Should I Sell My Home Myself?

There’s a video on our home page that answers the question of whether you should sell your home yourself as a fsbo (for sale by owner) seller or not, but a new element has crept into the equation.  It’s March 2011 as I write this, and we are in a very slow real estate market.  Prices are off, foreclosures are abundant, and the number of sales being made is low.  This has been going on for several years now.  As a result, realtors are hurting.  Many have left the business.  Of those still in it, many don’t have the budget they once had for marketing their listings.  Print ads with photos, brochures, signage, an Internet presence and the like cost money.

The additional evaluation you need to make is would you be better off the do your own marketing, or should you find a realtor who’ll give you a firm commitment as to what he/she will do to market your property and agree to let you withdraw from the listing agreement if that commitment isn’t met.

Do you have time and money to devote to the project?  Are you a self starter?  Do you have some imagination?  Some business savvy?  Have you bought and sold property before?

If your answers are “yes,” and you’re not rolling in dough, you might just as well market, sell, and “earn the commission” on your property yourself.

If you are very well healed, you might want to hire an agent, and spend your time in an earning or R&R mode.

If you decide to sell your property yourself, our site can be a big help.  We have over 800 pages on the site with articles, videos, and realtor style tools to help you.  We’re retired realtors, and we’re willing to “coach” you if you need it.

Each listing on fsboamerica.org has its own web address.  (It’s www.fsboamerica.org/0000000 with your listing’s MLS ID # substituted for the zeros.)  This can be a cornerstone for a marketing program.  You can advertise, “Photos @” in your newspaper ads, “more info & photos @” on flyers, brochures, signs, etc.  It gives your marketing depth.

The pictures you use are very important.  Take lots of them and choose only the most attractive ones.  When the photos on our site are clicked on (showing interest), they enlarge and an expanded caption is shown.  This gives you a chance to tell the potential buyer more about the room, view, or feature being shown.  You can mention the kind of room, its measurements, the fact that it has French doors to a terrace with a pleasant view, etc.

The “comments” field is virtually unlimited.  You can use it to tell about your home, its location, and the neighborhood, and any amenities you enjoy.  Don’t forget to mention the things that attracted your family in the first place.  Other folks are likely to prize those things, too.

The real truth is that when real estate sells, someone has earned a commission.  It can be a carefully chosen realtor, or you can do it yourself and put thousands of dollars more into your own pocket.  The choice is yours.

Raynor James