The Benefits of A Real Estate Agent 101Written by Lori Osenbaugh
Buying and selling property is not as easy as you may think. There are many things that you have to consider when purchasing a home, or when putting a home up for sale. That is why there are real estate professionals out there armed with skills and knowledge needed to make this process easier. Read below to see how a real estate agent can help you in your real estate transaction.The Benefits of a Sellers Agent When you list your property through a real estate company, individual with whom you list is known as sellers agent, or listing agent. The very first thing that a listing agent has to offer a seller is a comparative market analysis, or, a CMA. A CMA compares your property to other real estate property listings, preferably ones that have sold. The goal of agent is to compare apples to apples. In other words, they compare MLS listings (a.k.a multiple listing service) with similar square footage, whether or not property has a garage, types of flooring home has etc. In end of this analysis, agent provides you with a figure for which he or she feels that your property will sell. Once you have chosen a sellers agent, you enter an agreement with them, often called an exclusive right to list agreement. This simply creates a legal relationship between your agent and yourself. Once your house is listed in MLS listings, there is still much more your real estate professional can do for you. Real estate agents advertise property within their office and on their own personal websites. They often send out news letters, flyers, post cards and offer MLS bulletins for other realtors to see so that your property gains maximum exposure. In addition to advertisements, real estate agents also perform open houses on your property, during which potential buyers can see all that is good about your home.
| | Do You Need the Help of a Virtual Assistant?Written by Nita L. Ammon
Running a business, whether large, small or in your home, is full of challenges. Getting day-to-day tasks completed, e-mail, faxes and telephones answered, bills and statements sent out, reports run, schedule updated, travel arrangements made, marketing pieces and website updated, as well as a plethora of other tasks, can be downright daunting.In swoops "Virtual Assistant" to handle these and many other tasks for you and help your company's bottom line. In case you're still working out of a cave (as you may be if you're still doing it all yourself), a Virtual Assistant, who has been touted as one of must-haves of modern entrepreneurial arsenal of time and money-saving tricks, is a highly skilled independent contractor who handle their client's administrative (and sometimes personal) needs in a large variety of ways. Because Virtual Assistants (VAs) are business owners themselves, they have a vested interest in your company's success -- your success leads to their success. They really aim to please because their business depends on it. And who better to understand trials and tribulations than another business owner? Also, most VAs came from corporate world and were executive or administrative assistants (secretaries), customer service managers or representatives, paralegals, project managers or coordinators, database administrators, or bookkeepers. Here are just some of services a Virtual Assistant can provide: Typing / Word Processing Database Management and Entry Proofreading and Copy Editing Accounts Payable and Receivable Calendaring / Scheduling / Reminder Services Travel Arrangements Customer Service (including answering forwarded phones, making outgoing calls and answering e-mails) Presentations Event Planning Research Web Services Ordering Supplies and Equipment Project Coordination / Management Marketing Projects Incoming and Outgoing Mail Expense Reports Reporting You have a lot of work you could delegate to a Virtual Assistant, but you're still not convinced one would be right for your business. According to Hackett Group, a Hudson, Ohio consultancy, "outsourcing, in general, can cost 50% less than hiring a full-time employee." Because your VA is an entrepreneur and not an employee, you don't have extra expense of paying additional taxes, providing insurance, purchasing office supplies and equipment, updating software, sick, vacation and personal time, office space to provide, and you only pay for time VA actually works (you're not paying for coffee breaks, downtime, etc.).
|
