working with Real Estate Agents, published by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.  This document outlines the permitted agency relationships in North Carolina, and the important features of each.  Every real estate agent licensed in the state is required to present this document to a prospective client when the parties begin discussions of matters substantially important to the interests of that prospective client, whether buyer or seller.

Licensed real estate brokers are required to maintain a high level of professional and ethical standards in dealing with a client and the public, and the failure to do so can result in disciplinary action by the NC Real Estate Commission.  But what are some the practical reasons a seller would be well advised to retain a licensed real estate broker?  After all, the seller might save some money by avoiding such a relationship and going it alone, right?

One compelling practical reason for retaining representation is access to the Multiple Listing Service (“MLS”), a centralized database of information for homes in a given geographical area.  This database is used very heavily by buyers’ agents, and a home that is not listed in the MLS may very well go unnoticed by buyers who are ready, willing and able to purchase it.  Further, since most buyers who become aware of a home via the MLS necessarily come with a buyer’s agent, it is very likely that buyer’s agent has made sure the buyer is pre-qualified for any financing the buyer will need to make the purchase.  Otherwise, the buyer’s agent is likely wasting everyone’s time, including his or her own.

Having a buyer who is represented by his or her own agent express interest in the purchase of your property is therefore a good thing because you can be reasonably assured that the buyer is ready, willing and able to proceed to closing.  But a represented buyer negotiating with an unrepresented seller can mean that the seller is functioning at real disadvantage.  The buyer’s agent should be well aware of current market conditions, including recent comparable sales prices… the agent should be quite familiar with the contracts, documents and forms approved by the NC Bar and the NC Association of Realtors… the agent should be familiar with the processes and procedures for accurately memorializing final agreement of the parties and taking that agreement through to closing.  However, if you read the Working with Real Estate Agents consumer information brochure mentioned above, you understand that a buyer’s agent represents the buyer, not the seller.  The buyer’s agent’s duty is to get the best deal he can for the buyer, not the seller.  So a seller who is not intimately familiar with the current market… or the contract and legal documents typically used in a transaction… or the procedures followed to take a deal through to successful closing, is at a distinct disadvantage if he or she is not represented by his or her own seller’s agent—someone who owes all his or her own fiduciary duties to the seller.

A good, professional, ethical real estate broker/seller agent can therefore not only successfully market a home for maximum exposure to buyers who are qualified to purchase the home, he or she can negotiate the best price possible (with the participation and final approval of the seller, of course), has sufficient familiarity with the legal documents typically used in a transaction to make sure that the final documents the parties execute accurately reflect the deal the seller has actually agreed to, and he or she should be fully aware of the processes and procedures that take that agreement through to final, successful closing.  Most transactions in the Charlotte metropolitan area involve hundreds of thousands of dollars… and sometimes millions.  It therefore seems wise to seek the representation of someone who is truly familiar with, and can take reasonable control over, all the variables described above, while being bound by NC law to represent the seller’s best interests throughout the transaction.  It’s really just common sense. 

Abraham Lincoln famously said, “A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client.” A similar principle applies to the seller of property who decides to “go it alone.”  You may think you know the current market, but may not be intimately familiar with the legal documents that will protect you in the transaction.  You may have a good working knowledge of processes and procedures typically followed to get your transaction to closing, but not have the ability to get your property maximum exposure to people who are ready, willing and able to buy it. Unless you are engaged full time in the real estate business, it is very unlikely you possess all of the current skills needed to successfully maximize the return on a very valuable—and in most cases—your most valuable investment.