Asking yourself, “Do I need a REALTOR to sell my house?” is often asked to save on real estate commissions.  When a home owner finds out what is involved to sell their own house, some may find this time consuming, for someone who has a lot to do, a family to take care of and wants to save extra cash. I understand if there is confusion between hiring a Realtor or going FSBO.

“When you hire people who are smarter than you are, it proves you are smarter than they are.” Henry Ford said. Realtors are trained well to do great in Real Estate. They are professionals in the field just like doctors in medicine. In case you didn’t know, there is no legal mandate to have a realtor sell your home. So the question is do you really need to hire one?

Here is a gist of the process in Selling a Home:

• Set a Reasonable Price – you need to research the market for this
• Prepare Home for Sale- cleaning, repairs, facilitate open
  house
• Marketing – list home online like MLS, craigslist, etc., prepare online ads, invest in marketing materials like posters and flyers
• Prepare the legal paperwork, review not less than 20
  pages of the contract and much more
• Talk to several people like title and
  settlement agents

Asking, “Do I need a REALTOR to sell my house?” in a legal sense, the answer is no.  Home owners can legally sell their own home without a listing agent.  Caution is advised though as the home owner takes on full responsibility of the transaction.  You can always contact us >> Click Here<<  to discuss your options.

87% OF BUYERS PURCHASED THEIR HOME THROUGH A REAL ESTATE AGENT OR BROKER

Source: 2018 National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 

Now that we know it takes a lot of time and effort to sell a home and get the perfect sale price, you might want to hire someone who can do the leg work for you. Based on statistics, 87% of buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker. One important thing to consider is that most of the time Buyer Agents prefer to work with Seller Agents than FSBO. They know how complicated and time-consuming real estate transactions are and even if an owner has all the necessary papers sometimes they are not timely available when the opposite party expects them to be. The majority of FSBOs experience challenges along the way and end up spoiling the whole process. As a seller, we would like to be in a place or position where buyers and their agents are hot and are always willing to engage.

Not sure if you still want to sell on your own but make sure you do all necessary research and prepare for things that might not be familiar to you. No one will help you but you and some concern family and friends for buyer referrals.  If you have the luxury of time, the right knowledge and the confidence to make a great sale then going FSBO is really for you. The commission pays that you will get to save is no joke.

That’s why thinking twice is a need. There’s nothing wrong with calling for help. Realtors make your life easier and save you much time to spend on your family and other priorities. Whatever path you decide to go to, make sure it’s worth the ride and the cash.