Selling My Own Home in Aliso Viejo, 5 Reasons to Reconsider

Selling My Own Home in Aliso Viejo, 5 Reasons to Reconsider

As the spring real estate market continues to heat up and we get closer and closer to the summer market, it is natural for homeowners in Aliso Viejo and surrounding areas in Orange County, like yourself, that may be on the fence about selling their home, to consider ways in which they can get their home sold and maximizing their profits while doing so. In some cases homeowners begin to justify that the biggest area where they will save is by not hiring a Realtor and paying a commission. While that is a tempting thought, there is a lot more involved in selling a home then just placing it on a few websites, letting people into your home and hoping one of them will buy it, here are some things to consider. 

Based on the National Association of realtors, in 2015, only 11% of homes sold were For Sale by owner. For Realtors, there is a risk involved in showing a home that is a For Sale By Owner, because there is not really anyway to guarantee they will be compensated, and without agent representation on your side, you are pretty much doubling their work load. If you are considering selling your own home and are willing to pay a buyer's agent commission, at that point you are only saving yourself 3% and not 6% and you are still having to negotiate for yourself, deal with the contracts, disclosures that you are not familar with at all and could end up getting yourself into trouble if things are not disclosed properly.

Another thing to consider are the kinds of buyers you want to come through your home. Naturally, if you are selling your home you want as many motivated and qualified buyers to come through your home as possible, because the more exposure and traffic your home gets, the higher likelihood you are going to get an offer. Guess what those amazing, ideal, qualifed buyers all have in common? They are working with Realtors! Realtors are reluctant to show their clients any properties that are not properly represented by other Realtors because those properties are considered high risk of wasting their clients time and wasting their time, which is one of the many reasons why a home that is a for sale by owner, sits on the market 80% longer then a comparable home that is listed with a Realtor. 

Granted, if you list your home yourself, you will probably have some buyers walk through. There are 4 types are buyers out there. The first type are qualified, they are relocating here, only in town for a short period of time and needing to find a home as quickly as possible, and they are typically working with a Realtor. The second type of buyer is another qualified buyer, ready to go, typically has a lot of questions, either they are first time buyers, move up buyers, empty nesters, etc. regardless, they are leveraging their time by maximizing the amount of properties they will be able to see, so these buyers are working with a realtor as well, which will most likely be the kind of buyer you will be whenever your house sells, odds are, you will be using a realtor to help you find a home. The third type of buyer is the investors. They are typically coming in with all cash and can close quickly, as great as that sounds, they are looking for a deal! The idea of paying fair market value is a not in the cards for them, and since the reason you decided to not hire a realtor is to save money, these buyer's are really not condusive to that plan. The 4th type of buyer is not really a buyer at all, these are, what I like to call, lookey-loos. These are people who like to look at houses, get decorating ideas, not really seriously thinking about buying, may even be a neighbor that is thinking about selling and just scoping out their competion before they hire a realtor. 

With all that being said, if you are still not convinced that you should hire a realtor, here are the 5 reasons why you should reconsider selling your home in Aliso Viejo yourself.

1. Pricing Your Home: Pricing your home correctly is by far the most important component to not only getting your home sold, but getting you the most money for your home. Pricing your home too high, it will sit on the market and become a stale listing, price it too low, you will risk losing money, which again, goes against the whole reason why you decided to not hire a realtor. Most homeowners have an emotional connection with their home and think that it is worth more then what the market can bear. An experienced Aliso Viejo Realtor will know what the real estate market is doing at any given time, and will be able to price your home competively based on what the market is doing, while justifiing that price to buyers when negotiating on your behalf. 

2. Negotiations: As mentioned in reason #1, the Realtor you hire will be negotiating on your behalf. There are 3 key areas in a real estate transaction where you will need a strong and objective professional working in your behalf to make sure you get the most money possible. Those areas are the initial offer, the counter offer and the post offer period that includes inspections, request for repairs and concessions. 

3. Exposure: There is so much more involved in selling a home the putting your home on a few websites, placing a sign in your yard, and praying someone comes in and buys it for the price you want to sell it for. The right, experienced Realtor will know that if you want the most money for your home and getting it sold as quickly as possible, they know the importance of maximizing the exposure your home to generate as much foot traffic through your home as possible. That includes maximum internet exposure on all home search platforms and social media platforms, paid advertisment, both print and online, global marketing, extending the reach to not just local buyers but foreign buyers as well, advertised open houses and networking with fellow Realtors in the area that may have buyers for your home.

4. Buyer's Perception: As mentioned earlier, a good majority of qualified buyers are represented by Realtors, and Realtors are very reluctant to show homes that are For Sale By Owner because there is not really any security that they will be compensated, and if you do plan are paying a buyer's agent a commission, again, you are only technically saving yourself 3%. With all the paperwork, disclosures, documents, etc. you are going to have to go through, you are going to wish you hired someone to help walk you through everything. 

5. Getting the deal closed: A skilled and professional Realtor will know how to efficiently work through the process of the sale. They will step in when there are lending problems, they will deal with buyer's objections and complications that may arise, facilitating the contracts, keeping in contact with escrow to ensure the deal stays on track and has a smooth close. 

There is a lot involved in getting your home sold, if you are thinking about selling your home in Aliso Viejo or any of the surrounding areas in Orange County, call me today at 949-350-8922 to schedule a free consultation. I would be happy to show you how I can net you the most money for your home in the least amount of time!