WHY USE A REALTOR TO SELL YOUR HOME in Grants Pass, Oregon?

WHY USE A REALTOR  TO SELL YOUR HOME in Grants Pass, Oregon?

Why not go it alone and sell your house yourself?  Certainly you're smart enough!  All you need is an attractive sign, right?

Well, first I would ask what your primary reason is, and if the sole aim is to save money, forget it!  A very small percentage of sales are made by owners and as a Realtor, I certainly wish a person luck in their efforts, but look at what you really save:  Most all FSBO's (for sale by owners) are willing to pay a selling Realtor if they bring a buyer.  So in reality, what you are saving is 3% at most.  On a $300,000 sale price you will save $9,000.  Pretty good chunk of change right?  Or is it?  Don't you think a buyer will want at least a 6% discount knowing your selling your home yourself?  What I observe as a new Realtor is a lot of frustration on the homeowners part when acting as a FSBO.

A typical scenario I see starts with the seller "testing the market."  This means starting out with a price that is "higher than market" just in case there might be that one buyer who is unaware of the market trends and will just fall in love with the house and write a check.  Then, when the "bumpkin" doesn't come along, the seller lowers the price a little.  Now, maybe the seller runs a newspaper ad, holds an open house, puts new flyers in the box and waits, and waits.

Now take a market like we currents are fighting where prices seem to be on a steady decline.  How much did a seller cost himself by starting too high and chasing the market downward?

A few years ago, if you were overpriced, you could just sit there and wait until the market rose to hit what you wanted.  Not now!  Selling in these times means you had better be on the mark, or if you aren't, you'd better keep dropping your price until you get it right.  Hart to swallow I know, but if you're serious about selling your home, you'd better be serious on how you price it.  The theory of "testing the water" doesn't really make sense, as first impressions are long lasting and permanently damaging to your cause.

A lot of FSBO's will run their ads in the paper and can't believe it when they don't get a big response.  Remember that buyers are people just like yourself and they think the same as sellers!

What does a buyer looking at a FSBO say to herself when seeing your home?  "He's probably selling it himself to save money, which means he's probably priced to high and can't afford a Realtor!"  "He probably won't be negotiable."  Also, people are not unkind; home buyers for the most part are nice people just like you.  People don't like to insult other people and making an offer to an individual is difficult.  Buyers who are represented by a Realtor find it so much easier to make offers because it is then impersonal and so much "smoother."

If you should get an offer from a buyer through her Realtor, you are representing yourself and there are so many things to watch out for that I would advise you to seek legal counsel for your safety, not that a Realtor acts in place of a lawyer, but we've been through enough "hairy" situations that at least we know pretty much what to look for.  A great number of sales fall apart before closing and there are a lot of things that can go wrong at the point of completing the final documents.

Most homes today are sold by Internet marketing.  Very, very few people ever find a home by any other means like newspapers, magazines and the like.  Realtors also give you the advantage of nationwide referral systems and if the company they represent is well known; advantage goes to the seller.  In addition, anyone who is transferring in to the area that has not done their homework in advance, would be rare.  When someone moves to a new area, they in most all cases, will seek the services of a Realtor.  Doubly so in Oregon, as Oregon recognizes buyers' agents.  It is legal in Oregon for a Realtor to represent a buyer exclusively.  In years' past the fiduciary (legal) obligation was always to the seller irregardless of whether the Realtor was working with a buyer or seller.  Under the new law, a FSBO is going without representation while a buyer can have a lot of weight behind him when it comes to making an offer.  Also keep in mind, that you may agree to accept a price and then you wait for the inspection.  Now, your mindset has changed and you know it is just a short time until you're out of here!  And then the bomb drops.  The inspection comes back with some serious problems that were unknown to you whether real or unreal, you now receive another offer from the buyer, saying that you must fix this, this and this.  Chances are you'll do it, because you've already packed, but had you known about these needed items ahead of time, you may not have accepted their offer so readily.  These things would probably have been addressed had you obtained a competent Realtor.  He or she would have set you up for this possibility because they may have noted some of these conditions up front or at least they've been through it before, they could have told you about the "second negotiation period." 

Now, what about your safety?  Realtors qualify buyers before showing them a home.  This isn't just to qualify to see if they can afford a house, but we know their history, where they live, what they do for a living, we have some credentials and we screen these people for your safety as well as our own.  Realtors have been hijacked before, and robbed, and worse.  Now what do you do as an individual when someone calls and wants to see your home?  How do you know who you're inviting into your home?  Have you ever tried to sell something on the Internet, such as a car or any other item, and when you receive a call from the buyer, based on the way they sound on the phone, you're afraid to set an appointment?  I could elaborate on this all day long, but I'm sure you get the point.  There are people we meet in the real estate business that even Realtors are not comfortable with.   Realtors also view the home with the buyer, which is not only essential for your safety, but the safety of your property, unlike your situation when someone comes into your home where you don't want to be hanging over their shoulders, so you politely stay off to the side and as soon as they leave you run through the house checking to see if they stole anything.

Now let's talk for a minute about convenience; buyers will rarely jump through many hoops to see a home.  There are too many to choose from for them to have to schedule a showing at your convenience.  A Realtor can show the home anytime, with or without you being present.  This is better anyway, for we know buyers will spend more quality time looking over a home when the seller is absent.  They need their space!  What if you go on vacation?  A Realtor is always on the job for you. 

One last plug for hiring a Realtor,  (and especially me.)  When I list a home, I don't do so to watch my real estate sign fade on someones lawn.  I'm not in the sign rental business!  A lot of people told me before I got in this business, the more signs you have out, the more exposure your name gets.  I beg to differ.  Sure I'd like to have my name on billboards, but to have my sign on someones lawn that doesn't say "pending" or "sold" on it, is an embarrassment, because everybody that sees that sign knows that these people listed their home with someone who's not getting the job done!

I list a home to do a service for a homeowner and to earn a living, and I take it as a very serious obligation and a challenge to sell that home as quickly as I can for the most money possible.

Thank you for choosing me, I'll get the job done!

Gary L. Swanson

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