Selling a home is one of those things that seems easier than it really is. What many people don’t realize is that a real estate transaction has many facets that range from knowledge of local markets and pricing to the intricacies of contracts and closing documents.
If you believe you are prepared to sell your own home, you should make sure you understand exactly what a professional real estate agent does on behalf of a home seller and assess whether or not you can perform the same tasks. For example, do you understand local price trends? Do you have access to place your listing on the best and most appropriate websites? Are you equipped to negotiate the contract terms and ensure all critical paperwork is handled properly?
More and more home sellers are realizing the benefit of using a real estate agent to sell their homes. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only 8 percent of home sales last year were for-sale-by-owner sales. This is the fewest number of for-sale-by-owner sales since 1981, when tracking of this statistic began.
What’s more, homes sold with the help of a real estate professional typically sell for more than those sold by an owner. This should assure sellers who are hesitant to pay a commission that the benefits of using a real estate agent almost always outweigh the fee charged.
