As the housing market moves along toward recovery, more and more people are thinking of placing their homes on the market to sell. They will have to wrestle with the issue of whether to use a Realtor vs FSBO. FSBO means for sale by owner and is a popular method to sell a home. There are a few things that should be considered before choosing which method to use to sell a home.
Using a Realtor to Sell a Home
Most home sales are done by real estate agents. A real estate agent is a person that is hired to sell a home or other type of property. The agent takes the lead and lists the home, shows the home and oversees the final sale of the property. They make sure that everything is in order before the final documents are signed. Some benefits of using an agent include:
- The owner does not have to wait around to show the home.
- They are free from the hassle of dealing with people.
- The agent deals with listing the home.
- The agent also deals with price negotiations with all buyers.
- The average sales prices of using a Realtor are around $199,300 versus $140,000 for people who sell it themselves.
The For Sale by Owner Method
In 2010, nine percent of homes were sold by the owner. Some of the benefits include:
- Not having to pay the Realtor fees for the agent to sell the home.
- Not having to leave in a hurry when the home has a showing.
- The home is sold when the owner is ready to accept the offer without any pressure from an agent.
- Do not have to hand over a key to the property to an outside party.
Trying to sell a home by owner has negative aspects to it that some fail to realize before they start the process.
- The seller will have to make the time to show the home and deal with all of the inspectors that will have to view the property.
- They also have to make sure that all the right paperwork gets filed and into the right hands.
- FSBO usually ends up selling the home for less than an agent.
- FSBO homes will end up having to show their home to people who just want to see the inside.
Using a Realtor eliminates a whole bunch of problems of trying to sell a home. Interview your agent and get one that you are comfortable with. Then, sit back and watch them sell your home for you for the price you want.