Hey there, East Tennessee homeowners and aspiring buyers! It's Melody here from Realty Executives Main Street, and today I've got some valuable insights to share about the various types of real estate agents you might encounter. Whether you're thinking about selling your home or embarking on the exciting journey of purchasing a new one, understanding the roles of different agents is crucial. So, let's dive in and get you educated!

1. Listing Agent: Your Selling Partner

Let's start with the familiar one: the listing agent. Picture this as your dedicated partner in showcasing your home to its fullest potential. When you're ready to list your house on the market, a listing agent is the one who rolls up their sleeves. From strategically placing that "For Sale" sign in your front yard to crafting compelling advertising campaigns, they've got your back. But it doesn't end there. They'll provide you with expert advice on how to stage your home, creating an inviting space that resonates with potential buyers. All in all, they're the driving force behind getting your home sold!

2. Selling Agent: Your Home Hunting Expert

Now, let's shift gears to the buyer's agent also known as the "Selling Agent."  These unsung heroes are the true champions of your house-hunting journey. They're the ones who will tirelessly research and scout properties that align with your dream home criteria. No stone goes unturned, no virtual tour remains unexplored. Need to explore neighborhoods beyond your current scope? They've got you covered. These agents go above and beyond to find properties that check all your boxes. And guess what? They're not just finding homes; they're finding your sanctuary.

Whether you're looking to sell your slice of East Tennessee paradise or searching for your next abode, the right agent can make all the difference. And that's where I come in – your seasoned guide through this exciting journey.

Got questions? Curious to learn more? Let's start a conversation. Whether you're dreaming of a new home or ready to make a move, I'm here to help you every step of the way. Reach out, and together, we'll turn your real estate dreams into reality. Don't hesitate – give me a call today!

Back in the early 2000s, I lived in a neighborhood in Knoxville.  Occasionally, someone would put their house up for sale. I used to drive by those places with my family and we would talk about how when the time comes for us to sell our house, we were going to do "for sale by owner (FSBO."  At that time, we wanted all of the profit and besides.....it couldn't be that hard?  We didn't want to pay a REALTOR® when we could just go to the Walmart, pick up a for sale sign and stick it in our front yard just like some people do.

Oh friends.... let me tell you that is a HUGE mistake on so many levels.  The main reason that most people want to list their house as "for sale by owner," is because they ant to keep every cent they can and they can do that IF they do not have to pay an agent.  However, what most people don't know is that what the agent gets paid .... is not entirely all theirs.  Most people don't know that REALTORS® are independent contractors ,so ALL expenses for marketing, gas, signs, Open House supplies, lockboxes, software so the lockboxes will work, scheduling services, etc., and are paid for by the agent BEFORE an offer is ever accepted.  Also, each independent contractor works under a broker and when someone lists their home for sale, the brokerage also get a portion of the payment.  There are many other charges that I haven't even listed.

When someone chooses to sell their home independently, they will put a sign in their yard and possibly get it on Zillow.  However, it will not be on the MLS (multiple listing service) which is where REALTORS® and brokerages get their information about houses for sale.  Therefore Realtor.com, Redfin, and real estate brokerages will not even "see" your listing. Some FSBO get frustrated as they're not getting many showings scheduled on their house.  They forget or don't understand that when a FSBO house is for sale, it doesn't

go into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) so your window of people seeing that your house for sale is very, very limited.  They might only see it if they drive by and see your sign. If you use an agent or a REALTOR® then that expansion window is so much broader because we can put it on the MLS (as we pay for this service) and even people from other states can see it and even view videos if the agent provides that as part of their marketing.

It will be much harder as you are responsible for taking photographs of your property in great lighting (we don't want to see your flowers), scheduling showings (and ANYBODY could schedule a showing as someone could view your property, but may not have been vetted by a loan officer to even be able to purchase and here you have wasted time and energy to allow a complete stranger into your home), you have to have all of the necessary paperwork completed correctly (in which many of them are legal documents), follow timelines as laid out in the contract, understand your rights and responsibilities as a seller, give required information to the buyer's lender and title company, while still maintaining everything that you do.  I am ALL for saving a buck, but are you sure you want to take responsibility of having your largest financial investment sold by someone who has NEVER done it before and has little to no experience?  

Another reason why a lot of people want to put their house on the market themselves is they have a buyer in mind.  Maybe someone at some time mentioned something like, "let me know if you ever want to sell it.  I'd be interested in buying it." Rarely that happens.  Most of the time when someone says that, they are thinking you will sell it to them cheap, but a lot of times they are just being nice and the deal will fall through. 

The third reason is a lot of people put their house for sale by owner is they think "well it's easy....anybody can do it."  Let me reassure you it is not that easy. Often times a FSBO will have a price in mind of what they want to profit from the sale of their home.  Then they will get an offer and it's not what they wanted and the deal just ends. When you have an agent or a REALTOR®,  they have negotiating skills and know different things can be considered to keep the deal going. A real estate agent knows the market and they can give you comparables of houses with your square footage, year built  and number of bedrooms of houses that have recently sold or are currently on the market.  If that price is not offered,  then a REALTOR® can do some negotiations.   

Why should you hire a REALTOR® or a real estate agent? They can get more exposure on your home if you are selling.  They can list your house on the MLS, do all your marketing, do all your advertising, put the sign up, get the appointment schedule set up, get the lockbox on the door, and share the listing on all of their social media such as  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and their website or on their app.  Remember, REALTOR® or real state agents have some tools in our negotiation tool belt that we can pull out that the average Joe may not have if they're for selling by owner. 

Every agent has to be licensed through the state of Tennessee.   However if they are only licensed by the state of Tennessee, they are called a real estate agent.  A REALTOR®  is someone who is not only governed by the state,  but also is a member of the National Association of Realtors. A REALTOR® has a code of ethics that must be adhered to. If we do not adhere to it, then we are either heavily fined or there's other consequences.  Therefore, a REALTOR® has two governing bodies to abide by.  If you'd like to know if someone is a a REALTOR® or not, look for word REALTOR with a capital R with a circle around it.  That registered trademark means that we are a part of another governing body who has to watch all of our business practices and make sure that we are doing what is always best for our clients and customers.

To verify if someone is a REALTOR®, look at the National Association of REALTOR® website:   https://directories.apps.realtor/directories/index.html?type=member

Radon testing….what exactly is it?  Should I do it or is it a complete waste of time and money?

I'm a teacher by nature and have taught middle school Science, so I've got to explain what radon is. It is a natural gas that comes from the inner layers of the earth. It is odorless and it is clear, which makes it very hard to detect.  On the periodic table of elements,it is number 86. so it is considered a radioactive gas.   

How do our homes get it?  Radon is naturally released from the earth.  If we have cracks in our walls or in the flooring,  it can seep through that way.  There are multiple other ways, but that's usually the main one.

How do I find out if I have radon and should I test for it?  Let me answer this question by sharing a personal experience with you. Just a few years ago, my family and I had to make a rather quick move to Salt Lake City, Utah. We put our house up for sale with a REALTOR® and we received an offer on our house rather quickly. As part of the inspection contingency, the potential buyer

wanted to do radon testing.   When our agent told us that I'm like,  “Are you kidding me? My house doesn't have radon. I’ve lived here for 14 years and nobody has ever been sick.”  However, since it was well within the buyer’s inspection period, we followed through.  The buyer had a professional company to do the testing.  The testing device almost looked like a recording device on a tripod, but basically it was measuring the levels of radon in the air.  The testing device had to stay in a room (usually on the lower level of the house) where the doors or windows will not be opening and closing continuously. The device has to stay there anywhere from three to

five days depending on which kind of testing system it is.  (Now it can be done even faster.)  Then the testing company will come and pick it up to analyze the results.   

That's what happened in our situation and we were surprised to find out that our radon levels were extremely high and it was recommended to immediately mitigate our house.  Mitigation is where you hire a company that deals with radon on a

day-to-day basis and they take at least one pipe and run it through an area of your house.  The pipe goes from under your home, through an area of your home and vents out through the roof.  There is a fluid level on the side of the pipe which you can monitor, and if it goes above a certain level, you will need to call the mitigation company.   Many times the mitigation pipe can go into a garage or laundry room.  The one that we got for that house was in the garage.  

As soon as we got to Utah and found a house, we stated that we wanted to have radon testing as part of our inspection contingency.  Just like we were surprised when our buyer wanted the test done,  the owners of the house in Utah were like “No we don't have radon in our home.”  However, low and behold, they found out that in fact….their home did have high levels of radon and needed to be mitigated.  Therefore, we had to experience our second mitigation system and it was almost identical to the one that we had in when we lived in Knoxville.  

Back to the question….. should I do radon testing if i am buying a house? Should I have that as one of inspections to be conducted as part of my inspection contingency?  The answer is yes.  If you don't want to hire a professional system or a professional company to come out and do the testing, you can get a free kit mailed to you (please note that it often takes 6-8 weeks to receive, so if you are house hunting now....I would go ahead and order it.)

You can click on this link:  https://tdec.tn.gov/radon_online/scrtdechome.aspx and the state will actually mail you a free radon testing kit. You just have to let it sit for three to five days and then you will collect it in a special envelope that they send you.  It is pre-posted and all you have to do is drop it off in the mail. I highly recommend that you test because there's no safe levels of radon.  I would prefer

for you to test whether you do it yourself or spend a few extra dollars at the beginning getting your house radon tested….just to have it for that peace of mind.  Radon testing is not part of the normal inspection process, so you will need to find an inspector or inspection company who does this and there is usually an additional charge.

I mean we put smoke detectors in our house and we put carbon monoxide alarms in our house, so this is just another safety measure you can't really put a radon alarm in your house.  It never hurts to be safe than sorry because unfortunately radon is the second

leading cause of lung cancer. Any way that we can help keep you safe and your family safe in your new home…..we want to do that.