Month: July 2020

Real estate is big business.  Real estate agents make a living, and quite often a good one, by helping people buy and sell homes.  But some people choose to cut out the middleman and sell their own homes.  There are arguments for and against both methods of home selling.

Many people choose to go through a realtor because it means less hassle for them.  Having a realtor handle all of the legwork saves the seller a substantial amount of time.  Instead of spending your time putting up signs, writing and purchasing ads, and fielding calls from those who may or may not truly be interested, you can concentrate on simply keeping your home showable.  The realtor can do the rest.

Realtors possess market knowledge that the general public does not, and in many cases has little or no access to.  This means that they can more accurately determine a workable asking price for your home.  They are also experienced at handling negotiations and may be able to help you get a higher selling price than you would selling on your own.

The downside to going through a realtor is having to pay commissions.  These are usually a percentage of the home’s selling price.  Whether directly or indirectly, the buyer pays the commission.  So by cutting out the middleman, the seller can lower the price and still receive the same amount for his home.

Selling your own home requires more work on your part than going through a realtor.  You have the job of marketing your home, taking calls about it, showing it, and closing the deal.  You will probably need a lawyer to do the paperwork and ensure that everything goes smoothly.

There are now more ways to get exposure for your home when selling it yourself than ever before.  There are numerous websites on which you can list your property.  You can run classified ads online and off.  Flyers can be placed in stores and other places where potential buyers will see them.  Including pictures in your ads will make them more interesting.

The key advantage to selling your own home is not having to pay fees to a realtor.  You get to keep the full amount of the selling price.  You could use this to your advantage by lowering the asking price to reflect the lack of fees, or you could ask the same amount that you would with a realtor and make a larger profit.

Although it is becoming somewhat easier to sell your own home, listing your home through a realtor can save you lots of time and effort.  Whether you should go through a realtor depends on whether you have the time, patience, and confidence to do everything yourself.

It’s a tough job trying to sell a house. Professionals have access to certain tools and it used to be that homeowners who wanted to sell their home without an agent couldn’t have access to these tools. But those times have changed. Now, anyone can list their home on the multiple listing service (MLS) so that their home can be seen by others. Putting your home in the online database increases your exposure because it gets in front of people who are looking to buy. It’s sometimes more effective than an ad, and it’s cheaper than paying the fees to a real estate agent. An MLS is basically a method of swapping information among other real estate agents so that more homes can get in front of possible buyers. You can tap into that huge marketplace on your own. If you choose to do it by yourself, it means that you are responsible for all the work. When an agent does it, he or she creates the listing and all the important information that goes along with it. As a FSBO property, you’ll need to do that. And you have to know what to put into a listing or it’s not going to stand out. Your listing has to have all the features of the home. 

You’ll need to have the type of residence – such as whether it’s a townhouse, or a single family home. You’ll also need to list when the house was built. The type of heating and air conditioning system the home has should be included. If it’s an apartment that you’re selling, you’ll need to put in how many parking spaces are available. You’ll also need to list how much acreage comes with the home. You have to list the number of bedrooms the home has. Some people explain whether these are upstairs or downstairs if the listing is for a two story home. If the place has a unique master bath, then you’ll want to put that in. List the number of bathrooms the home has and any special features with those – such as a garden tub. If the house has tray ceilings or extra tall ceilings, mention that. 

Talk about the appliances and then list the total floor space the house has. Mention what kind of flooring it is – like whether it’s carpet, tile or hardwood. If there’s a fireplace, put that in the listing. 

Point out special rooms like a sunroom. List ceiling fans, or any security features such as an alarm system, too. Cover all the amenities such as if it has a pool with the house or if it’s in a subdivision. 

List any HOA fees. Point out the location of nearby schools, the tax history of the house and the listing price. Once you have all that ready, you can list your home on an MLS site by paying a flat listing fee.