Quote:
Originally Posted by Agnes
We are debating whether to use a realtor or go FSBO to sell our house. It is a buyer's market here in Florida and it is saturated in our neighborhood - more than 40 houses for sale in a community of 500. On the upside, the price of housing here would appeal to first time buyers and is well below the median price for the county.
Even our realtor has noted that with sales prices falling and the sheer amount of inventory available, getting the right buyer may be hard.
I don't mind paying a commission, but I am wondering whether a realtor is really going to market any harder or more effectively than we could on our own? Obviously the MLS listing is not going to make much of a dent when there are listings upon listings in the same neighborhood and price range. We need some very specific marketing and networking, and perhaps luck.
Any feedback? Does it just depend on the realtor? I am assuming that unless someone falls from the sky into our laps, we will need to offer a commission to a buyer's agent anyway to get traffic, so we'd really just be saving 3% on our realtor.
Also, for a FSBO question, I have small kids, and am curious as to how much of a hassle FSBO would be versus using a realtor. Sometimes the hassle factor trumps the money. I've heard that you should always have two adults present for FSBO showings, for safety. This may be logistically difficult.
Thank you.
P.S. I should note we are in a townhouse community where the units are exactly alike. The only differences are interior renovations and perhaps some patio upgrades.
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You'll have the same hassle factor when it comes to showings either way.
If you sell it yourself and a buyer's agent calls and wants to bring a buyer by tomorrow, you have to have the house looking like a magazine. You leave your key in the mailbox and leave so the buyer and their agent can walk through without feeling like a seller is there cramping the buyer's space.
If you have a listing agent, the only difference is the listing agent may call you and tell you someone wants to see the house but the listing agent generally, these days, does not show up to take the buyer and their agent through your house.
I've sold properties both ways and I think doing it yourself is preferable. These days you can get a low cost MLS package and get the same or better exposure on the internet such as realtor.com, MSN, Yahoo etc and through MLS that an agent would give you. All you need to do is get a good sign for the front of the house; get the house staged and do necessary updates, be ready to take the pictures, pay for the virtual tour, put professional literature together, maybe make a website for the house, pay for local advertising and write good advertsing copy and have a good attorney to review the offers and paperwork etc.
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