Are Realtors still relevant? Where house hunting stands now

Realtors have been the traditional home hunting guides for decades. As technology advances, here's what to know whether a real estate agent is right for you, and how to find one.

This article is part of Global News’s Home School series, which gives Canadians the basics they need to know about the housing market that they never learned in school.

Buying your first home can be an overwhelming experience, between finding properties, making a bid and negotiating the final deal.

Luckily, there are professionals to help you step-by-step through the process — if you want them.

Realtors are licensed professionals who represent both buyers and sellers in the housing market. On the sellers’ side, Realtors will often help to market your property and bring buyers to you; for buyers, they’ll find you properties and help to dig up data about the neighbourhood, market trends and more to help inform a possible purchase.

Realtors are guides that help Canadians navigate the often confounding waters of Canada’s real estate market, though some alternatives allow buyers and sellers to steer the process themselves.

Here’s what you need to know the benefits, risks and costs that go along with having a Realtor.

In Canada, someone is considered a Realtor only if they’re licensed to practise real estate and they’re a member of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). The more general term, a real estate agent, means someone is licensed through the province but not a member of CREA, which means they can’t use the trademarked Realtor title.

If your housing search takes you to different provinces, you’ll need a real estate agent who’s licensed to practise in each of the jurisdictions you’re looking in.