Picture Credit (CC0 License)
I’m sure plenty of you are making some big plans for 2020. You’re looking ahead to the future and figuring out where you want to be this time next year. As such, some of you might think it’s time to move house. Moving home is a great way to get a fresh new start. The main problem is selling your current property! Sure, if you’re financially able to, then holding onto the property and buying a new one is the best bet. However, not everyone is blessed like this. Instead, you need to sell your home.
This brings you onto the question of how you sell your home. Most people will tell you to find a realtor, and they’ll guide you through everything. However, fewer people are using realtors and estate agencies to sell their homes in modern times. Everyone used to do it without question, but there are a few little things that might make you feel like you can sell it without one.
So, do you need a realtor or not? To answer this question, we should look at what a realtor does and what you might gain/lose if you don’t have one.
Realtors take on lots of the work
Primarily, an estate agent will help you sell your home. They have lots of different contacts to help evaluate your property, set a competitive price, and so on. They will also have access to marketing material to help advertise your home and find potential buyers.
Then, they also act as the middle-man during negotiations. Basically, everything goes through them. You can focus on all the other things you need to do while they worry about arranging viewings, listing the property, contacting leads, etc.
Image Source (CC0 License)
Realtors command big fees
The key drawback is that a realtor will ask for a substantial fee. For starters, you pay to use them. Then, they ask for a percentage of the sale. So, you can sell your house, but thousands of dollars from that sale goes into the realtor’s pocket.
Therefore, lots of people are opting for other options to try and get more money from the sale. There are companies like We Buy Houses that will buy your house directly from you. No realtors get involved, there are no fees, and all the money from the sale goes into your pocket. You could also sell homes directly to other buyers. Again, no extra fees are involved, and all the money goes to you.
What should you do?
Effectively, the argument is that realtors offer more convenience and can help avoid a lot of stress. However, they also charge hefty fees, and this can mean you may get more money when selling on your own.
In essence, it’s down to you to decide what works best for you. If you want to get as much money as possible – regardless of how long it takes or how stressful it might be – then selling on your own is the best approach. But, if you have too much to do and are willing to pay the estate agent fees, then selling through a realtor may work best.