For this month’s article, I want to touch on an important detail when deciding to list your home with a local agent versus using an out of town agent.
To start, it always helps to work with an agent who is most familiar with the local area and market. A local agent is most familiar with price points, amenities, schools, and other important details that will help with the success of selling your home. Listing your property for sale with an agent from a different area, for example, a Toronto agent operating in the Hamilton/ Burlington area can work too as they also have access to the same information as
a local agent would, such as recent sales in your area. However, a common thing we have been seeing in Hamilton (this year most especially) are agents from the Toronto area listing their client’s homes in Hamilton or Burlington for sale when in fact they have no access to the Realtors Association of Hamilton and Burlington Board (RAHB).
RAHB and TREB
This means that when your house gets listed it will only show up and be exposed to buyers who are looking on the Toronto board. Only listing a property for sale on the Toronto Board leaves out buyers who are searching on the Hamilton/ Burlington Board, which encompasses buyers from Brantford to Brampton.
This results in the seller missing out on the numerous buyers that are searching on the Hamilton/ Burlington Board which means… you guessed it, less money in your pocket on the sale of your home. In a seller’s market like we are experiencing now, there should be no reason not to get top dollar on the sale of your home so be sure you ask the listing agent that you are interviewing if they are in fact part of both the Toronto board (TREB) and the Hamilton/ Burlington Board (RAHB). This will ensure that your home is being marketed to the largest pool of potential buyers and resulting in the best return on one of the biggest investments in your life.
-Matthew Randazzo