Trying to save money by not hiring a real estate agent is not always a good idea. Sometimes things happen in life that just makes more sense to get some help with the sale of the home.

Here are a few situations that it would be better to hire an agent rather than try to do it yourself.

Divorce – So you and your spouse have separated and you need to sell the house. Divorce is very emotional and takes a toll on both parties involved. Trying to sell on your home could just cause more problems and cause more problems and disagreements.

Death – If you just lost a spouse or parent, trying to sell on your own will likely be stressful. You will have a lot of things to do with the estate, life insurance, banks, bills, etc and to add trying to sell the family home could be very burdensome.

Employment Change – As your career progresses, you may be offered a promotion that will require you to move. If your spouse is planning to stay behind until the home sells that’s great, but do you really want to put all that pressure on them as they are packing and trying to get moved? Hire a real estate agent to make things go smoothly.

Work Hours – Some jobs require you to pull long shifts and odd hours or weekends. Other jobs require you to travel or take extended trips around the world. Selling a home like this is difficult to do and could cause you to miss a good buyer.

Injury or Illness – If you have suffered a severe injury or have been diagnosed with an illness that requires you to sell your home to downsize you will need some assistance.

Secondary Home – Thinking it’s time to sell that secondary home then hire a local professional that can be available to show the home to potential buyers and handle the transaction details in your absence.

In Closing

These are just a few of the major life events that would make it beneficial to hire a real estate agent. There are others and you should really evaluate your situation when you go to sell.

East Texas is home to Lake Bob Sandlin. This 9400 acre lake features a 639 acre State Park along the north side of the lake’s wooded shoreline. The area around Lake Bob Sandlin was once occupied by the Caddoan people from about 200 B.C. to 1700 A.D.

During the late 1700s to early 1800s, French and Spanish explorers became trade partners with the local tribes and built relationships with the Caddo, Choctaw, Cherokee, and Kickapoo Indians. The land around what is now Lake Bob Sandlin is now best known for farming, ranching, and recreation.

Fishing is a big draw for Lake Bob Sandlin. This popular fishing destination for East Texas locals offers a great variety of fish including largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie. Water skiing, wakeboarding, hiking, camping, and mountain biking are also popular activities for outdoor enthusiasts to do on and off the water.

Bird watchers and nature lovers enjoy the walking paths along the lake shoreline where the wildlife and birds can be seen all year long. Eagles can be seen during the winter months.

Lake Bob Sandlin was impounded in 1977 and is located southwest of Mount Pleasant, Texas. The lake has a maximum depth of about 65 feet and raises and falls about 2-3 feet each year. Water clarity is moderate with about 2 to 4 feet of visibility.

Lakefront and lake view homes and home sites are available for sale along Lake Bob Sandlin. Many of the homes have existing boat houses or deep water docks. Many of the homeowners use the home during the summer and on weekends. Some people do live on the lake year round and work in neighboring towns or are retired.

The Peninsulas is a 163 acre gated community on Lake Bob Sandlin with 24 hour security. The community features luxury lakefront and lake view homes, a Beach Club with private beach, a swimming pool, outdoor grill, community docks, and a lounge area. The area offers several public and private golf courses just a short drive from the lake.

1. No Clutter. Throw out old newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small items like figurines and other trinkets. Store clothing that won’t be used in the near future to make closets seem roomier. Clean out the garage. Buyers like to visualize their possessions in the house and that is hard to do when the ocean home is full of clutter.

2. Wash your windows and screens, especially on the oceanfront side. This lets more light into the interior and dirty windows are a turn off.

3. Keep everything really clean. Wash fingerprints and dirt from light switch plates. Clean the floors, appliances, dust any furniture. A clean house makes a better first impression and tells buyers that the home has been well cared for.

4. Make room brighter by replacing blown and dim light bulbs to make rooms brighter. Before buyers arrive, turn on the lights and open the curtains to let as much light as possible in.

5. Make all minor repairs that you can find. Everything you don’t repair now will be revealed in the home inspection and can create a bad impression. Small problems such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, cracked receptacle covers or a dripping faucet may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well maintained. You can also go a step further and get a sellers home inspection to see for yourself what the home inspector will see. You can also market the home as being pre-inspected.

6. Get the most out of your curb appeal. Mow the lawn, trim the shrubbery, rake straw and leaves, and edge the driveway and walks. Plant some bright colored seasonal flowers and place some potted plants near the entry to brighten up the landscape.

7. Fill cracks and holes in the driveway. Apply a sealant if needed.

8. Make sure the gutters are clean.

9. Change the front door hardware and house numbers.

10. Get rid of odors in the home. Shampoo the carpeting and wash the curtains to make the house smell fresh and clean. If the carpet is worn and won’t come clean, maybe you should replace it. The new carpet will add value to the home. This added value will probably be a lot more than the expense of the new carpet. Also, open the windows to let some fresh air in.

Many lakefront real estate agents are utilizing internet technology to grow their real estate business. Sadly, most are still operating as they did before the internet began. As more and more clients are using the internet to find lake real estate, agents are realizing that they need to establish a strong internet presence.

There are a lot of ways to utilize the internet to generate sales leads. By creating online sales campaigns that work for you 24 hours a day 7 days a week, you can generate a steady flow of leads online. Imagine a campaign as a small sales army that never call in sick, don’t ask for a raise, and don’t care when someone says no. These campaigns can be setup to build a steady database of potential buyers from both the local area and worldwide through the use of an interactive website interface.

Real estate agents and brokers now see the value in providing short video clips, usually 2-3 minutes long to act as a virtual tour of the property being marketed. Youtube allows users to create online profiles and upload videos that can then be embedded and distributed through contact lists, websites, and blogs without having to learn any programming.

Videos and blogs offer instant benefits in the search engines and syndicated data for users to subscribe into. More agents are only now working out the real advantages of the platform. Its still a very good time to get in early and stamp your authority on a niche area via a blog. Localized blogs help to brand you as the go to agent in your area.

The real estate business is still a people business. You have to network in your local area to establish yourself as a local authority. The internet helps to establish you as the lake real estate agent authority online and smart agents have created marketing strategies that utilize the web to reach their goals.

Park City Utah is a charming resort town with plenty of outdoor activities. Located a short drive from downtown Salt Lake City, this small town is famous for it’s snow skiing which drives the local economy and employees many of the town’s full-time residents.

There are 3 main ski resorts in Park City; Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort, and The Canyons Resort. Deer Valley is open to just skiers while The Park City and The Canyons Resort ski resorts allow both skiing and snowboarding.

Park City Mountain Resort hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and held the all the snowboard events and the men’s and women’s alpine giant slalom events. They also hold many of the training courses used by the U.S. Ski Team. The Olympic-sized halfpipe, used in the 2002 Winter Olympics, is one of the most visible runs at the resort.

Deer Valley is well known for its luxury amenities and routinely ranks as one of the top ski resorts in the United States. Deer Valley hosted the freestyle moguls, aerial and alpine slalom events in the 2002 Winter Olympics. They also host competitions for the International Ski Federation. Deer Valley has received a lot of criticism from snowboarders for banning their sport at the resort.

The Canyons Resort was originally founded by the Park City Mountain resort. In ’97 the resort got it’s current name after being brought by American Skiing Company. Today the resort is owned and operated by Talisker Corp.

The area is rich in second homes, villas, and condos in gated and non-gated private communities. One of the crowning jewels of the area is Wolf Creek Ranch. This gated community has much to offer in Rocky Mountain life and luxury amenities. The community features 24/7 manned gatehouse and electronic entry.

Activities in the community abound if you love the outdoors from walking, hiking, and biking to fly fishing on the Provo River. The community offers an equestrian center on 26 acres of land. The center includes a 28-stall stable with tack room, an equipment barn, a hay storage barn and huge dedicated riding space.

Closing Comments

Park City was recognized in 2008 as one of the 20 “prettiest towns” in America by Traveler Magazine. If you love to ski, don’t hesitate to plan your Park City Utah.

Looking for a rustic private getaway in the mountains or maybe you want to live the mountain lifestyle every day. RedTail Mountain is a rustic mountain community nestled in the Appalachian Mountains that provides many amenities.

The community is located about twenty miles northwest of Boone North Carolina in Mountain City Tennessee and features custom single family homes, town homes, and cottages. Residents and visitors alike enjoy an abundance of shopping, festivals, theaters and museums.

RedTail Mountain has over 720 acres of beautiful wooded mountains and a local semi-private golf club. The community has a spectacular par 72, 18 hole golf course managed by Troon Golf(R). The course has elevation changes of over 400 feet with majestic mountain views surrounding the course.

Sam Adam’s Golf Academy offers entry level golf instruction from etiquette tips to skills improvement courses for your short and long game. Each golfer gets individualized instruction. The 18,000 sq ft clubhouse has a members lounge, pro shop, and a restaurant which is great for formal activities like receptions and dinner parties.

Active adults enjoy the newly planned equestrian center, tennis complex, and fitness center at RedTail Mountain. The equestrian center offers horse lovers large stalls and stables with acres of paddocks and miles of riding trails through the mountain terrain. The tennis complex features all weather tennis courts with lights for nighttime play. The fitness center has a large deck overlooking the valley, heated pool, and spa treatment rooms. Outside the center members can enjoy the grand fireplace, amphitheater, summer kitchen, bistro and a playground.

Skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports activities are just 30 minutes away at Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain. Water sports, fishing, and boating on scenic Watauga Lake is a mere 12 miles away. There are also miles of nature trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

Three bedroom, rental capable lodges are available for purchase. Three and four bedroom coach homes are located on the fairway with large decks. Golf villas and home sites ranging from half acre to two acres are available with ridge top views or wooded seclusion for the ultimate privacy.

Situated in the beautiful Mahoosuc Mountains in Western Maine you will find a premier gated mountain community known as Great Brook Preserve. The award-winning Sunday River Golf Club and the Sunday River Ski Resort are just a few of the amenities located just a short drive from the Great Brook Preserve. As a great secondary home destination, Great Brook Preserve offers quiet, secluded land and homes with wonderful mountain views.

If skiing and snowboarding is your passion, then you will love the 131 world class ski trails that weave in and out of 8 interconnected mountains at that make up the Sunday River Ski Resort.

The Sunday River Golf Club is located 9 Miles away from Great Brook Preserve. This award-winning Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course was named one of the top 10 best new golf courses in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine and the number one course in Maine by Golfweek Magazine.

If you have a love for the environment and want to see natural woodlands protected you’ll find the deep rooted compassion for the environment shown by Great Brook Preserve refreshing. Tall timbers dominate the mountain landscapes inside the community, with hundreds of acres donated to the Conservation Land Trust. The donated land has been set aside to remain undeveloped to preserve the communities environment and natural beauty.

Hikers and walkers will have a seemingly endless supply of options that will never leave you bored. Enjoy the 180 mile hut and trail system next to the community or the 40 miles of hiking on the Grafton Loop Trail in Grafton Notch. If you enjoy cross country skiing or snowmobiling, you’ll love the vast trails and paths through the Mahoosuc Mountains. Homeowners also enjoy large home sites from 3 to 566 acres with touring trees, steams and brooks, waterfalls, and beautiful mountains views.

The historic town of Bethel, commonly referred to as “The greatest ski town in the universe” by SKI Magazine offers residents access to many shopping and dining options. Bethel also provides many of outdoor adventures that are seasonally based and available all year long.

In Closing

If peace and serenity is what you are searching for in your seasonal or secondary home purchase in Maine, then Great Brook Preserve would be a great choice. See for yourself today.

On the southern tip of North Carolinas cape islands you will find Bald Head Island. This private island community covers 12,000 acres and is accessible only by 20 minute ferry ride from Southport, North Carolina.

Luxury homes and villas line the cart paths that wind throughout the islands salt marshes and protected land. With the exception of a few emergency response vehicles, there are no cars on the island. Residents travel via electric golf carts and bicycles.

Graced by 14 miles of white sandy beaches, a championship 18-hole golf course, 2 club houses, state of the art fitness center, tennis courts, swimming pools, a full-service marina, an immense network of walking and cycling paths winding through the island, and a array of stores and restaurants.

The Bald Head Island 18-hole championship golf course is intermingled through a series of marshes, dunes, and maritime forests. Created by designer George Cobb, much of the terrain was left just as it was found.

Tennis players will love the four soft-surface tennis courts at Bald Head Island. The club house also has exercise rooms, mens and womens locker rooms, and a resort style swimming pool. There is also a second swimming facility at the Shoals Club that has a lap pool and kiddie pool.

The marina allows for easy access to the Cape Fear River, and the Atlantic Ocean. The island offers a 10-acre harbor and a full-service marina with boat slips ranging from 30 to 100 feet in length.

If food is your passion, there are options for either casual and fine dining, or shop at the fully stocked grocery store to prepare a quiet meal at home.

Bald Head Island has it’s own fire and police department. All the firefighters are certified paramedics, and the fire department has a basic medical treatment room in the case of medical need. If an emergency arises, transportation is available to one of the nearby hospitals on the mainland.

Customized residential houses, villas, town homes, and buildable home sites available to purchase through the islands realty agency. If you are looking to build your dream home, a featured builder program offers custom home plans to fit your needs. There is even a fractional ownership option available with prices beginning at $150,000.

Vineyards is a gated coastal and golf community in Naples Florida. Tailoring to those looking for beautiful coastal landscapes and a community with bountiful amenities find just what it at the Vineyards.

The gated entrance to the Vineyards is like stepping into a tropical orchard with grand oak trees. From the streets to the paved walking paths, residents of the Vineyards enjoy the beauty of this gated tropical paradise.

In addition to the beautiful landscapes you will find fountains and lakes throughout the master planned community. Many of the home lots offer privacy and seclusion while maintaining a community feel. Residents and members can take advantage of the communities two 18 hole golf courses, resort style swimming pools, 12 Har-Tru tennis courts, numerous neighborhood clubhouses with luxury mens and womens locker rooms, golf and tennis pro shops, and a top of the line fitness center.

For those who are into fine dining and wine, the Vineyards offers a formal dining room with banquet halls, live local entertainment, and wine tasting.

The pride of the Vineyards is the North Course 18-hole championship golf courses designed by PGA Tour professional Mark McCumber. The North Course is a Scottish inspired golf course that offers challenging play. Multiple tee placements and flexible layouts offer appealing yet skill building play for the occasional golfer. Driving from the championship tee boxes offer the long hitting player a chance to challenge their level of play and build their mental game.

Created by William Amick, the South Course at the Vineyards provides course play that both the serious amateur and professional golfer will enjoy. The South Course has a unequaled shot combinations that will not only test your shot making skills but also your strategic game play.

For those seeking help with their golf game, onsite golf pros and teaching staff can help anyone improve their game. With a pro shop stocked with all the latest equipment and sportswear and reciprocal golf programs with dozens of local clubs during the summer months provides countless play options.