The house you are living in was a wise purchase when you bought it, but now you want or need to sell! You could be upsizing, downsizing, relocating or just want to live in a different part of town. This is when you come to the crossroads of hiring a realtor or just selling it yourself. Money is always the factor here–Have you heard of those OUTRAGEOUS fees that REALTORS charge??– and everyone wants to save a buck or two! Besides, Ralph, over there, he sold his home by himself, so why can’t I?? Well, you can. Personally, I’m not going to help you because this is what I am trained to do and I charge for it, but if you think you can do it yourself, then go for it! (I would not ask a doctor how to do an operation and do it myself, either, but I won’t stop YOU from doing it.) If this doesn’t work out for you, then you will be faced with the decision of getting a realtor or not moving. The biggest problem with getting a realtor at this point is that your house is not NEW on the market anymore. Everyone that has driven by it–or thought about stopping by–will think that you are asking too much for it because it didn’t sell. Trust me! It’s true! That wasted time on the chart of activity is LOST! And you can’t get it back. No matter what you do, it is still not a new listing. This is true, also, when your house doesn’t sell so you change real estate companies. That piece of property just isn’t BRAND NEW on the market! So be careful if you decide to try to sell it yourself. You might just get what you paid for—-nothing.
If, on the other hand, you want a realtor to take care of all the business in marketing and selling your house, hire one. Call about 3 of them and get them to come out and give you a “listing presentation”. Just like you are doing a job interview–only you are doing the interviewing! Make a decision on who you want to handle the marketing and selling of your home. Just like all car mechanics can’t fix a radiator, realtors are not alike either. Will the agent WORK? How often will they call you?? What is their marketing plan? Can work with them?? –Or do they annoy you?–How real estate savvy are they? Do they know what’s up in your neighborhood?? All these are the questions you need answers for!! The famous question: how much can you sell my house for?? Well, that’s another story.
