Should you sell your home without a realtor?

By Jody Thompson
www.thompsonsells.com

For Sale By Owner – Sounds Good? Maybe Not

There are hot pockets in Toronto where signs go up on the lawn on Tuesday or Wednesday, an open house happens on the weekend and then the SOLD sign appears on the lawn the very next week.
It’s hard to imagine that your real estate agent actually earned their commission for this transaction. The houses seem to sell themselves. So, why not sell your home without a realtor?
Well, it’s not that easy, let me tell you why….

There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes that you should be aware of before your make the decision to sell your home yourself.

Firstly, an experienced agent will work with a potential seller to make recommendations on what they need to do to their home to maximize the price. This often includes fixing small deficiencies, or even staging your home for sale. This ultimately benefits the seller by increasing the home’s selling potential.

An experienced agent also has a large network of other agents and a marketing plan to promote your home. The more people that see your home, the more likely you are to find the perfect buyer.In addition, agents are experienced in negotiating deals. Many buyers do not feel comfortable dealing with the owners directly during negotiations. An agent knows what needs to happen to make the transaction go smoothly. There are inspection requirements, legal requirements, paperwork to fill out, terms to understand, negotiations to be had, fees to be paid and on and on.

So, it may seem like a no brainer to sell your home without a realtor .. But the value of a realtor is all in the details. Although selling your own home may seem like a no brainer, it is important to remember that getting top dollar for your home often requires the expertise of a realtor.