WHY USE AN AGENT TO SELL YOUR HOME
Sure, you can show your house…after all, who knows it better than you? Before you jump into “for sale by owner,” check out these five ways a listing agent can help you avoid the pitfalls of selling your home on your own.
Listing Agents Bring Home Selling Experience: 5 Big Benefits
When you’re trying to sell something as valuable and financially complicated as a house, it’s best to enlist the help of a real estate agent to navigate you through this hectic and often intimidating process. After all, trying a for-sale-by-owner approach could add unneeded stress to your day and keep you from spending time on activities you truly enjoy (i.e. NOT handling mounds of paperwork for your home sale). There are countless reasons why a listing agent is an invaluable resource; here are a few of our favorites!
Buyers will take advantage of your For Sale By Owner (FSBO) status
Your reason for not listing with an agent isn’t a secret. The buyer knows that you’re selling FSBO to avoid paying a commission and will normally try to lower their offer price even more than your asking price. Additionally, you’ll waste countless hours showing your home to unqualified buyers. When you list with an agent, you can be sure that they will sort the “gold” from the “gravel” for you.
He/She will make a realistic evaluation of your property’s worth
Let’s face it, you’re probably not an expert in creating listing prices for properties in your area. Regardless of the research you may be doing on currently listed or recently sold properties, each home is entirely different from the next. A real estate agent will be able to use his/her knowledge and expertise to list your house at the appropriate price in order to fit your exact needs. Plus, he/she will be able to evaluate with little to no bias.
You’ll get instant marketing power and exposure
Real estate agents belong to the multiple listing service (MLS), the “Holy Grail” of home marketing. It makes creating a comparative market analysis (CMA) a much simpler project and it instantly exposes your property to thousands of agents with thousands of serious buyers! A hundred ads in the local paper aren’t worth one MLS listing. Without an agent, your home will lack the exposure that an agent provides.
He/She will protect your interests and handle all paperwork
When making an important financial transaction such as selling a home, it’s important to know that you are legally protected in case things don’t go as planned. When your real estate agent drafts the necessary paperwork, they will include certain contingencies that protect you from the myriad of issues that can arise. Without an agent, your interests are at risk, and so is your home sale. Furthermore, you won’t drown in the ocean of paperwork that’s involved in a home sale.
Your house will be sold at the right price
Your ability (or lack thereof) to negotiate with a buyer’s agent can determine the final purchase price of your home. Rather than take on a new full-time job researching home values, an experienced real estate agent will have already done the work and will be able sort through offers and negotiate the best price. Real estate agents know when to stop and when to keep adjusting the purchase price in negotiations. The buyer will have a real estate agent representing them – you should too!
(information courtesy of In-House Realty)
