For Sale by Owner or list with a Realtor

Why to Sell With a Realtor

Choosing to sell with a professional rather than on your own makes sense for a variety of reasons:

• A Realtor has access to market data about recent sales and other homes on the market that can be used to price your home appropriately. Studies show that homes priced right when they’re first listed sell more quickly and for a higher price than those that linger on the market.

• A Realtor can show your home when you aren’t available, can respond to inquiries from potential buyers and their agents, and can get valuable feedback from visitors – all things that save you time.

• A Realtor can look at your home objectively and suggest ways to improve its appearance – by staging and minor repairs – so it appeals to more buyers.

• Buyers typically prefer to look at a home without the seller present so they can feel more comfortable exploring the rooms and visualizing themselves in the property. At an FSBO sale, the seller must be present.

• A Realtor can screen visitors to your home, which provides a measure of safety that FSBO sellers don’t have. In addition, by checking to see if the buyers are legitimate and can afford to purchase your home, a Realtor can help you avoid wasting time showing your home to unrealistic buyers.

• Realtors have professional marketing expertise, contacts with other Realtors who work with buyers, and the support of a brokerage that can market your home more widely than you can as an individual.

• A Realtor can help you negotiate a contract that not only garners you an appropriate price for your home, but that meets your needs for a settlement date and perhaps includes a period when you rent back your home from your buyer. In addition, a Realtor can make sure your contract is in compliance with all local regulations.

FSBO Dangers
Most buyers today work with a buyers’ agent to represent their interests. If you choose to sell your home on your own, you’ll be negotiating with a professional and relying on your own skill to finalize a contract. Not only could you end up selling your home for less money, you could leave yourself open to potential legal problems unless you have the contract vetted by an experienced real estate attorney. (source: Realtor.com)

There are 4 types of buyers…

The first are serious and in a hurry they may be relocating from another city and have 3 days to find and buy the right home. Or they may be someone who’s home sold last night and today they need to find their replacement home. Because they are in a hurry do you think they will be with a Realtor or do you think they are reading every ad in the paper looking for fsbo’s?

The second type are serious but not in a hurry…they may be a first time buyer…proceeding cautiously… wanting someone to hold their hand…or…they may be looking for that perfect home….Did you know that last year the average buyer looked at 54 homes before making a decision? Naturally these people want a Realtor to help them, to guide them and make them feel secure.

The third type you may have encountered…they are investors or bargain hunters…preying on fsbo’s that are in a hurry to sell at a discount.

And of course the 4th type can’t afford to buy…and they will never buy….because they are just looking…We call them lookylous. In fact Realtors don’t put them in their cars because they can’t afford to buy and are not qualified to buy.

So you can see if Realtors have 97% of all the properties that are on the market it only proves that the serious buyers are going to work with a Realtor and what kind does that leave for you?

The investors, bargain hunters and the lookylous. Right?

Call me for a free Home Valuation 713-298-9177

Realtors have 97% of all the homes on the market listed with them and only 3% are fsbo’s.