In this age of microwaving everything, it makes sense to ask the question… Do you really need a realtor to sell your home?
While realtors can be of greater value, their services will cost you anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 for every $100,000 in sales price.
That’s about 1-5%.
The higher it is, the more attractive a realtor is to getting you a buyer.
So it makes sense to weigh your other option(s) against the services of a real estate agent because it is not free.
Let’s first identify a few ways that a realtor can make your life easier when selling or buying a home…
Are Realtors worth the money?
Let’s see if it’s worth 2%-5% of the value of your home.
There are many reasons why you may be looking into selling your home and they may be personal.
But it comes down to value… what is the value that you personally want or don’t have enough of, if you had to pick between time and money.
If you have to sell very “quickly”, then you are looking to buy time with some of the value of your home in the case that you are selling.
On the flip side, time may not be an issue.
So if time is not an issue, then you deserve to get the most money you can get for the property.
If the goal is to get the most amount of money… as in as much money as possible when time is not an issue, you will find a competent realtor useful in that case.
Here are 3 ways that a realtor can help you with selling your home.
(1) Valuation
In today’s market, your home is worth a certain amount of money.
Your neighbors’ opinion is probably not what it is worth.
It could be worth a lot more or a lot less.
The higher the sales prices, the more money you will make and the more sales commission your realtor will make.
The agent has an invested interest in getting you the most amount of money for the home but you have to give them time.
So a professional opinion of the value is very important in order to determine an optimal sales price to advertise with your home.
Speaking of advertisement…
(2) Exposure
Another way that a realtor can help you sell your home is creating maximum exposure for the sale.
When a realtor lists your home on the multiple listing systems (the MLS), all other realtors within that market will see it.
That also means all their clients will know about your home and the fact that it is available for sale.
If the sales commission being offered is generous, all these realtors which include your listing agent now have an invested interest in getting you the highest sales price that the market can offer within the next 60-180 days.
If you were to try to sell it by yourself, it’s just that much lower exposure to able and willing buyers.
(3) Representation
Many realtors, agents and brokers will generate tons of interest for your home if priced right.
But it also depends on what type of market you are in; is it a sellers or buyers market?
When in need of negotiation, a good realtor will help you acquire the best combination in price and terms.
They have what they call a fiduciary responsibility in protecting your interest and part of that is educating you on value assessment and negotiating for you.
As you can see, buying time is not one of those ways that a realtor can help you.
So why do you need a realtor to sell a house?
When you need to sell at the best combination of highest possible price and best terms when time is not an issue, you need a realtor.
If you don’t care about any of that and need to get rid of the home “right now”, the trade-off will be lowering the price point to buy that time that you don’t have but desperately need.
Frequently Asked Question on Why Use a Realtor to Sell Your Home or Not…
Why having a realtor is important?
A realtor will help you with proper valuation of the property you want to buy or sell, exposure to the market of opportunities and representation.
Should I use a Realtor to sell my house?
It depends on the condition of your property and the amount of time you have to evaluate market value and get the right exposure.
Why you need an agent to sell your home?
An agent will help you with proper valuation of the property you want to buy or sell, exposure to the market of opportunities and representation.
Are Realtors worth the money?
If your property is in a good condition ready for the market, realtors are in a position to get you the most amount of money in the market. They have invested interest in doing that as it makes their sales commissions even bigger.
Looking to sell fast, we buy houses in all these locations…