Will you really save money if you sell your home yourself?

Selling your home without the aid of a real estate agent - to save the commission - looks like a good way to save money. But it seldom works that way. Instead of saving, it could cost you time, headaches, and money.

Real estate is a field where it pays to use the services of professionals. Real estate professionals can save you time by selling faster, and help you get the most money by creating competition for your property.

They can also help with details you probably wouldn't consider. It's their profession, they do it every day.

Setting the price.

At best, you may only be able to guess what your house is worth. If you guess too high, you'll discourage many prospective buyers who will simply consider it out of their reach. And when you realize your mistake and begin reducing the price, buyers may begin to wonder what's wrong with it.

If you guess too low, you'll unnecessarily sacrifice money you should have had.

As a real estate agent, I have up-to-the-minute information about the market. I know what properties like yours are selling for. And, I am an expert in property appraisal. I will prepare for you an accurate market appraisal suggesting a list price for your home, along with statistics on current market conditions.

Locating Buyers and Advertising

There's more to finding buyers than just putting a 'For Sale' sign on your lawn. The old ways of selling real estate simply aren't the same today.

Today's buyers are different than they were 10 years ago. Technology has changed the way we do business, even in real estate. Most buyers today are shopping for homes on the Internet through the MLS available in the particular city. Buyers are not going to take the time to look through every web-site with a small list of homes for sale. They want to go to a site with a large inventory of homes to view the greatest selection and then contact their agent for showings. The MLS going on-line has been a great advantage for buyers and sellers.

Advertising through local publications is also very important. Most buyers today will pick up copies of the local real estate magazine with color photos of homes and call their agents for more information. Advertising can be very costly for the do-it-yourselfer. A successful agent with a prominent company like Windermere has the resources available for this type of advertising.

And most important, most buyers utilize the services of a real estate professional to locate homes for them. They don't have the time to pour through all the inventory to find that one home for them. Time is a very valuable commodity today and buyers would much rather have an agent eliminate all the homes that are not suitable and show them the homes that fit their needs, desires and taste. Marketing to other agents is critical in finding the right buyer for your home.

Bargaining

The buyer usually offers less than you're asking. Can you bargain effectively?

A potential buyer makes an offer to you:

Would you feel comfortable asking for more money from the buyer if they were tugging at your heart-strings with their story?

Would you feel comfortable requiring in the contract such things as proof of financial ability, more earnest money?

Would you know what are reasonable repairs that should be required of a seller or if your being taken advantage of?

Would you feel comfortable with a closing attorney or escrow company you're not familiar with, that the buyer wants to use?

Would you understand the implications of non-proper disclosure?

Being a skilled negotiator requires a lot of experience. Protecting your best interest is my number one goal. My job is making sure you get a qualified buyer able to close the sale, and top dollar for your home with the least amount of inconvenience.