Trying to Go FSBO?

Would you operate on yourself?  Write your own Last Will and Testament?  Plan your retirement by yourself? Of course not!

The biggest decisions in your life deserve the expertise of a professional!  If you're thinking about selling your home  -- most likely your biggest investment --  here are some good reasons why you should consider going with an agent rather than FSBO:

• OBJECTIVITY:   IT TAKES YOU OUT OF THE MIX.  Let's face it, you love your home.  But  let's also be honest.... you're a little biased.  Having an agent puts space between you and potential buyers.  It removes the emotion and allows an objective person to negotiate on your behalf.  
  


• FAR-REACHING MARKETING.  The goal is to reach the greatest number of potential buyers,so that you maximize what you get in the sale.  Can you do that by putting a "For Sale By Owner" sign on your lawn?  Today 90% of buyers are searching on the internet.  Multiply listing your home with an agent is just the beginning.  A full-service agent will make sure that your property has a strong internet presence including a variety of websites, hundreds of search engines and social media.  Think about it like fishing....you want to cast a really big net.
  


• PERSONAL SAFETY.  How do you know who you are letting in your house when someone calls?  Are they a serious buyer?  Are they preapproved?   Do you really want to be there by yourself at an open house with strangers walking through?  Hiring an agent and having a lockbox protects you by making sure that at all times a licensed professional is there to take prospective buyers through your home.   The listing agent has a record of each time the lockbox is opened and who opened it.   
  


• KNOWLEDGE OF THE MARKET.  You may think you have an idea of what your home is worth based on what a neighbor's house sold for last year, but have you seen the inside of the houses that are active on the market, under contract, and recently sold  in your area?  It's likely your agent has, and so have buyers!  They are comparing your house to the others they've seen.  An agent can advise you how to strategically price your house based on the current competition and recently sold comparables.
  


• CONTRACTS, DISCLOSURES AND OFFERS, OH MY!  An agent can help you wade through the numerous disclosures and paperwork that go along with selling your home.   Real estate transactions involve a lot of documents and your agent can help you make sense of it all.
  


• FROM CONTRACT TO CLOSE:  TRANSACTION MANAGEMENT.  Even if you are lucky enough to get a buyer right away, do you know what's involved from contract to closing?  There are a lot of moving parts to the transaction with deadlines and consequences  -- negotiations, attorney review, mortgage preapproval, inspections, environmental issues, mortgage commitment, utility transfer, etc.   An experienced agent knows how to orchestrate all the pieces so that the transaction proceeds with minimum stress to you.

• ARE YOU REALLY SAVING MONEY?   Of course, the reason sellers try to sell on their on own is to avoid the commission.  But the fact is that in most cases, because of strategic pricing, the ability to cast a "wider net" and expertise in negotiating, a sale through an agent will net the homeowner more money in the end, without all the aggravation and stress.
  

If you're thinking about selling your home, and maybe going FSBO, call me and let's talk about it.