Why list your home with a realtor

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Here are eight reasons why you may want to reconsider. Even if a client insists on seeing your home, the agent might discourage making an offer, citing the hassles and risks of trying to close the deal without a professional representing the seller—and without a guaranteed commission. Experienced brokers have generally been burned by an FSBO transaction in which the seller did not pay the full agreed commission—or any commission at all—to the agent who brought the buyer, says Ailion.

That may mean signing an agreement with the agent that states the percentage fee that you, as the seller, will pay the agent. An agreement should also clarify that the agent is only working on behalf of the buyer. Selling your home is typically an emotional process. An agent can take the sting out of the rejection and put a positive spin on any negative feedback. Can you rush home from work every time someone wants to see your home?

Can you excuse yourself from a meeting every time your phone rings with a potential buyer? At the end of a long workday, do you have the energy to take advantage of every possible opportunity to market your home? Are you an expert in marketing homes? Do you have any experience doing so? Yes, you can list your home yourself on Zillow, Redfin, Craigslist, and even the multiple listing service MLS that agents use.

But will that be enough? Even if you have a large personal or professional network, those people will likely have little interest in spreading the word that your house is for sale. A smaller pool of potential buyers means less demand for your property, which can translate into waiting longer to sell your home and possibly not getting as much money as your house is worth.

Then I start to market the property in every available website, MLS, and site for real estate to keep the momentum and [to keep] showing consistently. An agent can find out whether someone who wants to view your house is really a qualified buyer or just a dreamer or curious neighbor.

You want to limit those hassles to the showings most likely to result in a sale. They can move a qualified and motivated person to the point of purchase. FSBO sellers lack this training and skill set, he says. Furthermore, says Gonzalez, agents know the local customs for selling a home, such as whether the buyer or the seller typically pays fees such as transfer taxes and closing costs.

Agents are experts in what makes homes sell. They can walk through your home with you and point out changes you need to make to attract buyers and get the best offers. They can also help you determine which feedback from potential buyers you should act on after you put your home on the market to improve its chances of selling.

A lot of legal paperwork is involved in a home sale, and it needs to be completed correctly by an expert. A seller can be held liable for fraud, negligence, or breach of contract if they do not disclose properly. It takes time to stage, schedule property viewings, and get offers on a home. Agents work long hours, as well as weekends and holidays to make sure that the home is sold for the right amount in the least amount of time.

Many FSBO sellers have to shorten their hours at work so they can show the home during business hours, cutting their paycheck. A home sale is a legal transaction. Thus, the seller and buyer have to negotiate. A real estate agent will handle all of the negotiations, but a FSBO buyer will have to negotiate by themselves. A FSBO will have to strategize by themselves and rely on their own expertise. Dave Ramsey, a real estate agent and personal finance personality , has said that even with 30 years of experience under his belt as a real estate agent if he were selling his home, he would hire a real estate agent.

Realtors are actively selling homes and know the market in your area — they are the experts when it comes to selling a home. In your lifetime if you sold all of your homes, you would probably sell three to four homes in a lifetime, while a real estate agent sells three to four homes in a week.

Again, selling a home is a legal transaction. Remember that if you choose to sell your home yourself. Some states may not let you go through the home closing without having a real estate attorney present. A home warranty is like home repair insurance or an appliance warranty — it covers failed systems and appliances for a small service call fee.

If you had to be the only one to sift through property listing responses and all open house viewing, all your free time would go to that. With a real estate agent, they can do the following:. Real estate agents possess key knowledge and information about your neighborhood. With their network, they can help you identify:. Your agent knows what kinds of upgrades will make your home look more attractive to buyers compared to other houses in the area.

This will give you an edge in terms of helping you sell your property more quickly. When you find a potential buyer, a real estate agent will try to get you the best price in all market conditions.

Negotiation skills are very important when selling your home, since this makes or breaks your deal.