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The idea of selling your some yourself, For Sale by Owner (FSBO)—without an agent—may be tempting. Perhaps you’re looking to gain savings by not paying a commission to a listing agent, or gaining complete control over determining the listing price, or gaining total control over how your home is marketed.
While you may experience these gains by going the FSBO route, you’ll lose the benefits of an agent’s wealth of knowledge and expertise in major areas that include these five:
#1. Expertise in Pricing
Real estate agents know the ins and outs of your local housing market. They analyze recently sold homes that are comparable to yours, known as comps. They consider current conditions of the housing market, and other variables that influence the value of a property, to determine the ideal price for your home—a price that can help ensure that your residence can compete with others on the market to secure the right offer for a price that’s ideal.
#2. Expertise in Marketing Your Home
When it comes to raising awareness of your property and making sure it hits the market with a splash—and that it maintains its momentum, you would be hard-pressed to do a better job than a real estate agent.
Agents have a wealth of resources at their disposal, including placing your home in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), launching social media campaigns to expand your home’s reach online and to help generate buzz, reaching out to a broad swath of industry contacts who have potential buyers, hosting a broker’s open house to provide a preview of your residence to other brokers and agents, and—of course—hosting open houses to showcase your home to house hunters, and giving private showings to homebuyers who want to take a more detailed look at your property.
#3. Expertise in Networking
They say: It’s not what you know, but who you know. In the case of real estate agents—it’s both. Agents are not only skilled in property sales, but they also maintain a network of industry pros whom they can recommend throughout the process of selling your home. These professionals often include home appraisers, contractors, inspectors, and lenders.
#4. Expertise in Time Management
As the saying goes: time is money. This can be especially true when it comes to the sale of your home. A house that sits on the market (perhaps because you’ve overpriced it, which is why you need an agent) can become stale and lose the interest of buyers. This could result in price reductions and concessions by the seller to renew interest from buyers.
To help your home grab and hold the attention of house hunters and maintain momentum toward a potential sale, an agent will strategically schedule and host open houses and showings to keep foot traffic marching to your front door and increase your chances of receiving an offer—sooner, rather than later.
#5. Expertise in Contract Negotiation & Management
Reaching an agreement on the terms of the sale of your home can be tricky, especially since it typically involves a lot of back-and-forth negotiations between you and a potential buyer as you try to come to an agreement. Negotiations can sometimes become tense, or even emotional, and an agent can be the experienced, skilled, and steady hand who prioritizes your interests to reach an agreement on the best price and terms possible. Having an agent means you’ll have a skilled professional to manage this documentation so that your paperwork is completed accurately and thoroughly to ensure the successful sale of your home and avoid issues that could derail the process.
Alexandra Janz
Broker Associate & Luxury Properties Specialist
William Raveis-Florida, LLC
239.315.1079 | www.ajnaplesrealty.com
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