In 2004, seventy-seven percent of all buyers bought their home through a REALTOR^®. For the most part, according to the findings of the National Association of REALTORS^® 2004 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey, buyers were “very satisfied” with the performance of their agents.

In addition to finding homes for buyers and helping with the logistics of a real estate transaction, agents often provide a number of other benefits to homebuyers. Consider the following findings of the survey.

• 53% of buyers reported that their agent helped them to better understand the buying process.
• 45% indicated that their agent helped point out faults or features in homes that they would not have noticed otherwise.
• 35% said their real estate professional helped by shortening their home search.
• 34% said their agent helped by negotiating better contract terms.
• 32% believed that their agent improved the buyer’s knowledge of the area.
• 23% reported that their agent negotiated a better sales price.

Buyers were asked if they would use their agent again or recommend the agent to others.

• 66% of buyers indicated that they would “definitely” use the agent again or recommend the agent to friends.
• 18% indicated “probably”.
• 14% responded that they would “probably not” or “definitely not” use or recommend the agent.