Tips for Selling Your House Without a Real Estate Agent
Trying to sell your home without a real estate agent may be an option if you want to save money or reduce what must be paid in commissions. Today, the average real estate commission is five to six percent of the total purchase price. It is paid by the seller of the house and split between the real estate agents hired.
When you list your home for sale yourself and don’t hire a listing agent or discount broker, you can keep between 2.5 and three percent that would be paid out to your agent. If you have decided that selling on your own is the right option for you, getting to know more about it can be helpful. Some tips to help you with this process can be found here.
Determine a Realistic Price
If you plan to sell your home without the help of an agent, you should not make the mistake of believing your home is worth more than it is. You need to put your emotions to the side when you are setting the price. Use the data available to determine what is fair. You can find plenty of online calculators to help you set this price and ensure you base it on objective factors, such as the number of bathrooms and bedrooms, square footage, and where your home is located.
It’s also smart to see the cost of comparable homes nearby. You can find this information online or search through the local property tax records. You can check with the state’s assessor’s office or even the county clerk to locate this information.
You can also look on the website for the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Here you will find tools that utilize home sale data from mortgages that have been backed by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the Federal Housing Administration.
If you want another option, consider hiring an appraiser. They can give you an estimate of what your home is worth. Just keep in mind that this will cost you around $400, and the buyer’s bank will do an appraisal.
Remain Patient
Selling your home without the help of a real estate agent can be an overwhelming process. It means that you have to handle everything, from getting it ready to sell to analyzing recent sales, marketing the property, talking to anyone interested, setting up appointments, and negotiating with a potential buyer.
Get the Home Ready to Show
Make sure you prepare your home to show it at its very best. This means repainting the wall if they look dingy or dull. You should also take steps to depersonalize your home as much as you can. The goal is to help potential buyers see themselves in the house. Be sure to deep clean your property, or hire someone to handle this for you.
You can get the carpet cleaned and polish the wood floors. You should also fix any small cosmetic issues that may be seen as an eyesore. Other ways to spruce up the house before showing it include power washing the exterior and investing in landscaping services.
Advertise Your House for Sale
In the past, you could stick a sign in your yard and just hope someone would come by and see it. Today, though, technology has given you a lot more options. You should remember that most homebuyers will begin their search for the perfect property online. If you plan to sell without the help of a real estate agent, you can list on some websites for a small fee, so you have to figure out what is right for you.
Selling Your Home without an Agent
If you want to sell your home without the help of a real estate agent, be sure to keep the information above in mind. This is going to help you along the way. Also, remember, selling a home with or without an agent can take a lot of time, which means you need to remain patient.
