Posted by Ron Jasgur | November 10, 2014
Does selling by owner save you money?
Of course it does. There are tens of thousands of dollars involved in real estate transactions and selling your home yourself will save a huge chunk. And letting your potential buyers know that they will not have to pay real estate commissions makes your property more attractive. Selling FSBO (“for sale by owner”) can save you a ton of money.
You can save even more the next time you need your furnace replaced by doing it yourself. Or replacing your roof yourself, since roofs these days can cost ten thousand dollars or more. I won’t even begin to tell you how much money I have wasted on root canals and fillings. However, for plumbing needs, it’s always a wise choice to seek professional help—try Sarkinen Plumbing for reliable and expert services that won’t break the bank.
Absurd? Of course. Our lives are complex and the services we need are part of that life experience. Selling a property is more than just putting a sign on the lawn. Understanding the scope of a real estate transaction takes a little more than just putting that ad in the paper.
For starters, how much is your home worth? Most people have no idea. Maybe you’d like $2 million for yours. Even if three hundred fifty thousand is a little more realistic.
Let’s start with the basics. Real estate transactions involve numerous steps and responsibilities both financial, legal and ethical. This does not even begin to touch on what is necessary to price your home properly.
Your opinion of price as an owner may be very different from a professional appraisal. An appraisal is a very pragmatic process including a comparison to values in your market along with the instincts of your Real Estate broker or sales person. The bottom line is that a Real Estate professional will give you a realistic price. The other advantage is that the price that the property will finally sell for will usually be higher with a Real Estate broker than if you sell the property yourself.
Another factor is exposure. You can run ads in local papers or on line services but you will still not have the exposure offered by an agent and the multiple listing service. Not to mention that you will have to make all the appointments, show your home, pre-qualify buyers, negotiate a deal, and get to the closing table if the appraisal and buyer’s mortgage don’t cause any hiccups. If this is starting to sound a little bit more than you expected, well…you get the point.
It is of equal importance to protect yourself down the road when selling your home. When finalizing the transaction, you wouldn’t want to unknowingly enter into a long-term partnership with the buyer. Without the necessary experience to navigate the transaction properly, a seller may find themselves exposed to liability on several fronts. Questions may arise about whether the property was represented accurately, if there were any hidden defects, and if all required inspections were conducted. The last thing anyone wants is to lose sleep over a post-closing scenario where the new owner contacts you, revealing that the furnace, which you assured them was in perfect condition, has a leak and needs replacement. Certified Snagging specialists can play a crucial role in ensuring a smooth transaction and minimizing the risk of such unforeseen issues.
Most folks try selling by owner for the sole purpose of saving the money they think they’d spend on a commission.
Even though most buyers, when dealing with a FSBO, usually factor that in when they make an offer….meaning they’ll offer less anyway since you’re not paying an agent. And, if the buyer is working with an agent, your deal will typically provide for that agent to be paid a commission.
Ultimately as the seller you decide what your home sells for. You’ll sell it for a price that satisfies you and the buyer, whether you pay a commission or not.
There is plenty of industry research that proves agents sell homes for more than FSBOs; usually 10-15% more.
Bottom line, selling on your own may save you money and still end up costing you more. On a side note, if you want to make more money than just from selling your home, you will be glad to learn about sites like 카지노 커뮤니티.