Okay, you've decided to sell your home.  The question now is, how?

You basically have two options:  1) try to sell it yourself, what Realtors call FSBO's or "For Sale by Owner", or  2) hire a Realtor.

You've decided to do it alone.  You've said to yourself, "I can do this myself and save the real estate commission",  Well, I hate to break it to you, but statistics directly contradict this logic or lack thereof.  Every study I have ever seen, whether done by a Realtor organization or by an independent group, shows that FSBO's either drastically overprice their property or end up leaving money on the table.  Overpricing means that the house will sit there for weeks on end while you pour money into advertising, flyers, signs and whatever else.  Once you have reached your pain threshold on wasting money and letting strangers wander through your home, you may find that you have wasted valuable market time.  

If you decide to go FSBO, be aware of a few requirements you must provide. 

• Real property transfer disclosure statements.
• Lead-based paint disclosure, federal law
• Siding disclosure
• Flood plain disclosure
• Easement disclosures
• Square footage accuracy, etc. 

In general, if you do land a serious buyer, that buyer's first offer usually includes 5 to 7 percent off your asking price because the buyer figured that's what you'll save on commissions.  

Would you normally, if you weren't trying to sell your house, allow perfect strangers in to wander around and thereby put your family and possessions at risk?  Of course not, so why would you do this when trying to sell your home? I know of two owners who tried FSBOing their homes and were robbed by the people they allowed in.  These are not a Realtor's scare tactics, sellers must consider all the risks.  

Can people sell their homes on their own?  Well of course they can.  But sellers will improve the odds for having a successful, painless sale if they work with an agent.  

Why use a Realtor?

There are many benefits to using a Realtor to sell your property.  Here are just a few.

• Realtors have access to the most current market information.
• Realtors have access to more marketing money than you do.
• Realtors know how and where to market a property bases on it's strength and weaknesses.
• Realtors know how to accurately establish a market value for your home.
• Realtors subscribe to a professional code of ethics.
• Realtors are licensed by the State.
• Realtors are required to take continuing education courses to keep their licenses current.
• Realtors control the market in the sense that more than 95% of potential buyers use a Realtor and the Realtor decides which properties get shown.
• Realtors remove emotions from the selling and buying process, many times providing a logical analysis for the party they represent.
• Realtors pre-qualify potential buyers before showing them property.
• Realtors know that any transaction must be a "win-win" for the seller and buyer in order for it to be successful. 
• Realtors help with all the required disclosures.
• Realtors know the best lenders, appraisers, home inspectors, title companies and others you may need to sell your home. 
• Realtors track the transaction all the way through to closing. 
• Realtors interpret the confusing terminology and maze of real estate transaction.
• Realtors need love too!
• Realtors work with an average of 10 buyers at any given time.  900 agent x 10 buyers would mean that FSBO's property owners might be  missing exposure from 9000 buyers on a local basis or 7,200,000 that are looking on the national level.    The properties that are shown are at the Realtors discretion.
• 80% of all FSBO's end up listing with a Realtor anyways, only to loose their time and resources.  FSBO's also loose exposure from the 3 million visitors a month that visit Realtor.com and the other marketing avenues that skilled PROFESSIONALS possess.