With the downturn in residential Real Estate markets nationwide, it is commonplace to hear Realtors bemoaning the current state of affairs and yearning for the old days of multiple offers and busy Open Houses.

I have heard and read numerous comments about Realtors, our ethics (or lack thereof), and other less-than-desirable traits Realtors tend to embody (from other's perspectives).

Many of the comments tend to have the same message - Realtors don't work hard, don't know anything, and buyers and sellers can transact real estate by themselves, thus saving the commissions.

A recent experience would tend to refute the last statement - I'll let you decide.

My buyers viewed a home that was new to the market - 9 days NEW! FYI, that's another reason to work with a realtor - we know all of the new homes on the market. Just because you drive through a neighborhood on Monday doesn't mean there won't be 2 or 3 new houses for sale on Tuesday. But I digress...

We negotiated the purchase price to a figure that was acceptable to both parties and voila! we were under contract. Buyers excited, Sellers excited, Realtors excited...let's get these inspections done.

If you are asking "What inspections?" you DEFINITELY need a Realtor. My Buyers conducted a Home Inspection and a WDO inspection (a.k.a Termite) during which time the inspector found small interior and exterior cracks - further inspection by a contracting proofessional was recommended.

I think most would agree that realtors have access to GREAT AMOUNTS of information (or at least know how to get it quickly). We have a list in our office of homes in our county that have had foundation work completed, in the case of soil settlement issues. NOT ALL SOIL SETTLEMENT IS INDICATIVE OF A SINKHOLE.

Nevertheless, our "Under Contract" home was on the list!!! Egh. The long of it is the current owner (Sellers) purchased the home directly from the previous owners without the assistance of a Realtor - no inspections were complete, no defects were disclosed - the sellers even told them their A/C system was installed in '03 when the stickers say 1998.

Who knows how it's going to turn out...but my Buyers sure are happy we did our due diligence and discovered this issue prior to closing.

This is just one example of the value of a Real Estate agent...if you need more, I'd be happy to show some examples of how we earn our money and keep YOU out of hot water!