Discussing Real Estate Agent Services

If you are ready to put your house on the market, you may have considered handling the sale on a FSBO (for sale by owner) basis. As you make the decision to sell your home, you should take a moment to weigh your options to make sure your home sale goes as smoothly as possible. You can choose to sell the home on your own, or you can hire a real-estate agent. Here are a few things to consider as you make your choice.

Commission Fees

One reason that homeowners sometimes like the idea of FSBO is the idea that they can eliminate the commission fees paid to a real-estate agent. Agents typically take a 6 percent commission on the homes they sell, and that can represent a significant amount of the final sale price of your home. It is important to remember just what you get for that 6 percent. Your real-estate agent will list your home, arrange for showings, help you to submit paperwork, and work with the buyer's agent to ensure the closing goes smoothly. Your agent can also help you to price your home competitively. If you don't have any experience with real-estate sales, or if you are simply too busy to handle all of these tasks on your own, a real-estate agent's work is well worth the price paid.

Qualified Buyers

When it comes to home selling, there are people who browse and people who buy. If you choose to sell your home on your own, you might see people at your showings who are simply there to see what the inside of your home looks like. Talking with people who have no interest in buying can be a waste of your time, and it can keep you from talking to people who are serious about buying. Your real-estate agent has steps he or she follows to identify qualified buyers and look for the people who are actually interested in buying your home.

Marketing Tactics

Selling your home means marketing it to potential buyers. For people selling their homes on their own, this may include advertising on the Internet, using yard signs, or placing an ad in the paper. Real-estate agents can coordinate your marketing plan and target it to the right people. This means you won't have to guess about how to get people to notice your home, and you can let the agent do the bulk of the marketing work for you. Seasoned real-estate agents have a wide range of marketing tactics they use to attract the right buyers to your home. While a FSBO approach can save you money, it can also be time consuming. If you are considering selling your home on your own, think about talking to a real-estate agent first. You may just find that paying the commission is worth it if you can get your home to sell faster for a better price.