selling using ISOLDMYHOUSE.COM (crime rates, how much, lawyer)

[snowmuchfun]

NCwannabe2,

have you decided what to do yet? I read all the replies and have to say that I tried ISMH.com myself years ago when the market was great - it did not work.... and I also tried to sell a house I owned in the south by myself - again it did not work... Now - you need to understand I am really experienced in the real estate arena, so much so that since I noticed such an issue with selling on your own I went out and got my license ... and then went on to become a broker and now own an agency. I really do feel like I have perspective from both sides.
In this market in MA, there are tons of buyers out there, but they are waiting for a real bargain. Is your house one of the lease expensive or most expensive in your area? ..
Valerie is right on when she says you need to see how the other homes in your area sold .. not just the price, but also look at the days on the market.
The most important time for your house is the first two weeks. You need to make an impact! you need to stage your house and have all your personal stuff cleared out - not just in boxes .. make your home look like it could be the next buyers home. Make sure to look at thoses "Sell your House" programs on HGTV... you can get really good hints there.
Finally, in my personal experience, a lot of times a buyer will automatically reduce their offer from the asking price by the commission they know a FBSO will be saving. Unfortunately I have also seen agents not direct their clients to a fsbo house purely because it is a fsbo! .... it's hard to sell a house in any market other than a sellers market, so do yourself a favor and hire a realtor to get you the best price ... interview 3 and ask of their experience etc ... I'd be happy to help you further if you wish to DM me .. Good Luck ..

[ncwannabe2]

Originally Posted by snowmuchfun

NCwannabe2,

have you decided what to do yet? I read all the replies and have to say that I tried ISMH.com myself years ago when the market was great - it did not work.... and I also tried to sell a house I owned in the south by myself - again it did not work... Now - you need to understand I am really experienced in the real estate arena, so much so that since I noticed such an issue with selling on your own I went out and got my license ... and then went on to become a broker and now own an agency. I really do feel like I have perspective from both sides.
In this market in MA, there are tons of buyers out there, but they are waiting for a real bargain. Is your house one of the lease expensive or most expensive in your area? ..
Valerie is right on when she says you need to see how the other homes in your area sold .. not just the price, but also look at the days on the market.
The most important time for your house is the first two weeks. You need to make an impact! you need to stage your house and have all your personal stuff cleared out - not just in boxes .. make your home look like it could be the next buyers home. Make sure to look at thoses "Sell your House" programs on HGTV... you can get really good hints there.
Finally, in my personal experience, a lot of times a buyer will automatically reduce their offer from the asking price by the commission they know a FBSO will be saving. Unfortunately I have also seen agents not direct their clients to a fsbo house purely because it is a fsbo! .... it's hard to sell a house in any market other than a sellers market, so do yourself a favor and hire a realtor to get you the best price ... interview 3 and ask of their experience etc ... I'd be happy to help you further if you wish to DM me .. Good Luck ..

I have not decided 100% what I will do. For now, I have a For Sale sign on the front lawn and have a brochure that I created that I will distribute around town. I may even bring my brochure to the local RE offices with the intention of a co-broke.

I am the only house for sale in my 150 home development, and am probably valued in the top 20%, mostly because of my location, the family room addition and custom kitchen that we did a few years ago.

I am still leaning toward getting my house in MLS the cheapest way possible, which at this point seems to be ISMH.com. An MLS listing is an MLS listing, what difference does it make who puts it in, a full realtor or ISMH. And if I am willing to do a 2.5% co-broke, why wouldn't a buying agent bring their clients by. If they are not the listing broker, it really shouldn't matter to them whether I listed myself or another broker did. Please tell me where my logic doesn't make sense here.

My target audience are the home buyers themselves, all of whom should have complete access to MLS through the internet. I am counting on them to see my house and either contact me directly, or have their agent bring them by.

I guess one of my main reasons for using ISMH, is that if by chance I get a buyer form word of mouth, I don't have to pay any commission. If I do list with Selling Agent, and I happen to sell it "on my own", I still have to fork over $25k. That's a concern.

I am open to listening to those on this forum. I just need to make sure it makes sense to me.

[mindy410]

Hi I just wanted to let you know I offered realtors 2.5% and sent emails and flyers to over 60 realtors and not one brought someone to my house. I didnt understand why they would not bring anyone when they would get 2.5% and i think its because they have so many listings that are not selling why would they bring anyone to mine. Also I heard realtors don't like when we try to sell on our own so thats why they dont bring people to our houses. I ended up going with a realtor and I still dont have people comming to my house. I think the market is just real bad right now. mindy

[bluewatergirl888]

I don't think ismh.com puts listings into MLS, I think they just put it on their website. I could be wrong, as I have never used thier service before. Does anyone know the answer to this?

[ncwannabe2]

Originally Posted by bluewatergirl888

I don't think ismh.com puts listings into MLS, I think they just put it on their website. I could be wrong, as I have never used thier service before. Does anyone know the answer to this?

Yes, ISMH offers MLS listing for about $385.

[ncwannabe2]

Originally Posted by mindy410

Hi I just wanted to let you know I offered realtors 2.5% and sent emails and flyers to over 60 realtors and not one brought someone to my house. I didnt understand why they would not bring anyone when they would get 2.5% and i think its because they have so many listings that are not selling why would they bring anyone to mine. Also I heard realtors don't like when we try to sell on our own so thats why they dont bring people to our houses. I ended up going with a realtor and I still dont have people comming to my house. I think the market is just real bad right now. mindy

See, I just don't get that Mindy. If you are offering 2.5%, why wouldn't a realtor show your house. You are offering as much as the guy down the street that is listing with a realtor. I understand that realtors want to sell their own listings, but realistically, how often does that happen. I think times have changed and will continue to do so. With the increase usage of the internet and ability to list on MLS for just a few hundred dollars, I wouldn't be surprised to see listing agents go by the wayside in 10 more years and realtors are just on the buying end. (I can hear everyone laughing at that one).

I am still a couple of weeks away from getting it onto MLS. I have the sign on the front lawn with a nice brochure. I have emailed my brochure to about 100 people in town. A few have already responded that they will post at work. In fact, my neighbor just sent it out to about 50 of her contacts. I also will post in a number of local businesses. I guess that is the advantage of a small town.

As far as your property, is there a lot of competition? It is a bummer that you are not seeing any traction. Are other houses selling around you?

[Valerie C]

What you may not understand is that we don't hook our Buyer clients into only looking at certain homes. All of the information on available homes that fit their criteria is available to them, and they chose which houses they want to see the inside of. Many homes are "put on the back shelf" for one reason or another. It's frustrating for Sellers, but a fact of life: Buyer's are in the drivers seat. Offer them a bargain and some incentives and they *may* chose to come take a look...

Originally Posted by mindy410

Hi I just wanted to let you know I offered realtors 2.5% and sent emails and flyers to over 60 realtors and not one brought someone to my house. I didnt understand why they would not bring anyone when they would get 2.5% and i think its because they have so many listings that are not selling why would they bring anyone to mine. Also I heard realtors don't like when we try to sell on our own so thats why they dont bring people to our houses. I ended up going with a realtor and I still dont have people comming to my house. I think the market is just real bad right now. mindy

[NY'er lost in MA]

some realtors stay away from listings like that because they think they'll have to do more work due to the absence of a listing agent.

I'll just leave it at that.....

[Valerie C]

I for one have no problem working with unrepresented Sellers. Since they're not paying for professional representation, they are sometimes more willing to budge on certain concessions/conditions to Buyers. Plus, any questions they have, they go see nice Mr. or Mrs Lawyer to get the answer, who charges by the syllable. It's not worth my license to offer "free advice" to someone who chose to do it on their own, and could turn on me in a heartbeat. I work in the best interest of my client at all times...

[haberstroh]

Originally Posted by NY'er lost in MA

some realtors stay away from listings like that because they think they'll have to do more work due to the absence of a listing agent.

Your are right that is to much to ask for lets say for $12500 on a $500000 sale. Especially if you work with a lawyer.