When it’s time to put your home on the market, you may be wondering whether you should attempt to sell your home For Sale By Owner (FSBO) or trust a local real estate agent or realtor.
Realtors Save You Time with Unqualified Buyers
Realtors are professionals who understand your local real estate market. In general, their clients are serious and pre-qualified, meaning that they qualify for financing. This is important because pre-qualified buyers understand what they can afford and will not waste their time looking for homes for which they do not qualify. That prevents a lot of wasted time on everyone’s part.
Compare this with the prospect of having to market your home by yourself as well as manage individuals that will be calling you to discuss your home and want to tour it, despite the fact that they do not have the resources to buy it. In the long run, they are just wasting your time (and theirs).
Out of Town Buyers
Realtors have contact with lots of people from out of town that plan on relocating to your location. Most realtors are contacted through their website, by people that are looking for a residence by long-distance. Typically, the real estate professional aligns a number of houses for them to visit that fit their requirements. Among them could be your own.
However, if you sell your home FSBO, these prospective buyers will not know that your home is even on the market until they reach your town, even after that, or possibly not at all.
Experience
A real estate agent is a trained real estate professional that will certainly help get your home sold fast and at the highest price possible.
For example, an experienced real estate agent can help you set the appropriate listing price for your home based on local market conditions. Setting the correct listing price is essentially an art form that only an experienced real estate agent can do correctly.
Additionally, your agent understands and will manage the essential documents required to help you complete the buying process. The agent will also serve as an intermediary between you and the buyer, the buyer’s agents, and the lawyers involved in the transaction.
Many customers like to hire a real estate agent because the agent will provide the impartial expert viewpoint on the house and how it stacks up against other homes in their local market.
Advertising
Realtors have a variety of ways that they advertise your house. They include traditional real estate advertisements such as a “For Sale” sign in your yard, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), and other digital advertising and social media advertising. Other advertising options may include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Open houses
• Web sites like Realtor.com and Yahoo Realty
• Direct mail
• Paper inserts
• Regional realty magazines
• Cable TV
Real estate professional open houses, where 30 or more Real estate agents will tour your house and then match it to their clients and prospective buyers, are also an efficient way to market your home.
The question to ask yourself is how much of this advertising and marketing strategy you can manage if you sell your home FSBO?
Showing Your Home
Agents have the expertise to get your home ready for open houses and private showings. They can help you “stage” your home to appeal to your target market. They understand how to emphasize the value of your property to prospective buyers.
If you attempt to sell your home FSBO, you will be learning the process as you go. This strategy can be a pricey learning experience, especially if you need to sell your home quickly. Overall, with the knowledge, effort, and documentation it takes to sell your home FSBO, you will need to wear several hats during the process, which admittedly may not yield the best results. In any event, if you want to take out the frustration and fear of the process, consider hiring a professional real estate broker or agent to get your home sold quickly and at the highest price.