- GUIDE FOR SELLERS
- GUIDE FOR BUYERS
- ETHICS
GUIDE FOR SELLERS
7 Reasons to Work With a REALTOR®
REALTORS® aren’t just agents. They’re professional members of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribe to its strict code of ethics.
This is the REALTOR® difference for home buyers:
- An expert guide.
Selling a home usually requires dozens of forms, reports, disclosures, and other technical documents. A knowledgeable expert will help you prepare the best deal, and avoid delays or costly mistakes. Also, there’s a lot of jargon involved, so you want to work with a professional who can speak the language. - Objective information and opinions.
REALTORS® can provide local information on utilities, zoning, schools, and more. They also have objective information about each property. REALTORs® can use that data to help you determine if the property has what you need. - Property marketing power.
The property doesn’t sell due to advertising alone. A large share of real estate sales comes as the result of a practitioner’s contacts with previous clients, friends, and family. When a property is marketed by a REALTOR®, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR® will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property. - Negotiation knowledge.
There are many factors up for discussion in a deal. A REALTOR® will look at every angle from your perspective, including crafting a purchase agreement that allows you the flexibility you need to take that next step. - Up-to-date experience.
Most people sell only a few homes in a lifetime, usually with quite a few years in between each sale. Even if you’ve done it before, laws and regulations change. REALTORS® handle hundreds of transactions over the course of their career. - Your rock during emotional moments.
A home is so much more than four walls and a roof. Moreover, for most people, the property represents the biggest purchase they’ll ever make. Having a concerned, but objective, third party helps you stay focused on the issues most important to you. - Ethical treatment.
Every REALTOR® must adhere to a strict code of ethics, which is based on professionalism and protection of the public. As a REALTOR®’s client, you can expect honest and ethical treatment in all transaction-related matters.
The Guidebook for Sellers is a collection of twenty-five how-to guides, checklists, and worksheets to help sellers understand what to expect during the real estate experience.
The Guidebook was developed By REALTOR Magazine
GUIDE FOR BUYERS
7 Reasons to Own A Home
REALTORS® aren’t just agents. They’re professional members of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribe to its strict code of ethics.
- Tax benefits.
The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, your property taxes, and some of the costs involved in buying a home. - Appreciation.
Historically, real estate has had a long-term, stable growth in value. In fact, median single-family existing-home sale prices have increased on average 5.2 percent each year from 1972 through 2014, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The recent housing crisis has caused some to question the long-term value of real estate, but even in the most recent ten years, which included quite a few terrible years for housing, values are still up 7.0 percent on a cumulative basis. Also, the number of U.S. households is expected to rise 10 to15 percent over the next decade, creating continued high demand for housing. - Equity.
Money paid for rent is money that you’ll never see again, but mortgage payments let you build equity ownership interest in your home. - Savings.
Building equity in your home is a ready-made savings plan. Moreover, when you sell, you can generally take up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) as gain without owing any federal income tax. - Predictability.
Unlike rent, your fixed-rate mortgage payments don’t rise over the years so your housing costs may actually decline as you own the home longer. However, keep in mind that property taxes and insurance costs will likely increase. - Freedom.
The home is yours. You can decorate any way you want and choose the types of upgrades and new amenities that appeal to your lifestyle. - Stability.
Remaining in one neighborhood for several years allows you and your family time to build long-lasting relationships within the community. It also offers children the benefit of educational and social continuity.
“The Guidebook for Buyers” is a collection of twenty-five how-to guides, checklists, and worksheets to help buyers understand what to expect during the real estate experience.
The Guidebook was developed By REALTOR Magazine
ETHICS
“The Preamble to the Code is the aspirational basis for the ethical concepts that REALTORS® believe in. Included are the core concepts of honesty, integrity, fairness, and moral conduct in business relations. Near the end of the Preamble, the timeless, universal principle of the Golden Rule is cited. Because the Code sets the ideals that we strive to attain, it is subjective in nature. As such, it cannot be used as a basis for disciplinary action against a REALTOR®. Only the Articles of the Code are used as the basis for discipline of REALTOR® membership.”
The REALTOR® Organization offers its members and their clients a vehicle to economically expedite ethics complaints and/or arbitration requests without going to court. Plus the organization offers options such as the Ombuds program and Mediation.
Ethics complaints brought before the REALTOR® organization give those parties involved an opportunity to be educated about the Code, and REALTORS® are judged by their peers as opposed to others who may be far less familiar with the practices and customs of the real estate industry.