A realtor is an independent contractor who helps people to buy and sell real estate. A lot of what a realtor does when you tell them “Sell my house ASAP!” happens behind the scenes. They often work very long hours, at all hours of the day. A good Realtor will make your real estate transaction flow as smoothly as they can. This can make it seem as though their job is quite simple.

In fact, this couldn’t be further from the truth. A realtor has a lot of duties for both the buyer and the seller.

For Buyers

A realtor will help a homebuyer to find and secure a property to buy and move into. This is the most basic explanation of what an agent does for a buyer. Their job is a lot more complicated in reality.

There are countless things that a real estate agent does for the buyer. They will guide their clients through every stage of the transaction. They will work with a range of clients, from first-time buyers to multi-property buyers. Their duties include a long list of tasks to help buyers, such as estimating utility costs, solving safety problems, confirming repairs that are needed, and updating buyers on price drops in the area.

These are just a few of the many tasks that a realtor will do for the buyer to help them secure the right home. These tasks are changing a little as new technology is adopted by the real estate industry. You should remember that buyer’s agents are independent contractors. They won’t be until the transaction closes. In some cases, transactions can fall apart during the financing process, or during the appraisal. Some agents do find themselves not getting paid, even after putting in a lot of work to get the sale through.

The most rewarding thing when you’re a buyer’s agent is that you get to help someone find a  home. After all of their hard work, it’s can feel really rewarding to hand over the keys to the buyer.

For Sellers

Realtor seller tasks are a little different. As with buyer agents, they have a lot of tasks to do to increase the likelihood of making a sale, at a fair price. They will do things like research the sales price of comparable homes, arrange showing times, schedule staging, set up photoshoots, gather feedback after showings, and negotiate all offers.

These are only a handful of the many jobs that a real estate agent does for the person selling the property. Listing agents are often not paid for their work until many months after they first met with their clients. Selling a client’s home can often be a long and tedious process, which can be frustrating for everyone involved. Sellers often get emotional during the process of selling their home, even if they’re moving for good reasons. Listing agents have to work around these emotions, and try to keep their clients calm and trusting in the process of selling. Securing a sale is the rewarding part of the work for listing agents.