The debate continues. Should you hire a Realtor to sell your home, or just do it yourself? Like a tireless pendulum, opinions on the debate can go back and forth. Many assume they can actually save money, time, and numerous frustrations by playing real estate agent. In some rare cases this may be true. Often, however, these individuals actually lose a large sum of capital, spend uncounted hours of precious time trying to make a sale (to no avail), and heap frustrating irritation upon themselves throughout the process. If you are planning on selling your home and aren't sure if you want to hire a Realtor or just do it all yourself, you might want to consider the following points before making a decision.
1. A Realtor will save your precious time.
Trying to sell a house can take a lot of time. If you are like 99.9% of the employed American population, then you don't have much to spare. Consider the various duties which, if you decide to be your own Realtor, will immediately be on your plate: studying the market, writing advertisements, answering a barrage of phone calls (many of which are not seriously interested in buying), meeting with potential buyers, researching and answering their questions, filling out mountains of paperwork, etc. All this must be done in your after-work hours. Just as much as you have a specific trade which you are time-efficient in, so does a Realtor. It may be wise to do your job, and let a Realtor do his/hers.
2. A Realtor will protect you from unneeded stress.
Trying to sell a home can be a headache, even for a seasoned Realtor. How much more so would it be for someone not used to the wearing a sale's mentality or a carrying Realtor's responsibilities. You may save a few grey hairs throughout the sales process by hiring a Realtor.
3. A Realtor may in fact make the sale more lucrative for you.
Okay, so a Realtor gets paid a commission from the final price of your home. You can sell the same house for the same price--you think--without shelling out the Realtor's commission. How can using a Realtor be more lucrative?
The truth is, a good Realtor is going to sell your home--as a general rule--much quicker than you would on your own. Often, people actually save a hefty sum of money they would have spent on mortgage payments by using a real estate agent.
Also, a Realtor thinks in terms of "what a house will sell for" rather than "what the house is worth." He or she knows the housing market. They know how to price the home. For example, your home may be appraised at $135,000. However, due to a number of various factors (good school system, nice neighborhood, less than thirty minutes from major shopping area, etc.) the Realtor may be inclined to price your house at $145,000. And it still sells in less time than you would have if you had overseen the process.
4. A Realtor knows the rules of the game.
If there is one thing more certain than death and taxes, it is that selling a home guarantees a towering mound of paperwork, various laws, and a vast array of regulations. A proficient real estate agent is well-versed in all of the above. If you use a Realtor, you won't have to use up precious time trying to make sense of it all. And he or she just might save you from making a pricy mistake you would have made on your own simply because you didn't know all the rules involved.
5. A Realtor is a professional salesperson.
Trying to convince someone else to purchase a product can be difficult. If the product sells for a hundred thousand dollars or more, it seems almost impossible. Good sales skills are essential to such selling success. Communication, people skills, integrity, and persuasiveness are traits which abound in realtors. In most cases, they can more convincingly describe a home than the home's owner.
6. Realtors have a number of home-selling tools at their disposal.
The right tool for the job, goes the saying. Real estate agents have access to a number of essential resources. For starters, they are always working with a handful of people who are specifically looking for a home to buy. One of your realtor's clients may be looking for a home just like yours. Real estate agents also rub shoulders with other Realtors. These other Realtors may have that perfect home buyer as well. Lastly, Realtors have access to a lot of real estate databases (a number of which are subscription based). They can post your house on these databases which will be viewed by thousands of Realtors from around the nation, all representing people actively looking to buy a home.
7. Realtors want to sell your home.
Some may think real estate agents aren't as zealous about selling your home as you are. In most cases, this simply is not true. Consider this. A Realtor makes money by selling a house. This is how he or she makes a living. A good real estate agent will bend over backwards to please a client. This is simply a good business practice. And it will bring more business to them.
Professional Realtor or yourself? The debate may continue forever. But considering the previous seven points may make all the difference in deciding which works for you.
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