You might be surprised at just how much real estate agents do to help ensure you find the right home or buyer and that your contract goes off without a hitch.
If you’ve got a house to sell or you’re thinking about buying one, you’re probably also thinking about real estate agents, the people who are attached to almost every available living space out there. But what do real estate agents actually do?
What Is a Real Estate Agent?
At the very base level, a real estate agent is a professional who is trained to help a “regular” person successfully get through a real estate transaction. They also help clients make good financial decisions about the houses they’re going to purchase.
“My job as a real estate agent is to provide advice and direction to my clients, whether they are the buyer or seller,” says Bobby Middleton, real estate broker within the Veterans United Realty Network in San Antonio.
“Personally, I see my primary function as making sure that my clients do not walk into a transaction with blinders on. It is my responsibility to point out any deficiencies they may not see or have overlooked because someone has completed a cosmetic flip,” he adds.
But there are a lot of things that real estate agents do besides push paperwork. Buying or selling real estate is a complicated process and often people get overwhelmed and need help that might not technically be in the job description.
“As a real estate professional, I advise clients on everything related to real estate but have also found myself being a bit of a financial advisor, marriage counselor, psychologist, interior decorator, remodeler, assistant, babysitter and mind reader,” says Lisa Culp Taylor, real estate agent with LCT Team – Parks at Bob Parks Realty in Franklin, Tennessee.
“My primary function is to provide the highest level of service to my clients, which is how each of those roles factor into being a Realtor,” she adds.
Real Estate World Terminology
When trying to hire a real estate agent, it’s important to understand just who you’re hiring. There are several terms specific to different types of real estate agents.
People often exchange the terms “real estate agent” and “Realtor,” but it’s important to note that while anyone with a real estate license can be a real estate agent, only members of the National Association of Realtors can use the term Realtor to describe themselves.
Realtors voluntarily agree to adhere to the Realtor Code of Ethics, a specific code of conduct defined by NAR; they can be professionally punished for breaking this code of conduct.
There are also several ways that a real estate agent can act in relation to their clients. They can be buyer or seller agents, transaction brokers or dual agents, if the law allows in your state. Most real estate agents will specialize as a buyer’s or seller’s agent, but some are occasionally asked to represent both sides of the transaction, meaning they help both the buyer and the seller at the same time.
In these cases, they may be a transaction broker if they’re simply drawing up the paperwork and remaining neutral throughout the transaction, or a dual agent if they’re trying to fairly represent both sides while keeping up a wall of protection around both the buyer’s and seller’s confidential financial goals and liabilities.
You might also come across an agent who calls themselves an “associate broker” or other type of broker, like a “broker-salesperson,” depending on your state. Brokers are real estate agents with advanced training who complete additional continuing education to maintain their licenses. If being a real estate agent is akin to having an undergraduate degree, being a broker is like having a master’s.
Do You Need a Real Estate Agent to Buy or Sell a House?
You’re free to buy or sell a house on your own, without the help of a real estate agent, but it can be a difficult task. There’s a lot that has to be done even if you’ve had a long day at work or have places you’d rather be.
“A person does not need a real estate agent to buy or sell a home, but it does become nearly a full-time job if someone is looking to sell the property themselves,” says Karen Coney Coplin, licensed real estate agent with Downing-Frye Realty Inc. in Naples, Florida.
“Arranging for showings may be pretty straightforward, but vetting buyers is not for the faint-hearted. In this day and age it almost seems that safety issues would be foremost and it’s much better, in my opinion, to have an agent meet another agent and their client at your house versus inviting in strangers,” she says.
Of course, that’s before you have a real estate contract. Once you’ve found a buyer or the home of your dreams, the job of a real estate agent becomes significantly more complex.
“We deal with home inspectors, pest inspectors, lenders, appraisers and the title company,” says Nancy Pav, associate broker at Century 21 Redwood Realty in Ashburn, Virginia. “We make sure people can get into properties and have the information they need to move the transaction forward. Sometimes we even give buyers a gentle nudge so that they don’t delay closing.”
Real Estate Agents Behind the Scenes
There’s no way any real estate transactions would ever close without the help of the real estate agents involved. They do a ton of work calling, making appointments, ensuring people have access to homes, getting paperwork into the right hands, and ironing out wrinkles while you’re at the grocery store or having a night out at the ballpark.
But when things get tricky is when they really shine. Coplin relayed a story of how she helped keep four active contracts on track in the wake of Hurricane Ian in 2022. She explained that her four properties were all affected by hurricane damage and extensive power outages, as were clients who weren’t under contract yet. It was extremely difficult to get a phone call or text through to clients who were out of state and worried about their properties in the early days.
She knew her clients were going to be counting on her to take care of them, so instead of evacuating, Coplin remained close by.
“Having lived in Florida since 1990, and having weathered several major storms since that time (no pun intended), I found one of the keys to managing the anxiety and stress from major storms is to remain in town when possible and safe, because I can immediately leap to action and get information to clients thereafter,” she says.
“During the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, every day meant a new series of phone calls (once service was restored), property visits and updates with building managers and others to keep clients informed. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the local RSW Airport was closed for over a week and that had not happened previously after storms, to my recollection,” she adds.
Although the hurricane example is an extreme one, the amount of work a real estate agent does behind the scenes is immeasurable. There are genuinely times when a real estate transaction goes exactly as it should, but, as the adage goes, the time to hire a real estate professional is before you need one.
