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My hubby and I have decided to go our separate ways and would like to sell our Cary home. However, we don't really know how to go about it. We've owned our home for a 1.5+ years. We love the home, but one of us alone cannot afford to keep it.
I know we're supposed to look at other homes that have sold in our neighborhood for comparable listing prices, but we really don't feel like there are any. We live in the Arlington Park section of Amberly, which is a fairly new neighborhood, and the few houses that have resold are all much larger than ours. We have the smallest model size in the neighborhood (single family home, not townhouse), however it is also has the nicest interior in comparison (we opted for many upgrades - granite, hardwood, etc.).
We know that people tend to look at the price/sq ft as a general rule, and we fear that this will work against us since it does not take into account the upgrades, etc. In addition, we also have one of the largest lots in the neighborhood, upgraded with a fence, which also does not factor into the price/sq ft calculation. How true is this assumption? Do people really rely much on this metric?
We've listed our house on craigslists via a very simple preliminary ad, just to see what interest it would spark, but have only received calls from realtors. They are all asking for about 5% commision. Is this standard? Is it negotiable? Do you think it is much more worth it than to try and go the FSBO route? We would like to ideally at least break even, but do not see that as being possible with such a high commision.
I would focus less on commission shopping and focus more on results. Is the goal to find the lowest commission or get the house sold? Focus on the main objective (getting the house sold). Getting the house sold means getting it priced right the first time and marketing it well. Find the best way for you to do those things. Everything else is secondary IMHO.
We've listed our house on craigslists via a very simple preliminary ad, just to see what interest it would spark, but have only received calls from realtors. They are all asking for about 5% commision. Is this standard? Is it negotiable? Do you think it is much more worth it than to try and go the FSBO route? We would like to ideally at least break even, but do not see that as being possible with such a high commision.
Any realtor advice is appreciated!
Commissions are negotiable.
That said, you should concentrate on what works best for your situation. When you go with a real estate broker, you are paying for that expertise in pricing, marketing, and ultimately, selling your home. You will need to decide how much that expertise is worth to you.
Interview several realtors. Based on my experience, they will show up with some information on comparable sales, and they will make a recommendation on a reasonable price point. Pick that one that has the best combination of commission, price, and recently closed sales. Don't just pick the one with the lowest commission; I've personally made that mistake even though I should have known better (I have realtors in my family). Take the realtor recommendations of people on this board (they can direct message them, they cannot post them) rather than the ones who solicit you on Craigslist. Even if you ultimately decide to FSBO (and I tend to think you might not want to do this as you sound a little overwhelmed by the process), interviewing realtors is helpful.
I'm not sure how things work in NC but when we sold a home in another state with a lower priced commission real estate agency, we added an incentive of $1000 to the selling agent so as to encourage the other "regular priced" commissioned agents from turning up their noses to our listing.
Just a thought.
Best,
~toodie
elle67 before commissions and house prices and sales opportunities, let me first say sorry you had to part ways. Always a tough tough situation!
As the other posters said, especially NRG look for results. Make sure the projected results match your specific objectives or you both will be disappointed in yet another situation. Commission is not always a good measuring stick when your weighing something. One would use a scale to weigh not a ruler!
There are many very good Realtors that contribute to this forum, I'm sure you could link up with one of those to make sure your end result can meet your objectives!
Again, sorry to hear about your marriage, best of luck in your home sale.
Not gonna be much help but I think you should consider yourself lucky to be getting interest from just your craigslist ad! This is a tough time to sell a house that is for sure. We are currently debating taking ours off the market till spring (or 2050)!
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