For Sale By Owners Not Thinking About Prospective Buyers

If you are thinking of selling your home yourself, you may want to put yourself in the shoes of the Buyers who you are trying to attract.

You are most likely aware that it is the seller that pays the commission of both their REALTOR® and the buyer’s REALTOR®, which is why you are thinking of "saving money" by doing it yourself. If you are thinking about doing it yourself, please consider the following:

Ask yourself this question: Why would a buyer go to a FSBO website or respond to a FSBO ad in the paper instead of searching on the MLS and using a REALTOR®? I mean, what possible benefit does a buyer have by not using a REALTOR® to help them negotiate the best price on the home that they want to buy, when the cost of their REALTOR® is coming out of the seller's net proceeds of sale?

While I can't speak for all buyers of FSBO's, chances are that they believe that it is they that will save money, not the seller. These savvy buyers know that most homeowners don’t truly know the value of their home, and will often list their property for less than it is worth. Or, even worse for you, they could be very experienced negotiators and they know that they can bargain you down because they have refined their skills to manipulate people.

Are you a skilled negotiator who most definitely knows the value of your home and can ensure that you don't undersell yourself? If so, GREAT! Then you are also aware that when two people both know the value of a home and both are trying to end up with the "commission savings" in their pockets, the chances are that you will not be able to come to an agreed price and terms with them.

When you work with a REALTOR® to sell your home, you hire someone trained to negotiate to get you the best price and terms for your home. You also gain an expert in marketing to get the best exposure for your home and an ally who will protect you legally when writing the contract of purchase and sale.

There are many more benefits to using a professional REALTOR® to market and sell your home. If you want the sale of your home to go as smoothly as possible, to have your best interests protected and to sell your home for the most money possible, then you need to work with a professional REALTOR® to sell your home.