What’s the difference between a property consultant and a real estate agent? To many people, these things are within the same realm of service, which means they have a hard time figuring out the job duties of one versus the other or which expert is best to call for a specific need. As a result, there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to distinguishing exactly what it is a property consultant is responsible for doing!
First, let’s start with a basic distinction of a property consultant versus a real estate agent, since this is where the most confusion typically is:
- A real estate agent is tasked with helping you understand the different facets of a property for sale and helping to facilitate the sale or purchase of that property.
- Property consultants in Maryland are tasked with helping you understand the value of a property, including all of its facets and amenities, then providing you with sound investment advice when it comes to that property.
While these may sound like the same thing, they’re actually not—they’re two sides of the same coin! Think of it this way: a property consultant is going to help you understand the value of a certain property in relation to your purchase of it, while a real estate agent is going to facilitate the sale. They work in tandem to help you, the investor, make a smart choice regarding your actions.
More than just helping you to understand the value of a property, however, property consultants in Maryland also serve to provide you with a bevy of other services that are designed to help you be an informed investor:
- First, a consultant will meet with you to determine your vision for the property you’ll eventually buy. This will help them to better advise you as you’re looking at prospective properties. If you’re planning on flipping a home for profit, for example, a consultant may steer you away from homes that appear to be beyond repair or those that may not yield the same ROI as comparable models.
- A consultant will also give you the big picture of a property in relation to its actual worth. This might include property values over the past years, growth statistics about the area, property forecasts for the future, valuation of the property in its current state and more. All of these things come together to paint an actual value of the home, versus just its market value.
- Based on your vision for the property, a consultant can also help advise you on the feasibility of that vision. This is helpful in planning for future accommodations and can be extremely beneficial to know upfront, before an investment is made.
So who can benefit from meeting with property consultants in Maryland? Anyone who is about to make an investment! Whether you’re looking at a foreclosed home or you’re working on buying a commercial property for redevelopment, a meeting with a consultant is in your best interest before you sign on the dotted line.