Dear Olivia,
I’m getting ready to sell my home, and a good friend of mine is insistent that I don’t need a Realtor to do so. She argues that the money I’ll save not having to pay a Realtor will be worth it, but I’m not so sure. Help!
Sincerely,
Confused About Realtors
Technically, you don’t need a Realtor to sell your home. For Sale By Owner properties are all over the place, and you have every right to try to sell your property without the assistance of a Realtor.
As a Realtor, though, I’m obviously in the “yes, you need a Realtor” camp!
As real estate has changed and information has become much more accessible online, it’s been a natural progression for people to wonder what they need a Realtor for anymore.
But for sellers and buyers alike, Realtors provide invaluable services that you can’t get by simply looking at Zillow.
Realtors are Trained Negotiators
The reason not many people choose to represent themselves in court is because the law is complex and confusing and best left to the experts.
The same principle applies to real estate – as a seller, you benefit from the expertise of your Realtor in negotiating a sales price. And this goes beyond simply “driving a hard bargain.” Your Realtor understands the caveats of loan contingencies, allowances, arranging inspections, and so forth, too. Beyond that, Realtors understand how to write up purchase agreements and handle all the other paperwork involved in a real estate transaction.
In that regard, Realtors provide not just expertise, but a real, tangible service in working hard for you to get the best price for your home.
Realtors Pound the Pavement for Your Property
Photo by Taylor Jacobs on Unsplash
While you can put a for sale sign in your yard just as easily as a Realtor, what you can’t do as easily is tap into the vast marketing resources that Realtors have at their disposal.
Some websites like Zillow allow you to list your home as a For Sale By Owner, but many others don’t. What’s more, home sellers don’t have access to the Multiple List Service (MLS) where real estate agents can list and search for properties based on a wide range of criteria, from location to square footage to the number of bathrooms in a home.
From virtual tours to social media posts, drone videos to ads in the local real estate guide, Realtors have a much greater reach to advertise your home than most people have on their own.
Besides, Realtors are in constant contact with one another about properties that are on the market or soon to be on the market, which means for some sellers, there’s interest in their property before it’s even listed!
Realtors Understand the Market
One of the biggest mistakes sellers can make is relying on things like Zillow’s Zestimate to price their home. While Zestimates might be more accurate in larger markets, around here, they are often very far off in terms of being an appropriate price.
That’s where having a seller’s agent in your corner comes in handy.
Realtors have an intimate knowledge of the real estate market and have tools at their disposal for exploring comparable properties and market activity so they can price your home appropriately for a quick sale.
What’s more, a Realtor can help you identify things that might need to be addressed before listing your home, put you in touch with handymen or contractors to do work, recommend lenders, and just generally help you find the assistance you need to be as prepared as possible to get your home sold.
So, while a lot of information about homes can be found online these days, when it comes down to it, Realtors still provide the same functionality we did in the “Dark Ages” before the internet. We negotiate on your behalf, spend countless hours advertising your home, we network with one another, and we know the market like the back of our hands.
All that experience and expertise means one thing – working with a Realtor will get your home sold faster and for more money than if you do it yourself. Money talks, right? So find a Realtor that’s right for you and get your home SOLD!
~Olivia