With all of the information available to a consumer today on the internet the question sometimes arises, do you need an agent to help you buy or sell a home?

The short answer is no. And you never have. Even before the internet made everything available at our fingertips. Yep that’s right!

When I come across this question in my practice it typically comes down to value. More precisely, what value is a buyer or seller getting in using me as an agent? And it’s a very good question.

Now this topic has been debated back and forth over the years and has come up more frequently now that we have 35,664 agents in the Toronto Real Estate Board (as of September 2012) and some consumers can’t tell the difference between one agent from the next.

But believe me…there are differences. And they’re huge! There is a reason that 85% of the sales are being handled by 15% of the agents. In 2012 there were 85,585 sales so you do the math. I’ve actually heard recently that the numbers are more like 92% of the sales are done by 8% of the agents. But you get the point.

Now here’s the catch 22. A very good agent who is professional is going to make you feel like you can sell your home, or buy one on your own. We do such a good job of managing your expectations, shielding you from non-important bullshit and drama, and market and negotiate the biggest purchase or sale you are ever going to make in your life! Who couldn’t do it on their own!!

And after a successful selling process you might just sit back and say…damn, I can do this to save myself the 4%-5% both the agents just shared in. It’s so easy. But its not.

There are many moving parts that need to be aligned to have not only a successful sale go through, but one where as a Seller you darn well know for sure you received a fair price. Same goes for a Buyer. And it isn’t easy. And if you think so chew on this stat. In the crazy heated market we have been experiencing over the past many years only 5 of 10 new listings on average sell. 5 happy sellers and 5 unhappy ones. Most used the help of an agent. But remember, not all agents are created equally.

Watch this 90 second video for why you should a Realtor courtesy of the Toronto Real Estate Board Why you should use a Realtor

If you would like to know how I’m different from the other 35,663 and what makes me in the top 2%¹ of all Realtors,  feel free to contact me for a free consultation.

IMS Stats 2012 TREB