Selling Your Home Without a Realtor

In today's market, many home owners are wondering whether or not it would be easier to simply sell their homes on their own, bypassing the need to contact a realtor. Although realtor commissions are relatively low, at around 6% in most locations across the country, this can really add up on a house that is worth more than $100,000. Before you make that decision to try to list your home on your own, there a few considerations that you are going to have to keep in mind.

1. Do you have the time to book showings, chase down buyers and market your property? It is going to take some time to effectively market and sell your home. If you do not have a lot of spare time as it is, trying to manage appointments, taking the time out to talk with sellers and answer questions as well as setting up marketing materials may be too much for you too take on. You need to look at this as realistically as possible. If you simply do not have that kind of time, you would be best suited to contact a realtor to handle the sale of your home.

2. Do you feel comfortable marketing your home? If you are familiar with marketing and listing property, this should not be an issue. However, if you have never placed a classified ad or if you are not sure how to best sell your home, you may need to take a little extra time to learn some important techniques. You don't have to have a degree in marketing to sell your home, but you will need to take the time to learn some important techniques that will increase your chances of selling your home.

3. Do you understand the staging process? When you are selling your home on your own, you’re going to have to handle any open house visits or visits from potential buyers. In order to increase your chances of a sale, you’re going to need to stage your home properly. Something as simple as a coat of paint or rearranging the furniture can mean the difference between a no thank you and we’ll take it. You’ll need to take some extra time to learn about these techniques so that you can implement them on your own house.

4. Do you feel comfortable handling sales contracts? Even though you will need to work with an attorney at some point during the process of selling your home, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with some basic sales contracts. This will help you answer any questions that buyers may have and will give you the knowledge you need to sell your home at the best price and at the best terms.

While it may not be easy to sell your home on your own, it can be very rewarding. In order to successfully market and sell your home however, you’ll need to carefully consider your options ahead of time.