Why Selling without an Agent is a Disaster
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Knowledge
What you don’t know, can hurt you! Protect yourself and your decisions, and work with an insured professional.
Your Local Realtor will guide you about the nuances of Buyers psychology, Home Improvements, and Locational Attributes. (Things the Internet won’t tell you!)
Your Realtor educates themselves, so they can inform you to make the best decisions, and prepare you for the Selling Process ahead.
You won’t be flying blind with a knowledgable Realtor, and a plan.
2. Time
Do seller’s really have time to play the Realtor’s role?
There is tons of prep that goes into your listing like, pre marketing, professional photos, signage, lockbox, paperwork preparation, and planning to list.
Once you have prepared to list, are you ready to show your home in the proper light, to people who don’t want to see you living there?
Are Seller’s able to show their house on a moment’s notice, in a safe manner?
Who will show your home and deal with a cash Buyer if you are on vacation?
Realtors already know what activities sell houses efficiently, so you don’t have to waste time on learning the in’s and out’s of processes and systems.
3. Preparation
You never get a second chance to make a first impression!
Do Sellers know what finishes and renovations will attract the right Buyer?
Should you hire a stager?
How will your space translate on camera?
Your Local Realtor will have a rolodex of professional photographers, videographers and graphic designers to help make your listing sparkle, and attract the right Buyer.
4. Marketing
How do Sellers reach Buyers?
How do Sellers know what demographic to target?
Where will they advertise their home?
How much does it cost to get the proper exposure?
For no up front cost, Realtors design and provide custom feature sheet brochures (printed and online), a custom website, social media advertising and other tailored advertising streams, and more importantly – know how to attract Buyers to get through the door, then close them!
5. Negotiating Experience
Once the Sellers receive an offer, what do they do? How do they respond? How do they identify the terms and make a counter offer?
What conditions or terms could be disadvantageous to the Seller? Are they taking on too much liability? What costs should they agree to pay for?
How do they keep the Buyer from walking away?
How do Sellers protect their best interests and get what they want, while making the Buyers happy and feel like they also won?
The Offer is what can be most damaging to a DIY Home Seller.
6. Inspection Details
Congratulations! You received an offer. If it is conditional on home inspection, the negotiating may not be over yet!
This can be the most aggravating part of the selling process because you might not know what to expect.
What items are negotiable? Should the Seller, or Buyer pay?
How do you keep the Buyer from walking away?
How much should you discount from the purchase price?
Should you discount from the purchase price, or repair the issues yourself?
What are big issues, and what are small ones that shouldn’t be negotiated on?
Your local Realtor will have a list of handymen or contractors to help you fix any problem, if the Buyer isn’t willing to pay for it.
If Sellers aren’t careful, they could be improving the home for the new buyers, not just repairing it.
7. Transaction Coordination
The conditions are up, now what paperwork do you need to make the deal firm? and by when? (Remember – everything has an expiry date!)
Do you have a lawyer you will send the documents to to revise? What are important dates they need to prepare for?
Who will ensure the deal closes, and there are no issues to stop it? (For example, funding no longer possible, inspection concerns etc)
What items should be followed up on and by when?
Your Local Realtor has a team of paid employees ensuring lawyers have what they need, utilities are transferred and everything is in order to close, without any surprises or hold ups.
8. Closing Details
What if your Buyer does a walk through a couple of days before closing and they aren’t happy with the current condition of the house.
What do you do? Do you have to pay out of pocket to make them happy so they don’t hold back money?
When do you need to be completely moved out of the house?
What if the moving crew doesn’t show up on time, or they damage your house on the way out?
Your local Realtor will ensure everything goes smoothly on and before closing date, by coordinating with lawyers, clients and Realtors.
Are you thinking about Selling Your Home?
Talk to Stephanie about executing a proper listing strategy on your home.
Stephanie@therealtydeal.com