Hiring a Broker or Selling a House By Owner? Which Is the Better Choice?
Are you thinking about putting your house on the market and wondering if selling a house by owner is right for you? Make sure you keep reading to learn more.
To hire a real estate broker to oversee the sale of your Seattle house or to sell the house on your own (known as FSBO or for sale by owner)? There’s no obvious answer to this question because each home seller’s situation is different.
The indisputable thing is that both home selling options have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. Unfortunately, real estate agents sometimes use scare tactics to talk home sellers out of selling a house by owner.
The following guide outlines what to look into in determining whether to hire an agent or oversee the sale of your home yourself.
What Does the Law Require?
Many people assume they’re legally required to enlist the services of a real estate agent when they want to sell their home. Far from it, there’s no legal requirement that mandates anyone to hire an agent to handle their home sale.
However, a real estate agent’s familiarity with the legal aspects of home selling is a big advantage for homeowners. An agent can handle the legal legwork for you so you can close the sale of your home in accordance with the law.
Is Your Home Well-Staged for Sale?
Buying a house is a big investment, so prospective home buyers will want to view your home before buying it. How you stage your home can make all the difference when it comes to turning the traffic you receive into a sale.
As insiders in the real estate industry, real estate agents know what home buyers really want, and what puts them off. They can use this knowledge to help you set up your home for a quick, successful sale.
Check out these effective real estate staging tips for your home sale.
Do You Know Your Home’s True Worth?
You don’t want to sell your house only to realize that you sold it at a low price. Real estate prices are constantly fluctuating, and you need to keep tabs on the latest market data to determine the fair market value of your house.
A real estate agent can help you set the right price for your home so you don’t have to feel someone bought it at a steal. Online estimates don’t compare to the tools, resources and experience real estate agents have to help price your home for a fast sale at the highest profit margin.
How Well Can You Market Your Home?
You might have a really good house, but do you know how and where to get the serious buyers? Finding the right buyer can be a stressful and time-consuming process if you’re selling a house by owner.
Brokers are experts in advertising real estate properties in the right places. They’ll filter out lookie-loos and negotiate price with serious home buyers. But if you’re in no rush to close your home sale, you can always try selling your house by owner first before seeking out a broker.
Is Selling a House By Owner a Good Idea?
Recent real estate statistics reveal that 30 percent of home buyers found their home through an agent while only 2 percent knew the sellers. From these statistics, it’s clear that the vast majority of home sellers favor hiring a real estate agent over overseeing their home selling themselves.
Unless you have a ready buyer for your home, or understand how the selling a house by owner process works, you may be far better off hiring a real estate agent.
Contact us today if you need a real estate agent for your home selling. We’re a fixed fee real estate company that can save you money on your big sale.
