The Miami Herald recently published a very good article about the future of real estate and specifically, real estate professionals. After all, how many travel agents do you know now that passengers can shop for and buy the best flights at the best prices.
But what about your Realtor?
As the article state "Fundamentally, the role of the real estate agent in 2020 has not changed due to the internet. If anything, the Realtor’s role becomes more important as there is an abundance of information to review and validate. Experience, knowledge, and integrity makes a great professional. Listening, understanding, patience and interpretation of both customer and offering are still human services that a computer cannot provide."
I have to agree, and not just because I'm a Realtor. It has been all too often when I hear a buyer tell me they did a Google search and determined that the house was either in a certain zoning or in a certain flood zone, only to be found out later that the information was false.
Your trained local Realtor will know about the zoning or flood zone. They may also be able to tell you about the history of the house, such as how many times it has sold and for what prices.
They can also help you determine a realistic price for the house. Many time the famous "Zestimate" for a home on Zillow is overinflated, which delights sellers, but daunts buyers. The truth is, most of the estimates you see on Zillow are simply inaccurate. They don't take into consideration the condition of the home or the surrounding homes in the neighborhood.
When buying or selling real estate, be sure to enlist the help of a reliable Realtor to help you with your next sale or purchase.