What your Real Estate Agent Knows That you Don't

"When you make the decision to sell your home,• Integrated
you are under no obligation to hire a real estate• Married
agent or broker to help you with the sale.• Mature
Nonetheless, most people prefer to hire a real• Mother-in-Law quarters
estate agent in order to better protect• Professional
themselves and in order to put themselves in a• Section 8
better position to successfully sell the home in a• Seniors
short amount of time.• Singles only
When you hire a real estate agent, you gain• Sports-minded
access to a wealth of knowledge that will helpAs you can see, some of these terms seem
keep you out of trouble and will help provide for aperfectly innocent. Therefore, it is a good idea to
smooth transaction. Here are just a few thingsget the help of a real estate agent so you can
that your real estate agent knows that youtap into his or her knowledge and experience in
probably do not.order to stay out of trouble.
The Federal Fair Housing ActState Real Estate Laws
According to the Federal Fair Housing Act, youAlthough there are similarities in real estate laws
cannot discriminate against someone when sellingfrom one state to the next, each state has its
a home. The act defines seven different classesown set of rules that must be followed. If you do
that are protected against discrimination, thesenot understand these laws or are unaware of
include:these laws, you can inadvertently break the law
• Racewhen selling your home. In addition, by not being
• Colorfully aware of your seller's rights, you might
• National originactually lose out on money during the transaction.
• SexTaking Advantage of Connections
• ReligionAside from legal matters, a real estate agent
• Handicapsimply has a vast number of connections that
• Familial statusmakes it possible to sell a home more quickly and
If you do not enlist in the help of a real estatefor a higher asking price. Similarly, since people
agent, you put yourself at risk of violating this actcome to real estate agents when searching for
if you refuse to sell your home to an interestedhomes, you are able to tap into a much larger
buyer. In addition, you might even accidentallymarket of interested buyers when you get the
violate these laws without realizing it. For example,help of a real estate agent.
there are certain words that cannot be included inSince a real estate agent has experience with
your advertisements for your home becauseselling homes, he or she can also provide you with
they are in violation of the Fair Housing Laws.tips to help increase the market value of your
Some of these words include:home and to make the process go by more
• Bachelor apartmentquickly. For example, small things such as painting
• Children welcomea room a different color can go a long way when
• Couplesit comes to increasing the appeal of the home. By
• Gentleman's Farmtaking advantage of the realtor's expertise, you
• Golden Agersjust might have a much more profitable selling
• Handicappedexperience.