Are you thinking of selling your Staten Island, NY Home FSBO... by yourself?
Marketing a home in 2012 is NOT the same as marketing it 10 years ago. Even if you did this before, you have to do so much more than plant a sign on the front lawn and place a classified ad.
5. Advertising is more complicated.When is the last time you read the newspaper or searched the classifieds. Years ago you'd buy the paper to see what homes were for sale or rent. A single classified ad run several times a week might get you enough calls to sell the house. Now it's so much more complicated! Most agents and brokers don't advertise in newspapers anymore because THEY DON'T WORK and also because they are very expensive considering the lack of results. 96% of real estate transactions start on the internet!
4. Are you internet savvy? What does work is the internet. Buyers start their searches online now, months before they are ready to buy. A real estate broker will put your property on the MLS to advertise to all agents, plus many other internet sites. In our office, we put your property on the Staten Island MLS system covering all of Staten Island. We then feed your property onto over 48 sites. We also showcase your property on REALTOR.com, the #1 searched real estate site in the country. Can you do that?
3. Are you ready to pre-qualify buyers who call on the phone? Before you let someone cross the threshhold, are you ready to ask them personal questions about their finances, or are you going to just open the door? How do you know a buyer really has the ability to buy? Because he says so? Really? Not in today's market. And once you agree to show your home to someone, you need to make yourself available to all buyers, at their request, when they want to see the home on their own time, not yours. Is it an inconvenient time? Sorry. Make yourself available for them.
2. What about all the paperwork? If you do go FSBO, call a lawyer. You will need someone to write up the contracts and get you to the closing table. You should not just go online or to Staples to find generic documents. This is complicated and dangerous to try to do on your own. You need an attorney to help you once you find a buyer. The work is not finished. It's just starting, unfortunately. You have inspections, then contracts, the appraisal, and financing details to make it thru now.
1. Can you negotiate like a pro? Seriously. If a buyer walks in and asks "Can you go lower" or "Why are you selling" or "What is your bottom line?" How will you answer? This is not a cut and dry business deal. This is your house. Will you waffle a bit and tell them there is room to negotiate? Will you tell them that you need to be moved in 30 days because you got a new job? Will you hurt your negotiating power by giving away too many details about why you are moving and/or how much you will really take? Having an agent in the middle can take a step away from this, giving a bit of distance to you in negotiating. Perhaps if you do not want to pay an agent, you should hire that lawyer to negotiate for you. Don't try this yourself if you even think you're going to tell buyers too much personal information or cave when they say your home is overpriced or they can only afford X.
A seasoned real estate agent will put YOUR interests above theirs. They will negotiate fiercely to get you the highest and best price for your house. They will take care of all the little details you otherwise have to handle on your own. The best agents are worth every penny you will pay in getting you a higher price for your home with less hassles. Statics show that REALTORS get an average of 16% MORE than for sale by owners.
Are you thinking of selling your Staten Island, NY Home FSBO -- by yourself? Think again, please.
If you're going FSBO because you think you cannot afford an agent, it may just be that you cannot afford NOT to have an agent. Not all firms charge the same fees. All fees are negotiable. Interview a few agents and ask each one to explain what they do for their fees, and how their fees are structured. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.
HERMAN & CO REALTORS® Your trusted Staten Island Real Estate professionals!
Comments(0)