The real estate market is expected to remain in high-demand throughout 2021 and it surely will continue to be in favor of the seller! Are you ready to take advantage of the market and list your home this coming year? While it often seems appealing to list your home For Sale by Owner, it’s important to really look at the pros and cons before you take the plunge. All too often, sellers wanting to list their home without professional help overlook the necessary and crucial attributes that a realtor brings to the listing and selling process. It can’t be stressed enough how important having an expert like Rob Washburn, who knows the ins and outs of the current climate of the market, your neighborhood’s value, and various other listing specifics, is. So, before you make the decision to list your house For Sale by Owner, make sure you understand all of the reasons why choosing to go with an experienced realtor is ultimately the best choice for you!
It’s less time-consuming.
- There is a significant amount of time that goes into selling a home that reaches far beyond the open house process. Staging, photographing, marketing, and managing the online listings between various sites, aren’t the only time-consuming tasks that go into selling a home! There is also figuring out just how much your home is worth and the price point it should be listed at. This can prove to be more difficult than it seems without access to the MLS listings that only realtors can obtain. Without these MLS listings, figuring out the best listing price for your home based on neighborhood, amenities, schools, and similar home values can be a daunting task.
- The time commitment only increases after your home is officially on the market. Not only will a realtor show serious, potential buyers the charm and impressive features that your home has to offer, but they’ll also have to entertain those who are just looking “for fun” or are getting their feet wet for when they’re ready to buy in the future.
- Houses sold by a realtor, and not those listed For Sale by Owner, often sell for more due to the unexpected amount of time that it ultimately takes to properly list and sell a home. A realtor will never accept an offer for you because the process is taking longer than expected.
Realtors have a better understanding regarding who is or isn’t, qualified to purchase your home and are trusted more by buyer’s agents.
- When potential offers start coming in, realtors have access to the buyers’ entire mortgage process. This access is the only way to know for certain that the buyer has been pre-approved for the amount of the offer they’re making. Making sure that the buyer is preapproved before an offer is accepted is absolutely critical!
- Almost every serious buyer that makes an offer on your home is going to be represented by their own buyer’s agent. There is a great deal of respect that exists between realtors on both the selling and buying ends. When receiving and sorting through offers, the buyer’s agents will have a much easier time discussing details with your realtor.
Negotiations tend to be difficult and daunting.
- The importance of mutual respect between realtors doesn’t end at making an initial offer. While you might feel confident in your negotiation skills, it’s important to keep in mind that nearly everyone you’ll be dealing with in the home selling process will be looking out for the buyer. This includes their own buyer’s agent, the inspector, the appraiser, and so on. Not having real estate expertise can make this especially difficult as you’re navigating exactly how to negotiate all of the details, both large and small, with the buyer and their agent. Having an agent by your side to represent you will give you, as the seller, a significantly larger amount of negotiating power. As a realtor, they are extensively trained in negotiating and as their career advances, their ability to negotiate only strengthens.
- A realtor will be there with you for every step of the negotiating process. From the initial walk-through, finalizing an offer and negotiating after an inspection. You can rest easy knowing everything will have been managed properly and thoroughly!
It is very difficult from a legal standpoint.
- One of the biggest reasons why the For Sale by Owner route has decreased in current years is because of all of the lingering legal issues the process involves. As the seller, you will be legally obligated to comply with every single point that is detailed in the mortgage contract. While that might seem obvious, it most often seems like a foreign language to those who aren’t experienced in writing contracts. Having an experienced and knowledgeable realtor representing your best interest will ensure you understand every aspect of the progress, all the way through closing, and will allow you to work with the BEST closing attorney.
Sell your home faster and get the offer that you deserve.
- The unfortunate reality for those who are hopeful to sell their home for sale by owner is that homes sold this way typically sell for less and they are on the market for a longer period of time than those who are represented by a realtor. This is caused by a couple of different variables. First, those who choose to sell their home without a realtor are more likely to sell to someone they know in some way, causing them to negotiate for less than they would, had the buyer been a stranger. Their houses also tend to stay on the market longer due to the lack of online presence. While listing your home on sites such as Zillow is a fairly easy task, it’s much more difficult to list without a realtor on the more reputable platforms. These are a realtor’s areas of expertise, why not let them do the work for you!
When all is said and done, no one knows when life will go back to normal in 2021 and your safety should always come first. Realtors have been navigating the market throughout this pandemic both in person and virtually for nearly a year, allowing them to become experts in how to best handle marketing, showings, inspections, and negotiations. For this reason alone, it’s in the best interest of more sellers to do their research and find a trusted realtor in their area to represent them. For sellers in the Council Bluffs and greater Omaha area, look no further than Rob Washburn, an expert broker who knows the area through and through! Rest assured, his work speaks for itself and he will surpass all of your selling expectations while allowing you to relax and enjoy the process!
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