Do they really need us?
The Wall Street Journal recently asked the question, “Do Young, Tech-Savvy Buyers
Need a Real Estate Agent's Help?” Unfortunately, they never really answered the question.
I will and my answer is, yes, they do. Many generation X and Y home buyers don’t need the hand holding their parents wanted but there are tangible benefits provided by the use of a Realtor/real estate agent. Also, in a buyers’ market such as todays, it might seem overwhelming for some buyers to sort through all of the choices. A Realtor/real estate agent can help buyers focus on the homes that best fits their needs and wants.
Buying a home is likely to be the largest purchase you will ever make. Realtors/real estate agents help you to keep it real. A good agent will tell you when you are wrong and provide proper guidance.
A good Realtor/real estate agent is like the conductor of a symphony orchestra. S/he helps to coordinate all the other professionals in de-stressing the home buying process for you; from getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan, to getting physical access to various homes meeting your specific criteria, to negotiating price/terms, to keeping the lawyer on track, to sitting with you at the closing table and the handing over of the keys.
Regardless of the number of online photos or videos, there is nothing like seeing a property in person to help you visualize living there. Real estate agents provide access to millions of homes across this country. Websites such as Realtor.com pull information from the local MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and those listings can appear to be "available" until they actually close. A home can show as available even though it could be well into the contract process! Also, many sites can be about a week behind current listings. So a new listing could come up, but might not show on that website until the following week.
It might not be widely known that in New Jersey a real estate contract or an Agreement of Sale filled in by a licensed Realtor/real estate agent automatically provides the both buyer and seller with three days in which to have an attorney review the document before it becomes legally binding. This is commonly called a "cooling off" period. The three (3) day attorney review clause only applies to contracts prepared by a Realtor/real estate agent and does not apply to contracts which are privately prepared or prepared by an attorney.
In the end, we Realtors take on the tasks of being consultants and problem solvers who often make the deals happen for our clients…better. Simply put, represented clients of better Realtors/real estate agents buy better homes at better prices. | 
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