Selling Your Home ? Alone or with a Broker?

How do you decide whether to sell your home (or land, farm, ranch, etc.) on your own or use a real estate broker? There are pluses and minuses to each approach. Let's look at some of the key ups and downs. Only you can decide which approach has the most pluses in your situation.

Why go FSBO?

"FSBO" stands for "for sale by owner" and tells buyers you are not using a realtor to represent you. The biggest upside to going FSBO is you save thousands of dollars in broker commissions when you sell the property. This may seem obvious, but the savings are very real.

The downside to going FSBO is it takes your time to market and show the property. (You'll need to prepare your property for sale in either case, but that's a whole separate topic.) You also need to be familiar with how the real estate sales process works in your part of the country. It isn't necessary to be an expert; just make sure you understand what things one must generally deal with in a real estate sales transaction.

Also, it's important to have access to the helpers you need. Examples include a lender who is willing to qualify your prospective buyers, someone qualified and willing to draw the sales contract and a person or firm qualified to close your sales transaction. Fortunately, there are many lenders and settlement offices willing to work directly with the principals to a transaction. And, for the brave and hopefully, very experienced, there are on-line, fill in the blank, sales contracts.

Why use a broker?

Does the above discussion leave you feeling insecure instead of alert, thoughtful, and excited? If so, you probably want a real estate broker to sell your home for you.

Other instances when you may want to use a broker include:

1. Inexperience - If you have not had much experience buying and selling homes, a broker may be the answer.

2. Local Conditions ? Are you aware of the unique issues of the geographic location? If you have bought and sold in Virginia (where termites and radon are concerns) and you are now planning to sell the one home you've owned in Colorado (where water and mineral rights might be on the discussion table), it's possible you may want a broker.

3. Time, Time, Time - If your profession provides for you and your family very well, but takes up enormous amounts of your time, ditto.

4. If you have no notions about how you'd go about marketing your home using the Internet, magazines, newspapers, bulletin boards, brochures, signs, word-of-mouth, etc., a broker can get you the marketing exposure you need.

The Right Choice?

There is no one right choice. Only you can decide what's best for you. Hopefully, this look at the pros and cons will get your mental juices flowing nicely. I hope your sale goes smoothly.

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing homes for sale by owner, "FSBO", properties. Are you thinking, "Should I sell my home?" Visit http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to sell your home sale for free for one month.

---

Purchase Your First Home with Confidence

If you are making the transition from renter to homeowner,... Read More

Conversation & The Real Estate Investor

One key that makes investors is conversation or should I... Read More

Why Average Sale Price Statistics are Misleading

One of the most common statistics used when gauging the... Read More

Home Inspection Checklist - Home Inspectors

Although architectural details, wall and floor coverings, modern conveniences and... Read More

Rental Properties: 10 Ways To Increase Income

What if you want better cash flow from your rental... Read More

Sell Your Home Without Paying Any Commissions

All of us know that real estate commissions can work... Read More

Dubai or not to Buy? A Short Assessment of the Dubai Property Market

Never has there been such an ambitious and creative drive... Read More

Real Estate Internet Marketing Is The Way To Go

Real estate Internet marketing is a booming business, along with... Read More

Real Estate Financing - Ten Ways

Do you remember when real estate financing meant you saved... Read More

Flat Fee MLS Listings - Is This The Future Of Real Estate

Realtors are all a buzz about this new form of... Read More

A Simple Step by Step Aproach to Fail Your Way to a Million Dollars

If You want to be Financially Successful you need to... Read More

Buying Land Online

In the old days people generally only bought land and... Read More

What To Expect From Your House Appraisal

Having your house appraised can be a scary step in... Read More

RESPA: The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) is a consumer... Read More

Seven Tips in Choosing Maui Income Properties

Aloha! If you are interested in choosing a Maui income... Read More

The Devine Secrets Of The Ya Ya Lease Purchase Hood

The biggest secret of conducting a successful lease purchase business... Read More

The Real Estate Market In Spain: Making Profits Out Of Sand

The Real estate market in Spain keeps gaining momentum and... Read More

How To Go About Selling Your Home On Your Own

In days of booming real estate, you would think that... Read More

First Impressions Will Sell Property Fast!

First impressions count, buyers will have already formed an impression... Read More

Real Estate Website Marketing - 5 Steps to Crushing Your Competition and Doubling Your Business

Getting your real estate website more traffic is easy if... Read More

Buying an Unfinished Home Maybe Your Answer

For the first time "want-to-be" homeowner, purchasing an unfinished new... Read More

Real Estate Investing Produces Extraordinary Profits

Imagine making $5000 a year from real estate investing without... Read More

5 Rock-Solid Real Estate Investment Strategies

Investing in real estate is more complex than simply buying... Read More

The Benefits of Fractional Ownership in Private Residence Clubs

A New Way to Own a Vacation Home - For... Read More

Take A Shotgun Approach

An effective real estate advertising strategy entails a 'shotgun' approach.... Read More

Real Estate Investing with Bad Credit!

By being creative, you can play the game of real... Read More

Golf and Waterfront Living: Live, Play, Relax

With today's planned lifestyle communities, golf and boating enthusiasts have... Read More

Are You Trying to Hit a Home Run With Your Prospects Without Asking Them on a Date?

Real Estate email marketingDo you remember the old School girl/boy... Read More

Selling by Owner Tips

Do strangers scare or intimidate you? If you're planning to... Read More

Hiring A Contractor - 10 Mistakes To Avoid

A very smart attorney I know paid $7,000 for a... Read More

Why You Need a Lender to Sell Your Home

Home sellers who are prepared to help buyers find financing... Read More

Log Homes - What is the Log-Home Lifestyle?

Typical log home company advertisements in popular log home magazines... Read More

Real Estate: The Consumers Will Have The Final Word!

"The first step toward change is awareness. The second step... Read More