Author Topic: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?  (Read 2103 times)

DK82

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Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« on: January 03, 2024, 01:34:38 PM »
I'm planning to put a townhome on the market in the coming months.  Homes in my area are still going for right around list price.  I know exactly what it's worth based on other recent sales in my community (identical layout and square footage, very similar quality, etc).  I'm thinking of hiring a photographer to take pictures, pay the fee to get it on the MLS on my own, hire a Real Estate Attorney to help facilitate the transaction, and save paying someone 6% of my home's value just to serve as a middle man in the process. 

I don't want to undermine what realtors do -- I think some are very good at what they do and in general I'm a fan of paying experts for their expertise, but this just seems like a situation where it'd be a huge waste of money since I don't need anyone to tell me what the comps are.  That being said, I've never NOT used a realtor to buy or sell a home, so wanted to get this community's take on if this is a foolish idea or if I'm missing anything obvious here. 

Edit:  I've decided to go ahead and list it myself, but want to ensure it gets on the MLS.  These "flat fee" companies sure do invest quite a bit in SEO optimization, making it a bit murky when trying to find a good/reputable firm to pay to list it.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  Or are they all essentially providing the same service so it doesn't necessarily matter who I pay to simply list it?
« Last Edit: February 05, 2024, 12:49:43 PM by DK82 »

uniwelder

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2024, 02:28:15 PM »
We sold our last house ourselves and would do it again.  I also bought two houses without an agent prior to that.

We listed it on Zillow, though FSBO listings take an extra click to show up now, so you need someone looking for that on the screen.  You'll probably only save 3% though.  Most likely someone will already have an agent they are working with, so you'll lose them unless you make a concession.  Make sure you write in your ad that you're willing to pay a 3% fee to the buyer's agent, just to get that out in the open from the start.

A friend took pictures with her fancy (at the time) iPhone that were as good (sadly they were much better than some other homes in our area) as most other listings.  More important than the camera, as long as it has a wide angle, is having someone that takes photos from good locations and focuses on the key elements of the property.  I would not pay for a professional photographer.

I had an appraisal done, which I would highly recommend, which cost about $500.  Regardless of comps, I think having a professional appraisal is important if you're selling yourself.  I would even write that in the listing, so people know your asking price is justified, and then list your house at that amount.

I was present at all showings and people (agents and the potential buyers) all seemed impressed that they were talking directly to the owner when they had any questions.  We did a tremendous amount of work in the home, so I was able to explain how everything was done.  Housing was, and still is, in such great demand, the buyer's agent was happy to work with us in providing all the proper forms.  I apparently neglected providing a lead disclosure form when showing the house.  In my area, the buyer chooses the real estate attorney, so you'll probably be using whoever they want.

edited to add--- my area was traditionally considered slow for real estate--- poor, rural Appalachia.  Long time neighbors generally said to expect it to sit for a few months before the right person came along.  I ended up with a dozen calls and about 6 showings in the first week, with two offers slightly over the appraised price.  Timing was key, as this was March 2021, but I think you'd have even better results since townhouses are generally in more populated areas and housing is still very much in demand.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2024, 02:39:33 PM by uniwelder »

DK82

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2024, 02:52:21 PM »
We sold our last house ourselves and would do it again.  I also bought two houses without an agent prior to that.

We listed it on Zillow, though FSBO listings take an extra click to show up now, so you need someone looking for that on the screen.
Thank you for your reply.  With regards to this part in particular -- my understanding is that homeowners can pay a flat fee to ensure it shows up on the MLS, is that not correct?

uniwelder

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2024, 03:02:28 PM »
We sold our last house ourselves and would do it again.  I also bought two houses without an agent prior to that.

We listed it on Zillow, though FSBO listings take an extra click to show up now, so you need someone looking for that on the screen.
Thank you for your reply.  With regards to this part in particular -- my understanding is that homeowners can pay a flat fee to ensure it shows up on the MLS, is that not correct?

I know there are sites to do that, but we didn’t go that route. I’m not sure it mattered. There were so few houses for sale, versus people looking, that I think they were checking every available source for new listings.

Edited to add— you could always list it for free for a week, then if not satisfied with the level of response, pay to get it on the MLS.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2024, 03:17:49 PM by uniwelder »

uniwelder

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2024, 04:28:08 PM »
Something else I did, that you may or may not feel comfortable with, is to call listings on Zillow or Facebook Martketplace in your area.  I explained that I was not looking to buy their home, but was interested in selling my own house without a realtor.  Most people were very happy to talk with me and answer questions, though I also gave them a lot of personal information as well--- all the details of my house, address, etc.  I followed up with some of them a month later to see why the house was still listed or if it was under contract.  Depending on where you live, you might not be welcomed as warmly as I was, but no harm in asking.

Some questions were--- 1) who did photos? 2) how did you determine price? 3) how many people have called or come to see it? and how quick was the response once the ad went up? 4) how have real estate agents reacted towards you? 5) did you have any prior experience selling a home?  6) do you find the experience to be a pain or is it easier than expected?

Jon Bon

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2024, 06:17:58 AM »
Just google flat fee listing (your state or city) there is generally a person or two specializes in it that are local.

I've done it a few times, $500 bucks gets you in the MLS. Realtors will call you to insure you are still willing to pay their cartel or they wont show your house. So you can easily save the 3%

With Zillow, I might just try FSBO first for a few weeks. Its free and basically a mini MLS all on its own.

clarkfan1979

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2024, 09:06:47 AM »
If you have a good real estate agent, they are worth the 3%.

There are many bad real estate agents that are not good enough to justify the the 3% commission.

For me personally, I would spend my time looking for the good real estate agent and not self-listing (FSBO).

Jon Bon

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2024, 07:20:15 PM »
If you have a good real estate agent, they are worth the 3%.

There are many bad real estate agents that are not good enough to justify the the 3% commission.

For me personally, I would spend my time looking for the good real estate agent and not self-listing (FSBO).

What does a sellers agent do other then put you in the MLS?

Pictures? Staging? Pricing? Negotiate?

Their job is to literally take the first reasonable offer that they receive, them holding out for 5% more money that they could likely get means they make almost no extra money but have to do more work. So they simply don't do it.

**Crap I think a rant is coming on**

The four points above can be easily done by everyone on this website. I get the appeal of a buyers agent if your new to an area. But remember in most states RE agents have almost zero training. In my state its 120 hours at a for profit college. Hell a few years ago it was only 40!

Also fun fact most folks don't know. Every house sale is the same (in my state)! They all use the same document, they just fill in a few blanks. It is about as simple as color by numbers. So the myth of a house sale being "complex" is simply not true. The parts that can be complex (math of the closing documents, title search etc) is all handled by the title agency. They are the brains and the professionals behind a house closing.

Lastly, don't forget the the NAR is a cartel. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/05/homes/nar-verdict-real-estate-commission-fee/index.html

**Apologies for the rant**

That one really got away from me, Cheers!






Omy

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2024, 04:35:31 AM »
I'm a retired realtor, and I hired an excellent, experienced listing agent when I sold my rental home last summer. I never considered selling it myself even though I had 15 years of experience and had sold hundreds of homes. I was too rusty and didn't need the headaches.

My listing agent's expertise was priceless. She was on top of pricing the home correctly. She was on top of recent law changes that affected our sale. She was helpful with disclosures. Her photos and open houses got lots of feet in the door. She was strategic in her recommendations for improvements we should do and improvements we could ignore. And she kept me from having to deal directly with the buyers.

It's so easy for the owner to be myopic when selling their own home - and to say or do something that jeopardizes the sale.

I actually talked my agent into pricing the home for $10k+ less than she suggested because I thought her pricing was a bit aggressive. The house sold for almost $30k over asking because she secured 2 great offers - and one of the offers had zero contingencies. She vetted the buyers to make sure that they were completely approved for financing.

She and I were concerned the house would not appraise at the unprecedented offer price, but she was able to justify the crazy sales price to the appraiser. She definitely earned her keep...and I will hire her when I sell my other homes.

If the agents you've hired have just thrown the listing in the MLS and not done much else, you're hiring the wrong people.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2024, 12:44:36 PM by Omy »

neo von retorch

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2024, 07:51:15 AM »
If the agents you've hired have just thrown the listing in the MLS and not done much else, you're hiring the wrong people.

The problem is... that you largely get a 60 minute interview with a profession you're not in. What questions can you ask that will give you answers that you can competently assess?

I've seen what a great realtor can do, and I have not once begrudged her sales commission. She sold my old house / old rental and we engaged her to help us find a home as we move back closer to family. But every other realtor I've encountered has left me feeling disappointed. We've interviewed a few realtors for selling our house in this area, and haven't been impressed yet. They give very standard answers about square footage and then say "my feelings are that buyers won't care in this hot market" but 10 minutes later say "list now before the market cools off, I just know it" and "list $50k lower than what you have in mind to sell it fast" - uh huh, who does that benefit? You or me? How about we make the house stand out in this market, and price it right?

What we really want (out of a selling agent) is a realtor that knows the up-to-date market well enough to know what are deal-breakers for buyers, where spending $5k will get you 3 more offers driving the price up $10k, where buyers literally won't care so don't waste your money. And to have great connections - a great photographer and writer, other realtors that they might draw to you. When we were selling, our realtor knew great contractors and coordinated herself the flooring installation, various repairs, paint, and photography. There's no way to accurately measure how things would go with and without a realtor because it often comes down to the market at that moment, and the house. We were selling in PA in June 2020, and it was a mad house because COVID had paused the real estate market for ~2-3 months! So we ended up with 50 showings, 8 written offers, and getting 15% over our list price. Our realtor was instrumental, but ultimately the premium came from buyer desperation!

uniwelder

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2024, 08:38:40 AM »
If the agents you've hired have just thrown the listing in the MLS and not done much else, you're hiring the wrong people.
The problem is... that you largely get a 60 minute interview with a profession you're not in. What questions can you ask that will give you answers that you can competently assess?

I've seen what a great realtor can do, and I have not once begrudged her sales commission. She sold my old house / old rental and we engaged her to help us find a home as we move back closer to family. But every other realtor I've encountered has left me feeling disappointed. We've interviewed a few realtors for selling our house in this area, and haven't been impressed yet.

I used an agent for the first rental I purchased.  She was highly recommended by a friend and was totally awesome.  However, she retired shortly after, and I haven't found anyone like her again.  Some of the standouts---

1) She had her broker's license and worked independently.  The only reason she wasn't busy with other clients at the time and was willing to look at sub 100k houses was because we were in real estate slump-- winter 2010.

2) She knew construction and did a full inspection walk through with me.  She was familiar with old construction (1940's) and everything to look for.  Her husband was a general contractor.  When it came time for the contract, she also recommended a home inspector that most real estate agents hate because he is so meticulous.

3) Since this was my first rental, I went in without understanding what landlording was all about.  She took the time to go through the finances for each house being considered, what kind of tenant I'd be renting to, etc.  She owned about 20 properties and had 30 years of experience in this area.

4) I had a few houses I was interested in seeing and didn't want to waste her time, but she insisted on showing me several others.  One or two just because they were examples of what not to buy or things to look for.  I learned a lot.

Perhaps I got spoiled?  For the price of the commission, I feel like all real estate agents should be as great as she was, but my experiences since then have been quite disappointing.  We did find someone we like (the buyer's agent of our house) that have used for a recent purchase, but thats because the commission is already set and most selling agents require you to have your own buyer's agent.

DK82

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2024, 03:35:30 PM »
If you have a good real estate agent, they are worth the 3%.

There are many bad real estate agents that are not good enough to justify the the 3% commission.

For me personally, I would spend my time looking for the good real estate agent and not self-listing (FSBO).

What does a sellers agent do other then put you in the MLS?

Pictures? Staging? Pricing? Negotiate?

Right, see this is where I'm at.  I can spend a few hundred on a photographer.  I know with very near precision what my home will sell for.  So the main value in a realtor to me comes down to staging and the "hey, do this, fix that, paint this, upgrade that, etc before you list." 

I'm FAR from an interior designer, but feel like I could reasonably spot most of this stuff with the eye test.  And in an extreme seller's market with very limited inventory (here at least), I'm not sure how much of that would even matter. 

Jon Bon

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #12 on: January 07, 2024, 05:37:15 PM »
I really think that selling a house is such an emotionally charged decision for so many people they are happy to pay for the person who has "been there before" so to speak. Just an advisor who will check their work, and make sure they don't do anything particularly stupid.

Hell half the sellers agents job is to tell folks to take 75% of the crap out of their house and clean it!

It is really hard for most people to be dealing with that sort of dollar amounts, and signing up for something you could be paying for 30 years. So I totally get the advisor role. However I think a  RE lawyer would be about 10x better and likely cheaper than 3%

But then again they are a cartel, so you pay to play!






DK82

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2024, 12:49:16 PM »
I've decided to go ahead and list it myself, but want to ensure it gets on the MLS.  These "flat fee" companies sure do invest quite a bit in SEO optimization, making it a bit murky when trying to find a good/reputable firm to pay to list it.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  Or are they all essentially providing the same service so it doesn't necessarily matter who I pay to simply list it?

Dicey

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2024, 01:41:09 PM »
I would be worried about attracting scammers. IMO, most DIY sellers are penny wise and pound foolish. Only in very limited circumstances would I even consider it. I've made plenty of money in the RE game and never had a realtor who wasn't worth every penny. OTOH, I an very careful about who choose to represent me. As I write this, It just occurred to me that I've only accepted one offer that wasn't significantly over asking on any house I've sold with an agent,* and that one time was because I wanted a specific buyer.

*It also occurs to me that everyone I've ever used is also a broker, which is a higher level of certification and experience.

Jon Bon

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #15 on: February 05, 2024, 03:02:45 PM »
I've decided to go ahead and list it myself, but want to ensure it gets on the MLS.  These "flat fee" companies sure do invest quite a bit in SEO optimization, making it a bit murky when trying to find a good/reputable firm to pay to list it.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  Or are they all essentially providing the same service so it doesn't necessarily matter who I pay to simply list it?

RE is local or at best regional. My lady only does flat fee listing within 100 miles of my location. Google them and talk to them on the phone. Ask around, talk to former customers, trust your gut.

There is really no "firm" in my area its just a card carrying realtor puts it in the MLS for you. The only difference is she charges me $500, versus 3% of the total. I don't think a nationwide outfit is what you want, just a regular person who lives in your city, and basically posts zillow ads for a living.




DK82

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #16 on: February 06, 2024, 08:25:19 AM »
I've decided to go ahead and list it myself, but want to ensure it gets on the MLS.  These "flat fee" companies sure do invest quite a bit in SEO optimization, making it a bit murky when trying to find a good/reputable firm to pay to list it.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  Or are they all essentially providing the same service so it doesn't necessarily matter who I pay to simply list it?

RE is local or at best regional. My lady only does flat fee listing within 100 miles of my location. Google them and talk to them on the phone. Ask around, talk to former customers, trust your gut.

There is really no "firm" in my area its just a card carrying realtor puts it in the MLS for you. The only difference is she charges me $500, versus 3% of the total. I don't think a nationwide outfit is what you want, just a regular person who lives in your city, and basically posts zillow ads for a living.
$500 just to get it on the MLS?  There are multiple organizations that do it for far less than that -- Beycome and Homecoin look to be the two most popular.  I'm going to pay a photographer to take pictures, so I literally only need the MLS itself, no other bells and whistles. 

iris lily

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #17 on: February 06, 2024, 10:03:14 AM »
We sold our house we had lived in for 33 years to a couple who knocked on our door, having heard we would be selling.

We did ise the servcies of a real estate agent eho happens to be a close friend and who is very good. We signed on with him at a 3% commission because we found our own buyers. We signed on with the understanding that if this buyer fell through, we would do a normal full listing fee for a full multiple listing service.

He helped us determine the price even though we had a pretty good idea. Houses like ours were selling like hotcakes. We could’ve gotten more money but it would’ve meant polishing up the house quite a lot. We were just ready to move since we already had our other house, and, we are old and have money so the realtor fee didn’t bother us.

As it turns out, he did have some negotiating to do because our sewer needed replacement so that took some back-and-forth between buyer and seller.

It all went smoothly though. Because we have used him in buying other property that it was 10% as much as the house we sold, we knew he was always very thorough and professional.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2024, 05:45:05 PM by iris lily »

Omy

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #18 on: February 06, 2024, 10:11:47 AM »
$500 seems reasonable - I wouldn't do it for less. The agent has to input remarks and photos and that can take a few hours to do correctly. The agent will need to update status along the way - and will likely be fielding some of your calls because their number is in the listing automatically as the agent of record.

LiveLean

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #19 on: February 21, 2024, 10:23:12 AM »
I got my real estate license in 2001 after feeling like I was getting screwed the entire process of buying my first home. It was a good education and I've dutifully renewed it every two years. It doesn't take much time and is inexpensive.

I've never worked as a Realtor and I would never represent myself in a FSBO. I've been involved in six transactions in the last three years between handling a family member's estate and downsizing. In all six, the opposing party has been difficult and I can't imagine dealing with those folks directly. The Realtor is an important buffer. You want someone to setup/deal with appraisals, home inspections, etc. You want someone to give you an honest look about how your place needs staged, if only for online photos. Our for-sale house of 25 years has never looked better and all we did, as per the Realtor's advice, was get rid of some furniture and put crap away. I had another real estate team handle a difficult out-of-state sale that took 15 months. They showed it countless times. Nobody has ever earned a 6 percent commish more. Here in Florida, it's so competitive that 5 percent is the going rate. Still worth it.

Some Realtors suck, like any other field. But most experienced ones are worth their 5-6 percent.

Archipelago

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #20 on: February 21, 2024, 01:37:55 PM »
I'm with Jon Bon and DK82 on this one. We live in a digital age where real estate information is readily available. It's not difficult to look up comps and reasonably price a house. Some people might not want to put the time and effort into DIYing it. That's OK. I have no problem with the DIY approach if it means saving 5-6%. That's a lot of money.

I don't really believe in realtors needing to handle negotiations either. I prefer just communicating directly with the buyer/seller. If we're not able to negotiate in good faith and come up with a deal, it's pretty simple to walk away and move on to the next person.

YMMV. I'd say give it a try and if it doesn't work out, you can always hire a realtor.

Dicey

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #21 on: February 21, 2024, 05:46:51 PM »
I'm with Jon Bon and DK82 on this one. We live in a digital age where real estate information is readily available. It's not difficult to look up comps and reasonably price a house. Some people might not want to put the time and effort into DIYing it. That's OK. I have no problem with the DIY approach if it means saving 5-6%. That's a lot of money.

I don't really believe in realtors needing to handle negotiations either. I prefer just communicating directly with the buyer/seller. If we're not able to negotiate in good faith and come up with a deal, it's pretty simple to walk away and move on to the next person.

YMMV. I'd say give it a try and if it doesn't work out, you can always hire a realtor.
If we look at the comps for our house on RF or Z, we get a certain number. If we search the "Solds" for the same amount of money, we don't get anything comparable. They're all older/smaller/less desirable/wrong school district/whatever. A good realtor will have the up close and personal experience that RF and Z do not.

DK82

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #22 on: February 21, 2024, 07:43:34 PM »
I got my real estate license in 2001 after feeling like I was getting screwed the entire process of buying my first home. It was a good education and I've dutifully renewed it every two years. It doesn't take much time and is inexpensive.

I've never worked as a Realtor and I would never represent myself in a FSBO. I've been involved in six transactions in the last three years between handling a family member's estate and downsizing. In all six, the opposing party has been difficult and I can't imagine dealing with those folks directly. The Realtor is an important buffer. You want someone to setup/deal with appraisals, home inspections, etc. You want someone to give you an honest look about how your place needs staged, if only for online photos. Our for-sale house of 25 years has never looked better and all we did, as per the Realtor's advice, was get rid of some furniture and put crap away. I had another real estate team handle a difficult out-of-state sale that took 15 months. They showed it countless times. Nobody has ever earned a 6 percent commish more. Here in Florida, it's so competitive that 5 percent is the going rate. Still worth it.

Some Realtors suck, like any other field. But most experienced ones are worth their 5-6 percent.
I don't want to cherry pick your post, but this part struck me as odd -- was it really worth paying someone 2.5-3% of your home's value just to tell you to pack away some things?  Couldn't you have just paid an interior design consultant type person for an hour or two of their time and saved thousands of dollars to get the same advice?

uniwelder

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #23 on: February 21, 2024, 08:08:04 PM »
I'm with Jon Bon and DK82 on this one. We live in a digital age where real estate information is readily available. It's not difficult to look up comps and reasonably price a house. Some people might not want to put the time and effort into DIYing it. That's OK. I have no problem with the DIY approach if it means saving 5-6%. That's a lot of money.

I don't really believe in realtors needing to handle negotiations either. I prefer just communicating directly with the buyer/seller. If we're not able to negotiate in good faith and come up with a deal, it's pretty simple to walk away and move on to the next person.

YMMV. I'd say give it a try and if it doesn't work out, you can always hire a realtor.
If we look at the comps for our house on RF or Z, we get a certain number. If we search the "Solds" for the same amount of money, we don't get anything comparable. They're all older/smaller/less desirable/wrong school district/whatever. A good realtor will have the up close and personal experience that RF and Z do not.

An alternative is to pay an appraiser $500-700

Dicey

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #24 on: February 21, 2024, 09:36:11 PM »
I'm with Jon Bon and DK82 on this one. We live in a digital age where real estate information is readily available. It's not difficult to look up comps and reasonably price a house. Some people might not want to put the time and effort into DIYing it. That's OK. I have no problem with the DIY approach if it means saving 5-6%. That's a lot of money.

I don't really believe in realtors needing to handle negotiations either. I prefer just communicating directly with the buyer/seller. If we're not able to negotiate in good faith and come up with a deal, it's pretty simple to walk away and move on to the next person.

YMMV. I'd say give it a try and if it doesn't work out, you can always hire a realtor.
If we look at the comps for our house on RF or Z, we get a certain number. If we search the "Solds" for the same amount of money, we don't get anything comparable. They're all older/smaller/less desirable/wrong school district/whatever. A good realtor will have the up close and personal experience that RF and Z do not.

An alternative is to pay an appraiser $500-700
Hahaha, I was doing a re-fi on a rental house once and I was afraid it wouldn't appraise. When the appraiser called to schedule the appointment, I gave them a list of the upgrades that had been done to the house when I had it built. I gave them a bunch of info on how to spot the builder's upgrades. (Examples: if the refrigerator has cabinetry surrounding it, that's the Gourmet Kitchen upgrade, and it cost $XXXX extra when the house was built. If there is an extra vent on the side of the garage, that's an extend garage, and it cost $XXXX extra.) They were very appreciative, and I ended up with a ridiculously high appraisal. Had I actually listed it at that price, it never have sold. At least my re-fi was approved.

To clarify, this house is in a very large development built by a single builder. The info I gave the appraiser was extremely useful to them for future use.

Chris Pascale

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #25 on: March 16, 2024, 08:08:39 AM »
We sold a house without a realtor. Got an offer we liked (full price, cash offer).

I called my lawyer and said, "I'm not sure what to do next." He said, 'you probably have a file folder called important papers' and told me the 2 or 3 papers to send him.

That was the whole thing. Saved myself about $17,000.

Had we not had an offer before the open house, we would have given half the commission to the buyer's realtor, but in this case we didn't have to. If I sell my current home in the next 20 years, I wouldn't use a realtor, but would be willing to pay the realtor who brings a customer.

Silrossi46

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #26 on: March 17, 2024, 08:23:07 AM »
In my area homes are selling in a day with multiple offers.  I’d rather take a chance in finding a buyer without an agent.  In the case where there is an agent I’d be willing to pay the 3% to the buyers agent  sure no problem I am just increasing the bottom line price I want by 3%.

In a hot market the listing/selling  agents don’t  do much.  Shuffle some papers around and collect 3%.  No thanks

My home is 800-850 conservative.  At 800 that’s (48,000) 6% pilfered away to others.  There is  no world that makes sense to me.  In this digital age realtors are just an antiquated model that acts literally as a middle person.   Most of the realtors I know don’t even know anything about houses they just know the area.  So what real advice are you getting?? 

Jon Bon

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #27 on: March 17, 2024, 02:14:35 PM »
The cartel has done a really good job conditioning everyone to believe that RE agents are a group of highly trained professionals on the level with lawyers and engineers.

When in reality most of them have taken 40 hours of classroom training at a for profit institution to get their license.

So yeah really glad to see they got their asses handed to them in the class action, and were falling all over themselves to settle because going to trial would be even worse for them.




Chris Pascale

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Re: Selling FSBO rather than using a Realtor?
« Reply #28 on: March 18, 2024, 11:41:54 AM »
conditioning everyone to believe that RE agents are a group of highly trained professionals on the level with lawyers and engineers.


Yeah, it's pretty weird when we have enough information, just in the fact that we know people who are realtors.