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Advancing technology has transformed home shopping. More than 80 percent of prospective buyers begin their home search online. A consumer might be tempted to “do it yourself,” buying or selling without a professional real estate agent to save on an agent’s commission. But agents provide vital services in real estate transactions. Here’s how an agent adds value when you’re buying or selling a home. 

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The value of an agent: marketing

Underestimating the value of the agent’s services is the biggest risk consumers make when trying to save on commission. Agents do more than play matchmaker between buyer and seller. Simply put, a real estate agent is a gateway to a world of potential buyers and sellers.

It starts with marketing. Only professional real estate agents can list a property on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to give it widespread exposure. Once the property is listed there, it becomes visible to all subscribing agents in the market. 

Agents use their brokerage firm’s website and their own personal sites to post your listing. They arrange for professional photography and a video tour of the home. They network with other agents to match the home with the right potential buyers. They manage showings of the home, which simplifies the seller’s life while the house is on the market..

The value of an agent: contracts, addenda and reports

A real estate sales contract is many pages long, with dozens of sections, paragraphs and clauses that may be confusing to lay people. Numerous addenda and supporting documents are also part of the deal. Agents have extensive training and experience navigating these forms. Buyers and sellers who try to figure out these complexities alone risk making very costly mistakes.  

The value of an agent: home service provider networks

Once a house is under contract, the agent has a network of professional service providers that both seller and buyer will need. He or she can put together the right team to best serve the client.

A buyer needs to hire a professional inspector to determine the home’s condition and point out needed repairs. Depending on the inspector’s findings, the buyer may need to get follow-up opinions from foundation, roofing, heating and air, or other contractors. Agents have connections with solid pros in these occupations. The seller also may need some of those contractors if he or she agrees to make repairs the buyer requests.

The value of an agent: financial matters

• Both sellers’ and buyers’ agents bring negotiating expertise worth thousands of dollars to your transaction, which will help you get the best deal.

• Once the buyer and seller are under contract, the seller’s agent delivers the contract and escrow money to the title company. The latter provides valuable insurance that assures both parties that the property has no legal encumbrances that could block closing.

• If the buyer doesn’t already have a mortgage lender, her agent can recommend a good one. The agent can help the buyer prep for the application and qualification process.
• Both the seller’s and the buyer’s agents help their clients make sense of the blizzard of closing documents. The agent checks the closing statement that spells out the debits and credits for both parties to ensure accuracy. 

Adding up the value

The average home seller or buyer may deal with real estate transactions once in a decade. Real estate professionals deal with them daily and deliver experience and knowledge you’ll likely find to be worth every penny of their commission.

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That first crisp fall day is exciting. We pull out sweaters, watch football and excitedly anticipate the holidays. Before long, though, it’s dark when you leave for work and dark when you drive home, and the weather is cold and depressing. It’s a good time to make your home a cheery, cozy haven that drives out those winter doldrums. Here are some ideas.

Learn from the Scandinavians

The Scandinavian countries have learned to make the most of those snowy, cold months. Their concept of hygge, pronounced “hooga,” brings comforting aromas, textures and tastes to their homes. Provide your own hygge by burning scented candles, piling the sofa with cozy blankets and serving warm beverages.

Lighten up

Since winter days are the shortest of the year, dispel the January gloom with added illumination around the house.

• Swap incandescent light bulbs for LED bulbs with a K rating of 3,500 to 6,500 on the package. The illumination in your house will be whiter and brighter than with old-school bulbs. As an added bonus, you’ll use a tenth of the electricity. 
• Keep a string or two of white holiday lights on display throughout the winter. Drape them across the fireplace mantle or wind them through the branches of a potted indoor tree. String lights cast an enchanting soft glow on cold winter nights.
• Wash your windows, inside and out. Remove the screens until spring. Then keep your shades open by day to admit as much natural light as possible. 
• Paint the walls of your main living area with light, off-white semi-gloss paint that gently reflects light. Cover dark upholstery with white or pale slipcovers.

Brighten up the winter doldrums

Bring color and freshness to your decor wherever you can.

• Accessorize your home with brightly colored wall art and accent pillows. Consider replacing heavy drapes with lighter blinds or Roman shades.
• Add some cheerful green plants to bring a touch of spring to your home. A bright bouquet of fresh flowers will lift everyone’s spirits.
• Bring in gold touches to warm your home’s more formal spaces.
• Hang mirrors to reflect window light and brighten your rooms.

Your houseplants may have flourished while basking in the summer sunshine outdoors, but come winter, it’s time to move those plants inside. You may also have garden plants you hope to protect through the cooler months by moving them indoors. With either type of plant, there are certain steps you need to take to help your plants weather the transition. Here’s a primer on moving plants indoors for the winter.

Which plants should you move inside?

Moving garden plants such as rosemary, geraniums, begonias, coleus, caladiums, impatiens and pentas indoors for the winter makes sense if you want to keep them going. On the other hand, there’s no reason to bring in true annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

Tropical houseplants won’t survive if left outside in the winter. They should come indoors once nighttime temperatures drop to 50 degrees. Other houseplants and garden plants can remain outside until night temperatures drop to 45.

Transitioning plants indoors

Ease the transition for plants that have been used to outdoor sunshine by first moving them to a shady spot outdoors for a couple of weeks. Next, bring the plants inside for the night but return them to their outdoor home in the daytime. Slowly extend their time inside until they are fully indoors.

Steps to take before moving plants indoors

Once you’re ready to move your plants indoors for the winter, here are the steps to take.

• Remove dead areas and leggy growth. Garden plants like perennials may need to be cut back. Repot plants if needed.
• Look carefully for bugs so your outdoor plants won’t bring pests inside. Inspect the soil, the tops and bottoms of leaves and all areas of the plant’s pot, including its drainage holes. Spray pests with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Alternatively, if your plant’s pot has drainage holes, you can remove pests by immersing the plant in its pot in a bucket of water mixed with a few drops of mild soap. Let the plant soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Scrub the exterior of the pot, then rinse the plant and pot thoroughly with a hose and let the plant drain completely.
• Refresh the soil to add nutrients by scraping off the top layer and replacing it with fresh dirt.
• If you have not soaked the plant to remove bugs, thoroughly rinse it with a hose and let it drain completely.

Making your plants feel at home

Once inside, your plants will need good drainage and air circulation. Water plants less frequently when they’re inside for the winter. Wait until the soil is dry to the touch. Avoid fertilizing until spring.

Plants that spend most of the year outside need to get as much light indoors as they got outside. Place them in south-facing windows that have been recently cleaned or beneath grow lights. Avoid drafty areas. 

Because indoor air can be dry, provide your transferred plants extra moisture by running a humidifier or misting them with water. Or you can place them on a pebble tray. Line a tray with waterproof material, then fill it with gravel. Place the plant pots on the gravel and keep the stones wet.