Selling a home without a realtor
selling a home without a realtor - In todays ever changing real estate market many home owners are choosing to sell their homes on their own with out a realtor. This method has many advantages and dis advantages to it. Both the positives and negatives need to be compared to determine if selling a home without a realtor is for you.
The main advantage of selling your home by yourself is eliminating the hefty realtor fee. Selling your home by yourself is referred to as a FSBO, or For Sale By Owner. Consult your personal mortgage broker to see if he/she is capable of helping you with your sale. Many mortgage brokers have access to flyers, documents, call capture systems, and other marketing literature and ideas that should help with selling your home. Your mortgage broker will also be able to help you get approved for a new mortgage loan on your new home.
Many buyers of For Sale By Owner properties expect a discounted purchase price in lieu of the assistance of a Realtor.
This is often applied as a seller credit to help with the buyer's closing costs.
There are also specialized real estate companies that, for a relatively low fixed fee, will list your home on MLS and provide you with some homeselling tools like flyers, signs, websites, etc.
Your local title company will be able to assist you with all of the legal forms that you may need, such as the Offer to Purchase. Many title companies offer these services for free, in hopes that you will order title from them!
If you decide not to use a Real Estate agent, you may want to get some advice or consultation from your lawyer. Filling out a sales contract or reviewing one a buyer submitted can be a daunting task on your own. A Lawyer will be able to review it and explain anything out of the ordinary
If you find selling your home difficult or unmanagable, locating a discount listing service might help you with the process.
When selling your home without a realtor, you should still have a realtor do a Comparative Market Analysis.
First, you want to make sure your home is priced correctly, so it has the best chance of selling quickly.
Second, most people who try to sell their homes themselves eventually hire a realtor to sell it for them. Find a realtor who will be your backup plan in case you decide to hire a professional. When asking for a Comparative Market Analysis, tell the realtor that if you decide you can't go it alone, you will hire them. Most will gladly do the CMA under those conditions.
If you are still unsure about selling your home on you own but are also concerned about the high realtor commissions try negotiating with the realtor. Many realtors can reduce their commissions and will do so to compete for business. In order to secure a reduced listing fee you can also agree to use the realtor that lists your house to be your buyers agent.
Do I really need a Realtor to sell my home? - If you are looking to sell your home you may be tempted to sell it yourself, as For Sale By Owner. Chances are that you know someone who has successfully sold their home, or maybe you have even sold your own house in the past. Everyone’s primary reason for trying to sell their own home is of course to avoid paying thousands in commissions to a Realtor. However, there are many reasons to enlist the help of a Realtor in the sale of your home, especially in today’s market.
A Realtor will first help you, as a seller by performing a comparative market analysis. This will help in pricing your home to sell for a fair price and in a reasonable amount of time.
A Realtor will also spend time marketing your home. This can be very time consuming, but it's very important. Your Realtor will advertise your home in a variety of ways, such as homes guide magazines, newspaper ads, through open houses, online and with fliers. A Realtor will also tell other agents about your home and encourage them to show it to their prospective buyers. Marketing is one of the most important actions when you are trying to sell your home. After all, if no one knows your home is for sale, no one is going to buy it.
A Realtor will also help you with staging your home. Staging is simply presenting your home in its best possible light to prospective buyers.
Yes, it is possible to sell your home on your own. But you will have much better results if you use the services of a Realtor.
If you would like a referral for an experienced, motivated Realtor in your area, contact me at 414-303-1215 or msearing@mayfairmortgage.com, I'd be happy to recommend an agent that I know will show you results.
The National Association of Realtors states that in only 14% of for sale by owners were able to sell their home on their own. Close to 80% of For Sale By Owner (also called FSBO's) end up using a Realtor to sell their home. This statistic says a lot for people who may be thinking of trying to sell their home on their own. Ask yourself why so many people that attempt to sell their home by themselves eventually end up listing with a Realtor. Not only does a Realtor specialize in selling and listing homes but they are educated in this field as well to make sure you are getting a good value for your home. If a consumer tried to sell their home on their own, not only do they have the possibility of listing your home for months without any serious interest, but you may under-price your home and lose thousands of dollars as well. The longer your home sits on the market the more money that you continue to put into your home and apply towards interest that you will not get back out of it. Using a Realtor to sell your home is a very smart decision and if you decide to try selling your home on your own just make sure that you apply a lot of time and effort to it.
Although you can sell your home without a realtor, there are some things to be aware of. First, it is very difficult to generate as much attention and interest in your home as a realtor can. Second, most buyers know that you won't be paying a realtor's commission. They will expect your price to be lower than market price by at least half of a typical realtor's commission. Third, many people interested in your home will try to take advantage of your lack of advice from a realtor. They will make offers for far below market value, so they can either rent your home out for a profit or so they can sell it quickly for a profit. Many of these people have vehicle signs that say "We Buy Homes" or some variation.
In addition, when selling real estate you're going to be dealing with a lot of third parties, legal documents, etc. This can all be very time consuming and a lot of liability is involved. If you cannot produce a buyer within your own personal sphere of contacts, it is typically better to allow a professional to handle all items that go along with selling your home.
The internet has become a resource for people who are seeking information about real estate and mortgages. There are many discount real estate companies on the internet who will offer the same great service of the big name, full-priced real estate companies, but at a fraction of the cost. These discount real estate companies offer a great compromise by saving you money on commissions while still retaining the services of a professional who can hold your hand every step of the way.
More often then not people need the help of a realtor to sell their home. However not just any realtor will do. Make sure you work with someone who specializes in your local area. Talk to a mortgage professional for some recommendations of realtors to work with.
If you plan on selling your home on your own then you should develop a good relationship with a local title attorney or title company. They can assist you by providing blank contracts as well as by guiding you through the various transfer fees associated with the sale of your home.