Understanding the differences between the free services of a property advisor vs selling directly with an agent can be a game changer for both buyers and sellers. 

It’s no secret that both buying and selling property can be stressful. Between organising your finances, scheduling appointments, and trying to find the time to liaise with the relevant industry professionals – this usually all happens before you even list a property, or make an offer. 

As such, it’s important to have a firm grasp on understanding exactly who does during the process of a property transaction. Would you request a conveyancer to conduct a building and pest inspection for you? Probably not. Therefore, it’s also important to have a clear comprehension as to the two very different roles that are a property advisor, and a real estate agent. 

What Does A Real Estate Agent Do?

While a top agent should know the area like the back of their hand, general knowledge isn’t enough. After all, not only are they selling homes – but they’re essentially selling themselves too. 

Many people tend to forget that there are a number of administrative tasks that are at the core of a well-run real estate business. A good real estate agent:

• Keeps up with local and regional market activity and industry news
• Researches active, pending, and sold listings and reviews the daily activity reports 
• Completes, submits, and files paperwork, such as real estate documents, agreements, and records with the proper state agencies
• Plans and coordinates appointments, open houses, showings, and meetings with clients and other real estate agents
• Develops marketing and advertising plans for listings and creates fliers, newsletters, and other promotional materials 
• Responds to incoming emails and phone calls
• Update websites, social media platforms and blogs

They should know exactly what’s going on in the market, what’s been recently sold, how much it sold for, and all the inner workings of what buyers and sellers are up to in their pocket of the world. A good real estate agent is often a seller’s secret weapon, but only if you can find one with the right credentials, track record and expertise to match the property in question that you’re looking to sell. However, choosing the right real estate agent is often where many sellers come unstuck, which is when the services of a property advisor can be of great value. 

What Is A Property Advisor?

Should you be looking to sell your home, enlisting the services of a reputable free property advisor can often be a game changer for vendors. As an example, your advisor would likely research the property, local agents, check the zoning, evaluate market conditions, and communicate clearly with the owner regarding all of their options, and can be particularly useful when it comes to choosing a real estate that’s right for you. When working with a reputable advisor, this often results in homeowners being able to sell their property for significantly more than they initially thought possible. 

A reputable property advisor should ideally already have an extensive background working in the real estate industry, and will often have access to resources that extend far beyond the standard responsibilities of buying and selling property, such as a network of contacts amongst agents, solicitors, tradesmen and accountants. A property advisor works in an advisory capacity in order to help you plan more strategically, and increase the value of your current or potential assets. Just some of their standard duties include:

• Perform extensive research on sales in your area
• Research and assist with agent selection  
• Help you to eliminate wasted costs 
• Recommend legal representatives to prepare contract of sale and other legal documents
• Ensure you have a structured campaign in place for selling your home 
• Help keep the agent accountable at all times
• Assist you with negotiations to help get the highest price 
• Helping you through the settlement process once your home is sold 

Technically speaking, a free property advisor doesn’t cost a thing to everyday people looking to buy or sell a home. Rather, they act as a vendor advocate, and take a percentage of the real estate agents fee – meaning no additional out of pocket expenses for the owner. 

Sourcing A Free Property Advisor 

A completely free service, Emergency Services Property Advisors provide property advisor services to Police, Fire, Ambulance and S.E.S personnel and their families right across Victoria.

Luke and the team at ESPA are passionate about providing support to some of Australia’s most valued public servants, and aim to provide tangible real estate advice to those in stressful positions with crazy hours at no extra cost to them. Along with key industry insights, ESPA also works with a broad range of service providers linked to the real estate industry such as conveyancers, trades, legal practitioners and mortgage brokers.

If you are an emergency services worker looking to potentially buy or sell property in the future, please get in touch with Emergency Services Property Advisors today to discuss how we can turn your real estate dreams into reality, or call Luke directly on 0414 757 705.