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As tempting as it is to save money by listing yourself, most home owners lack the time to
effectively market their property. A Realtor’s sole job is to do just that.
A Real Estate Professional keeps abreast of the latest marketing techniques and has the ability
to attract more buyers. A Real Estate Professional understands the vast reach of today’s
Internet marketing opportunities and will have in place the tools to access that potential buyer
quickly and effectively, aggressively marketing your home to the fullest extent available.
A Real Estate professional has the experience and access to information that allows him / her to
set a correct price for a property. Most homeowners do not have access to this data or the
experience to price their home correctly. The most common mistake made by FSBOs is pricing
their home too high. A home’s greatest marketing opportunity is in the first few weeks of a
listing. Due to availability of information on internet, the buyers of today have a keen sense of
property values. This type of buyer does not want to waste their time viewing an overpriced
property (even if the seller is negotiable) because they have a plethora of homes that are priced
correctly and some real bargains to choose from. Consequently, an overpriced home gets
bypassed.
When the Seller eventually lowers the price to where it should have been in the first place and
below, enough time has passed that buyers assume there is something wrong with the property
and the property gets “market worn”. Oftentimes, these properties sell for less than they
would have had they been priced correctly in the beginning.
A Real Estate professional can usually sell a property for a higher price than a FSBO, according
to a recent National Association of Realtor’s study.
A Real Estate professional is an expert negotiator. It is more difficult for a seller not to get too
emotionally involved, which can hurt negotiations.
A Real Estate Professional knows how to make sure potential buyers are well qualified before
accepting a purchase offer, ensuring a smoother transaction and almost guaranteed outcome.
A Real Estate professional understands the current laws and contracts. FSBOs risk missing
important documentation which can seriously hamper or kill a sale. An unrepresented home
owner can overlook important disclosure and compliance regulations that a trained Real Estate
Agent will know about.
A Real Estate Professional has developed a network of reputable, well priced inspectors, title
companies, escrow companies, septic pumping and inspection companies and can avoid many
pitfalls associated with using an unfamilar vendor.
A Real Estate professional coordinates the closing process helping schedule inspections, dealing
with problems that invariably come up, keeping track of due dates, progress of loan approval,
etc., etc..
National Association of Realtors study shows that 9 out of 10 sellers eventually enlist a Realtor’s
help.
