20/20 takes sides on Real Estate

If you happened to catch the latest edition of 20/20 on ABC, you saw the segment on real estate. It was a collection of all things real estate, from bad neighbors and finding bombshells in the front yard or your new home, to discussions about what makes a real estate agent worth the money. Well, I don't know if discussions is the right word - it was pretty one sided. It was more of the producers of 20/20 trying to push an agenda of getting home buyers and sellers to boycott using agents and trying to convince the public they could do this on their own and save lots of money. The truth is, you can do it on your own. But it's just like the fact that you pay movers to move you stuff. Why? It's not that you can't do it, but you don't want the headaches and hassle of handling it yourself and it's worth the money to NOT do it yourself. Plus, when you hire a real estate agent, you're hiring someone who understands the paperwork, market, and laws that you're not familiar with and probably don't have time to learn. Why would you want to be personally liable if something gets screwed up with the deal? That's why agents have the training and expertise. Anyway, I was disappointed with the 20/20 special, but I suppose everyone's profession is picked on at one time or another. I think the thing that disappointed me the most was the generalizations they made about "all Realtors being dishonest" and "only in it for the money and the sale". I'll be the first to admit, there are definitely those agents out there, but how dare them label us all that way! I pride myself on my honesty and integrity so that was hard to hear.
All that said, I hope you'll seriously consider using an agent when you are thinking of selling your home. At very least, interview some agents and see what they have to offer. And, as always, I would love to be the one to help you.