Why you may not want your home to be a FSBO

FSBOs – homes that are For Sale by Owner – accounted for only about 9% of home sales last year. And many properties that start out as FSBOs end up being listed with and sold by a Realtor. Why, when the housing market is doing so well in so many areas of the country, are so many people still hiring an agent to represent them in the selling process? Here’s why:

The housing market may be heating up, but in today’s competitive market, homes offered by owner get less exposure to home buyers, and in multiple offer situations, fewer bidders. The higher the number of bidders on a property and the more exposure a property gets, the better, when it comes to a home’s selling price.

Also, a common mistake among those selling on their own is pricing their property too high or too low. A real estate agent is armed with information that can help you price your property right so that it sells quickly without leaving money on the table. So it’s not difficult to understand why the typical FSBO home sold for $174,900 last year compared with $215,000 for agent-assisted home sales. Real estate agents can be a tremendous help in having the right listing price and helping home sellers get the most for their property.

But real estate agents do many tasks other than simply helping you get the most money for your property. Agents manage all of the required paperwork involved in selling a home, help the seller determine things they should do before they list their home and during the listing process, and coordinate the other professionals involved in a home sale, such as an inspector and appraiser.

Simply put, research shows that homes sell faster and for more money when a Realtor is involved. And life is definitely lot easier for the seller. What’s not to like about that?