Have you ever wondered why those "for sale by owner" signs never seem to change to "sold"?
Despite this, some sellers still think they can do as good a job as a professional agent and avoid paying commission.
Emphatically, this is a false economy, because the odds are really stacked against DIY sales ever happening.
So why is this?
There are a number of key factors that make things so difficult for the DIY home seller:
- A pro agent has access to the area Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and has intimate knowledge of recent sales of similar homes. This, combined with his/her own experience, allows the agent to accurately price the home to match the current market conditions, thereby ensuring a listed home is best poised to attract interest and, especially at the moment, obtain multiple offers that may take the eventual sales price over the original asking price.
- A professional agent will promote your home across his/her website, social networking sites and literally dozens of other websites across the internet. Do you actually have the time, skill and resources to do this?
- Full time agents spend every day prospecting for sellers and buyers, using their network of past clients and other contacts that they have built up over the years. This quickly identifies well qualified buyers to view their home. How are you going to identify these people and even if you did, how are you going to connect with them and get them to view your home soon?
- Staging the home is essential and experienced agents know what sells your home and how to present it to appeal to buyers. It's not simply a matter of spring cleaning, but more a question of accentuating the best features of the home and creating the best viewing experience. Do that yourself and you'll be leaving a lot of factors to chance.
- Let's imagine that you've somehow managed to receive an offer for your home. Is it the best offer you can hope to achieve? What if the buyer places conditions on the offer? A seasoned agent deals with these issues almost every day and knows how to get the best result and outcome for you.
- Even if you get as far as accepting an offer from a buyer, this is followed by the closing process, which is a complex stage when amateur selling can be most costly in the long term, as it's vital that everything is done to comply with legislation affecting the sale of homes, including any necessary disclosures about the property. Hiring an agent ensures that there will be no problems in this respect that might come back to haunt you later.
If you've been thinking about selling your home on your own, we hope that the above points help you to realize how agents really earn their commission.
We average over 130 sold properties every single year, so why not contact us today and let us help you to achieve the best possible return on your sale in the shortest possible time.
