For Sale By Owner -

Can't I sell my home on my own?

Absolutely you can - there is no law against it and many people successfully market their homes on their own. However, we have one thing to say to you -

you'll make MORE money if you list your home with us!

The seller will not save money working on their own.
According to a recent NAR study (www.Realtor.org), homeowners selling on their own, on average, sell for 17% less than if they hired an agent. According to a USA Today study, homeowners sell for 21.49% less than agent-assisted sales. Therefore, if we charged DOUBLE our normal fee, homeowners will still net much more than if they sold on their own. Bottom line ? FSBOs lose money so, it makes absolutely no sense for them to sell the house on their own.

Additionally, you need to consider the high cost of advertising your home, the need to talk to many people who can't actually afford your home or people for whom the home is completely wrong.  Having to be home for every showing and, of course, ultimately, for sale by owners don't have access to the large amount of resources available to us - other Realtors!

Over the years, we have spoken with many sellers who wanted to sell their homes on their own for various reasons.  Here we shall attempt to overcome some of the more common objections to not listing with an agent:

Objection: 

I want to have control over my home sale.

Ok, as a Seller you have control over the major things like the price the home will be listed at, the availability to show the home, the condition in which it's shown.  But you won't have to worry about the other stuff that you don't want to worry about, like pre-qualifying buyers, spending money on advertising, making sure the buyer gets their items to the lender,  inspections and so much more!

I know my house better than anyone, and can show it to it's best advantage.

Yes, you do know your house better, but we know buyers better than anyone.  They speak to us, and tell us what they want.  Should you really tell your prospects about how loud the neighbors are or that you spent extra on that red plush carpeting which the buyer is probably going to rip out the day after closing in order to install Pergo? The fact is that buyers are not buying YOUR house, they're buying THEIR house.  We actually recommend that sellers not be there when a buyer looks at a house - and that's tough to do when you're selling on your own.

I will save the commission by not using a Realtor.

Ok, I've already addressed that fallacy above, but if you're still not convinced, please realize that the few buyers who are looking at for sale by owner homes are also looking to "save" the commission, otherwise, why would they do all the work when they could use a Realtor!  You can't both save the commission!

I'll sell my home faster on my own.

Ok, Hmmmm. . . .  I don't know how to answer that in a cordial manner.  If you're selling it below market, your Realtor can have a bidding war started within hours of putting your home on the market, probably giving you above asking price.  If you're selling at market value, putting over 1000 licensed Realtors in West Pasco to work to get your home sold will get you more showings, more offers, more money.  Or, you could just put your little sign out front . . .

I've sold a home before, so I know what I'm doing.

Ok, probably true to a certain degree, but we've sold HUNDREDS of homes over the years, and we know how to overcome the many obstacles, expenses and are experts in handling the details that pop up when selling a home, such as magazine advertising, internet advertising, pre-qualifying buyers, negotiating to your advantage, knowing market conditions, loan processing, title issues, disclosures, insurance issues, contract, home inspections, electrical, plumbing, roofing, radon, lead based paint, sinkholes, air conditioning issues, termite inspections, appraisal, repairs, and the list goes on and on.

If I were to list with an agent, I wouldn't pay a "full" commission.  I want a discount broker.

In many cases, you get what you pay for.  There will always be somebody who's going to charge less.  If an agent is so willing to give their commission away in order to get your listing, how quickly will they be to give away your money in order to make a sale happen?  In any profession or industry, the price a professional charges is directly related to the service they provide.  In other words, paying a premium price for a skilled agent could net the seller more because that agent can get the job done better than an agent who discounts their commissions. (Would you go to a discount cardiologist?  Your home is one of your biggest assets!)  Don't forget that the commission you agree to pay your listing agent normally gets split with a buyer's agent.  The higher the commission, the more agents will want to show your home, the more showings you get, the more offers you get, the more money you get.  It's really that simple.

I'll use one of the "for sale by owner" services and get all of this stuff for a much lower price.

Ok, you can do that, however, you still won't have over 1000 agents trying to sell your home, you won't have your home advertised in the most popular home magazines, you won't be in the multiple listing service, you won't be featured in top real estate websites like www.HotPropertiesRealty.com and www.Realtor.com.  And, oh, by the way, these "for sale by owner" services get paid up front.  That's right, for a short period of time, they don't care if you sell or not, as they can keep charging you more the longer it takes to sell.  We only get paid when you've actually sold, so in the meantime we offer you everything for FREE.  (Pretty dumb on our part, don't you think?)

I know I'll make more money with an agent, but I don't have anything else to do and I really enjoy the process.

Ok, go get your real estate license and call us immediately for a job!