From time to time, some homeowners decide to try to sell their homes themselves in the hope that they may save the money that would be paid a Realtor®. At first glance, selling a house seems simple enough. A short trip to the hardware store for a yard sign and couple quick posts on social media and presto, the buyers start to appear at your door. Like many other things in life, selling a home can be much more difficult.
The ability of a Realtor to sell at a higher price than an owner is rooted in the fact that Realtors have many more tools at their disposal. Let’s take a look at just a few of them.
FULL SERVICE MARKETING
Perhaps the biggest challenge for a DIY home seller is duplicating the marketing efforts of a full time Realtor. In today’s world of technology, the cost of promoting real estate has become cost prohibitive for even some professionals, let alone a For Sale By Owner. HD and aerial photography, virtual tours, printed brochures and individual property websites are all expected by today’s home buyers and typically not available to an individual.
MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE
When a property is submitted to the local multiple listing service, hundreds, even thousands of individual agents, who are paid only if they make a sale, are alerted that a certain property is now on the market. This means that the agent hired by the seller now becomes one of thousands who know all the pertinent details of a home and able to bring their buyers.
PRICING EXPERTISE
No one knows the current market like a Realtor. Every local area and its home values are constantly changing. These changing values are a reflection of the law of supply and demand. Because Realtors are in the market daily, they know all the pertinent details of a home and are all equally welcome to bring their buyers.
BUYER QUALIFICATION
Realtors know how to ask the hard questions that need to be asked in order to be sure they are spending their time with a viable purchaser. This also helps the Realtor send the buyer to the mortgage lender who offers the financing that is most appropriate.
NEGOTIATING AND CLOSING SKILLS
Realtors understand the sensitive areas of the negotiating process due to repeated experience in many transactions. as well as knowing and attending to the many details of closing the sale.
ADVICE: I doubt if you’d call an auto mechanic to pull one of your wisdom teeth, so why take a chance with perhaps your largest investment? Be wise. Call a licensed Realtor® for the best possible outcome in the sale of your home.
