“I’m doing For Sale By Owner, but I have a question.”

"I'm doing For Sale By Owner, but I have a question."

"When someone needs to sell their home first, how exactly does that contingency work?" 

"What sites should I market my home on?"

"My mother died in the house, is this a problem?"

"The appraisal came in too low...Now what?"

There are probably a thousand more questions that could be asked, but I can only think of one question to ask those FSBO's who are posing these questions: if you don't know the answers to these questions, do you really believe you should be selling your home on your own?

I understand the reasons why people would like to try FSBO. I really do. Before I was an agent, I bought and sold several of my own properties and at one point considered doing a For Sale By Owner simply because I wanted to save on the commission. But, I ALWAYS ultimately went with an agent to list my home because:

1) I didn't know the answers to such questions as above

That's pretty much why I never listed FSBO. There was no way I was going to gamble with the biggest investment I have ever made. I would bet on myself in many instances in life, but this was not one of them.

With the Internet you certainly CAN find out a ton of information about all sorts of things. I COULD represent myself in a court of law, but somehow think my chances of success would be greater with someone who is an actual attorney and has experience keeping people out of jail. I COULD figure out how to set a broken bone, but I think I would rather leave that to those who are trained to do so...somehow I think there would be less pain. I Could, I Could, I COULD.

Do you know how long an attorney goes to school for? Okay, I don't know the actual hours, but I know it is a LONG time and I know the exam they have to take is difficult. Do you know how long a Doctor trains for? I am guessing: 4 years under grad, a few years med school, a few years resident, and then they keep learning for the rest of their career. Now, do you know how much training a real estate agent has? I can only speak for Virginia, but it is:

*60 hours of real estate school and a test with a passing score

*Passing the State/National test

*30 hours of post-licensing learning within the first year of obtaining your license

*16 hours of continuing education credits EACH TERM.

*And then you have that little VALUABLE thing that happens over time: EXPERIENCE in all SORTS of situations.

In addition to the REQUIREMENTS, many diligent agents take various courses and educational experiences throughout the year to better themselves AND to represent their client to the best of their ability.

I want the best for YOU. I want to see you sell your home in the least possible time, for the most amount of money, and without much pain. If you read this and STILL think FSBO is your best bet, then by all means take a stab at it. But, if you read this and understand that an educated/trained representative would be the best fit for you, then give me a call and I would be happy to represent you! (And if you try the FSBO thing and it doesn't work out, give me a call...I promise I won't say I Told You So!)

 For a listing consultation, please contact me, Shannon Milligan at Home Sweet Henrico with Keller Williams Realty today at 804-248-8207.

 

 

Shannon Milligan

Home Sweet Henrico

Keller Williams Realty Richmond West

6600 West Broad Street, SUite 150, Richmond, VA 23230

804-248-8207 (cell), 804-282-5901 (office)

www.homesweethenrico.com