When people sell their homes, one of the first things they do is look for a real estate agent to work with. However, that isn’t an essential step. Selling your home without a middleman can drastically change the process and can even make it easier to get through.
Set Your Own Terms
Without a real estate agent, you have more autonomy in the sale. For example, you get to choose how to stage and market your home. You don’t need to conform to anyone else’s ideas. This also means you don’t need to make major changes to your home while still living in it unless you want to. You also make the final call on any decisions being made. You can choose when to have showings (or if you even want to host showings). You get to approve offers made by buyers. You determine who to sell to. All the decisions are yours.
Lower Your Costs
When you sell on your own, you also reduce the amount of money you spend on the sale. Real estate agents take 6% of the sale price. This means you have to pay a large commission during the closing of the sale. As the seller, you are also responsible for paying the commissions of both your real estate agent and the real estate agent of your buyer. If you want to lower your costs further, you could consider selling to a cash buyer. Many cash buyers are looking to buy homes as is. This means you would not have to pay to renovate your home before selling.
Attract More Buyers
Most homes that are “For Sale By Owner” are priced differently than other homes. When you sell your home yourself, you may want to price your home slightly lower than other similar homes. This can actually attract more buyers to your home. From there, you can begin your own negotiations with the buyers. Ultimately, you could leave with the price you originally intended for. This process is very beneficial because you are more invested than a realtor would be. It’s your home and you know it better than anyone. It makes sense for you to have the final say on who buys it.
Working with a realtor does offer many benefits. However, it is totally possible to sell your property all on your own–no “middle man” (or woman) necessary. In selling your home on your own, you have more control over the situation and can even make the process more bearable, especially when choosing to sell to a cash buyer.
Check out this article on 11 steps to sell your home fast!
