Here's why you should list your property without a real estate agent

For as long as we can remember it’s been common practice to hire a real estate agent whenever we are looking to buy or sell a home and for good reason. A real estate agent has helped us find a home and hopefully get the best deal possible. But with the rise in technology and having access to information we are far less reliant on the middle man of areal estate agent. We all have smart phones and can literally get an inside view of any property we want to live in any city in the country. So why do we need to hire an agent to do what we are already doing? Here are 3 reasons you should list and sell your own property:‍

No commission fees‍

It's all about the money! Anytime you buy or sell a home you pay thousands of dollars in commission fees and in many cases can eat up your entire profit margin! When you list the property yourself you can avoid paying these large fees and help you walk away with as much profit as possible. A 6% commission on a $250,000 house is $15,000! That's a lot of room that could be left for negotiating when buying directly from the owner or selling a property without an agent. It can be quite intimidating trying to navigate these waters on your own but with so much information out there it's not nearly as daunting of task it has been in the past. Now with full access to most MLS listings you can see exactly where you want to live, the layout of the property and history of the house without even leaving your home. What are you paying the agent for at this point? Stop paying pointless fees for work that you're actually doing. List it yourself or buy directly from the owner.‍

Control your own listing

Whenever you list with an agent you have to understand that they have several listings and you’re just one on that list just hoping and praying they are putting for the effort to show and promote your home. Your property can be on the market for a long time if it's not getting the attention it needs which can cause the price to drop and cost you tens of thousands of dollars in some cases. You are also in control of all the showings for your property. Nothing can be more irritating than when you have to pick your family up and leave for several hours on a random Tuesday afternoon. Set the dates and times that work for you and not an agent. With social media and other modern tools you can publish and promote your property as well as any real estate agent on the market will ever do not to mention you care more. It's your property so stay in control of it.

Get the price you want

When working with an agent, you are talking to your agent who is then talking to their agent who is talking to the client. A lot can be lost or gained in this chain of communication. We’ve all played the game “telephone” and know how much of a cluster it can be trying to communicate effectively. Most of the gains that will be made for the property will be going straight into the pockets of the agents involved. When you speak directly to the potential buyer or seller you can get a better feel for the property, schedule showings that actually work for your schedule and often times get a better deal for both parties because you have thousands of dollars of commissions that won’t have to get paid and gives you more wiggle room in negotiating which benefits both parties.

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Your home is the largest investment most people make in their lives and the truth is you make or break a good deal on the "buy", so every penny matters. So if you’re thinking of buying or selling your home take a hard look at selling it yourself or buy a “For Sale by Owner” property. You can often find or make a better deal and both save or make thousands of dollars buy avoiding costly commissions and getting the property sold quickly. If it doesn’t work out you can always call an agent.