If you've been thinking about selling your house, you've likely thought about selling on your own to forgo the cost of commission. Listing your home on your own can cost your time, stress, and in reality, it can end up costing you money - research shows that FSBO (for sale by owner) listings sell for about 5.5% less than comparable properties sold through the MLS.
Before you decide to go the do-it-yourself route, consider 6 of the invaluable benefits listing with a Realtor® offers:
Knowledge - A Realtor's knowledge is priceless, we can provide insight that you cannot get online. We know how to make sense of the data and the entire selling process so that you and your home are fully prepared before hitting the market.
Time - Do you have time to play the Realtor's role? Are you available to show your home at a moment's notice? How will you handle showing requests if you are away? Are you able to respond to buyer's questions, concerns, and/or objections in a manner to help overcome hesitation and move forward? Are you able to offer solutions to buyer-perceived obstacles with the property? Are these questions stressing you out? Uncertainty in any of these areas could translate into a lost opportunity, thankfully, we handle everything.
Presentation - Image is everything when it comes to real estate. Do you know how to prepare your home for sale? We can tell you what your home needs, what you need to get rid of, what needs to be fixed, and how to stage it to appeal to potential buyers. We also take professional photos and video to show your home in the best light.
Marketing - How are you going to market your property? You can post your listing yourself on Zillow, FSBO sites, or Craigslist, but you're not going to reach all of your potential buyers. We have a network of agents that we pre-market your property to, sometimes selling a property before it even hits the market! We also enter your listing in the MLS that sends the listing info to all of the top real estate sites that buyers are searching.
Negotiation - So you've received an offer, how do you respond? What do you look for in a purchase agreement? Are you prepared to take multiple offers in a hot market? Do you know how to negotiate to keep the buyer in the game versus walking away? What costs should you and shouldn't you incur? We negotiate on your behalf to ensure you are getting the best deal possible, while still working with the buyer to put the deal together.
Inspection - How should you handle items that are flagged as needing repair or replacement by a home inspector? Who do you contact to take care of the repairs? We will negotiate with the buyer's agent to only take care of necessary items, and once the list is nailed down, we have a roster of professionals we recommend for the work.
This post was adapted from "8 reasons selling without a real estate agent is a recipe for disaster" by Cara Ameer, inman.com.