Selling Solo: Smart Choice or Costly Mistake by John Adams
TEASE:
If you’ve got a house to sell, then you’ve got a decision to make. And the decision you arrive at may cost you literally tens of thousands of dollars before you get done with your home sale.
Do you want to sell it yourself, put up a FSBO sign and try to save 6 percent? Or are you going to list with a broker, let them take care of everything, and know that you are in good hands?
Here to explain your options is our own Fox5 Real Estate Expert, John Adams.
Q: John, break this down for us. What do we need to know today?
A: Selling a home is complicated. It’s a big decision, and you might end up losing money in the long run.
PROs & CONs of USING an AGENT
PROS
- They do this every day
- Lots of good contacts like attorneys, inspectors
- Multiple Listing System gets wide exposure
- Professional Internet Marketing Expertise
- They are familiar with all the forms
- You have somebody IN YOUR CORNER
CONS
- They want 6 percent of the price
- At median price, that’s over $21,000
PROs & CONs of SELLING SOLO
PROS
- At median price, you save over $21,000
CONS
- You Don’t Know What To Do
Here’s the bottom line:
IF you feel confident giving it a try and IF you have a good real estate attorney and IF you are not in any kind of hurry, there is no reason you shouldn’t try to sell it yourself. You MIGHT save a lot of money.
However,
IF you don’t have a clue where to begin or IF you are nervous about the whole procedure or IF you are worried about having strangers in your house or IF you are not prepared to engage in a full internet marketing campaign, you are probably better off hiring an agent.
TAGLINE:
Atlanta native John Adams is a broker, broadcaster, and writer who owns and manages the residential real estate in the Atlanta area. He answers any and all real estate questions on his award-winning radio show every Saturday at 10 a.m. on the MONEY99 Digital Network. You can contact John through his website at Money99.com, where you will find additional information about the radio show.