Couldn’t agree more. A realtor who knows what he or she is doing will net you much more money. I’ve heard of as much as 5-20% more with a good realtor in the Utah market, though lately with as depressed as land values have been its hard to say anymore.

Dan: Yes.

RE Blog: Maybe not for everybody, but for most everybody.

Dawn: Thanks for the valuable feedback! I am with you!

Phx: Yes, exactly!

Mike: Actually Mike, today’s slow market is a great reason to sell it yourself. You say a lot of people don’t realize real estate agents work together to find buyers. You’re right. In fact, I’ve found a lot of people don’t realize the magical “MLS” listing doesn’t find you buyers but agents. Those agents will maybe find you a buyer. Emphasis on the maybe.

You’re also right about the connections agents have. This is something I’ve also found through Buy Owner, a help-you-sell-it company that can connect you with a mortgage (they work with Guaranteed Rate), title, lawyer, and more.

I don’t mean to insult real estate agents; I’ve been one. I don’t deny that we work hard. I’m just completely convinced that intelligent, hardworking people work hard too, and they should get to keep their money.

Something a lot of people don’t realize is that it’s usually not the Realtor you hire to list your home who finds the buyer. We Realtors all work together to find you a buyer. In effect when you hire one Realtor you are actually hiring every Realtor in your area. Wouldn’t you rather have 1500 people trying to find you a buyer than just trying to do it yourself? We have large databases of potential buyers, websites that generate hundreds of leads and when you multiply that by 1500 Realtors who do you think is going to get the job done quicker?

It’s certainly not rocket science but we do this every day and already have good working relationships with layers, home inspectors, appraisers, financing companies and we have the raw data and experience to price your home appropriately.

If your car engine dies you can buy a new engine and tools to replace it yourself, if your house needs a new roof you can also drag a couple thousand pounds of shingles up a ladder and do it yourself. Whats your time worth? We can make the whole process a lot less stressful but you certainly don’t need to use us. The choice is yours.

I would imagine that if the homeowner were to take less of the commission and offer the buyer’s agent a higher co-broke; he/she would benefit by selling their home much quicker.

Stressful Exoerience: Just because you do not hire a realtor doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Build a team that includes an inspector and a good attorney. Consider having your own appraisal done as well. Although these services do cost money, they will cost less than a real estate agent commission and are worth the peace of mind they give you. Also, having these resources will give you a stronger negotiation position with buyers.

Fear of Spending Too Much: Although traditional real estate marketing can be expensive, the internet has dozens of places to list your home for free, such as Craigslist. Also, starting a viral marketing campaing in your area can be done for just a few hundred dollars.

Fear of Failure: People who hire real estate agents fail to sell their homes too, so there are no guarantees. But create a strong marketing strategy, a budget, and give yourself a timeframe – 30 days for example – to sell your home yourself first. Worst case, you call a realtor. Best case, you just saved yourself thousands!

Dawn

Some people just don’t have the time!

It’s a time-consuming operation to sell your home oftentimes. If you’re doing open houses (which I wouldn’t normally recommended) that’s A LOT of time. Answering phone calls. Waiting for appointments with buyers that run late. Gathering all the paperwork. Learning about the proper procedures.

I’ll agree for some people going FSBO is the right approach.

But it’s a major fallacy to think that going By Owner is for everybody.

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” Eleanor Roosevelt

This is the only way we will grow.