Asking a dozen people on the street, I am pretty sure you won’t hear two equal opinions on this matter. Some people would even swear that an estate agent changed their life, but would you believe them? If you ask me, it is all a matter of perception. But it is definitely worth trying to use their services. Not with the obligation to purchase a home through him or her, but just to try their services and see what they could offer you. Here are some pros and cons for using an agent to find what you need.

I will begin with the pros. An estate agent is someone who definitely knows what is happening on the market. He or she knows the decent prices, the good places to buy and the hot offers. Depending on what you need, your agent can show you the best options for buying the home you want. What is more, they are in the business and this means that they know the whole region – the streets, the neighbourhoods and the community. So your agent can probably advise you best about the right place.

Another plus is that you can go and check the places whenever you have some free time and desire to do so, without considering the homeowners and their schedule. An estate agent can even make a whole schedule for visiting more than one location in one session. Besides all of these factors I already mentioned, he can show you the positive and negative sides of every house or flat so you can make your decision easier. This is a bonus of hiring an agent that should not be underestimated. As you can see, the agent may turn out very useful if you are hesitating about whether to buy or not.

As with everything in life, using the services of a paid estate agent may turn out to be dangerous. First, he or she is a hired worker that usually has a contract that includes a commission for each home sold. And usually this commission is measured in percentages of the deal she or he executes, so the agent might try to sell you the more expensive residence, without caring if it is the best for you or not. So be careful! What is more, to hire an agent you must pay up, which is an additional expense for you. You can try searching on the Internet for good options, or just ask a friend that lives around, if you have one. Sometimes, the contract you sign might include the stipulation that you pay an advanced deposit, even if you aren’t sure you will buy afterwards.

And an important thing to know when hiring such a service is that you have to be sure the agent you will chose to advise you on buying a home has the right qualification, experience, methods and the know-how to offer you the best on the market. Otherwise you risk trusting your future to someone who cannot particularly help. So before picking one, you should browse the Internet and read some users’ feedback for the company you have chosen. While you shouldn’t make your decision based on these reviews along, at least you will get an idea of how other customers view the company. Or you can ask a friend if he or she know someone that is good for the job.

These are the main points I think you should consider when you have to decide whether to pick an agent or not. If you ask me, you had better hire somebody that you know, or at least someone who has been recommended to you. And no matter what, listen carefully while the agent explains the details and ask everything you need to know about the place. It is the agent’s obligation to explain the details to you.