For Sale By Owner - Bad Idea?

Thinking of selling your home yourself? Read this first.

Occasionally a home owner will try to go-it-alone and sell their home without the use of a Realtor. These are called For Sale By Owners or FSBOs. Unfortunately, these types of homes usually end up still being on the market for months if not years costing the home owner more than they bargained for. If you are considering selling your home on your own, please read this before you make your decision.

1. If for sale by owner homes do not sell quickly, the seller would have to blindly adjust the price, since he/she does not have access to current sales data.
2. Real estate magazines that you see in grocery stores do not list FSBO listings.
3. Recent sales data, that only Realtors have access to, is not available to the public.
4. Realtors are well-versed in sales contracts and are skilled negotiators. They can negotiate the contract terms that work best for you and assist you in getting as much as possible for your home.
5. Before showing prospects your home, Realtors can make sure they are qualified through a pre-qualification process.
6. You won't be in the MLS. The MLS or Multiple Listing Service is used by Realtors to find current homes for sale. If you aren't listed, chances are your home won't be shown to buyers.
7. There are mandatory forms that must be used in the sale of real estate. Realtors are familiar with these forms and can guide you easily through the process so you don't wind up in court.
8. Before letting them into their homes, for sale by owner sellers do not have the ability to properly pre-qualify buyers.
9. When shopping for homes, buyers will not be able to see for sale by owner properties in any of the multiple listing areas. In addition, other Realtors working with buyers won't see your home either greatly decreasing the chances of your home being viewed.
10. After a contract is signed, Realtors stay in contact with the agent, title company, and the buyer’s lender. Realtors make sure that all critical details are completed as agreed upon and are crucial in helping to coordinate closing.
11. You can keep up to date on current sales activity in your neighborhood with a Realtor if your home does not sell quickly. A Realtor can also tell you about factors that may be affecting your sales as well as competing listings. As necessary, they can help you adjust your price.
12. You can generate additional exposure for your home with a Realtor. You will have access to the realtors own personal websites as well as advertising in paper publications that you would not get as an FSBO.
13. To help you accurately price your home right off the bat, a Realtor can give you recent sales data and market analyses.
14. Depending on your particular market, around 90% of For Sale By Owners eventually list with a Realtor either out of sheer frustration, no one looking at their home, or their home being on the market for months, even years. Just skip the headache.
15. Advertising on your own just isn't the same. You may list your home with one or two websites. However, with a Keller Williams Pinnacle Group Realtor like Eric Jones, your home will be sent to over 300 websites, added to the MLS, professional photos taken, videos produced and published to YouTube, your home will be staged, your home will be featured with advertising on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as access to over 4,000 agents that are actively looking for homes for their buyers. You really can't compete with the power of a Realtor.

Have questions? Want to know what your home is worth? Thinking of selling in 2017? Contact me!

I would be happy to come to your home and talk with you about your options and best routes for getting your home sold fast and getting you into a new home. No pressure. No obligations. Contact me today!