For Sale by Owner. You have a need, your need is MY JOB!

An owner trying to sell their home by themselves is a very hard job.  A very few actually do.  Here are some key factors:

For Sale By Owner, You have a need, your need is my JOB!

Exposure 

The FSBO will spend money marketing their property, buying signs, printing fliers, etc. A Realtor that knows their way around the internet can change the traffic going through a home compared to a FSBO.  The cold hard facts are thousands of buyers will not even know a FSBO home is for sale.  

Pricing

FSBO's often price their home to high. They often times want more money for their homes because they have done some kind of recent improvement.  Many projects for the home do not have a high return. For example if you repaint, recarpet, put in granite countertops in the kitchen, etc, don’t expect to see much payback on the money you've invested.  A Realtor will make sure your home is priced correctly.

Potential Buyers

Potential buyers who will be looking at FSBO homes are bargain hunters. Most think that since the seller is not paying commission they should be able to offer the home for less.  FSBO's are more likely to receive lowball offers. Buyers often take around 5% right off the top regardless if the home is priced well or not.  Using a Realtor, this is not likely to happen.

Home Accessibility

It is hard to sell a home if a buyer can not get in to see it.  When a FSBO is trying to sell their home, they need to match their schedule with the buyers which often times is not easy, especially for those that work full time. A Realtor makes this part of the home sale process go much smoother.  With the use of a Supra lockbox, a Realtor always knows who is going into the sellers house and when.

Qualified Buyers

You don't want just anyone coming into your home, especially unqualified buyers. Having qualified buyers is also part of a Realtors job. Most buyers that view homes with Realtors today are pre-approved. As a FSBO you need to make sure that the same holds true when showing your home.

My recent FSBO transaction:

I was in Home Depot with my family about a month ago. I saw a lady in the self checkout line next to us purchasing a For Sale by Owner sign. I went to her, handed her my card and offered my help if she should need it. She thanked me and we both left.

About 4 weeks later, I received a phone call from her. She asked if I remember her, of course I did. I asked how it was going selling her house. She said "not good. It's much harder than I thought it would be. No one is looking at it, I don't know if I have it priced right and I need some help". We scheduled an appointment for the following week.