There are many pitfalls of doing a “For Sale By Owner”. The following are some of the things a professional “realtor” should handle for you:
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Marketplace- the single biggest advantage to listing your home with a realtor is the simple fact that over 80% of all buyers (particularly in the higher end homes) engage a realtor to work for them. By trying to sell the house yourself, your home is not exposed to over 80% of the buyers. By listing with a realtor who will place your property on the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS) you immediately expose your home to the entire marketplace. There are over 100 Moses Lake agents on the MLS- and they will immediately start looking through their prospects for a qualified buyer. Furthermore, many of the high end buyers are coming from out of town. This group of buyers will always work through a realtor in order to take advantage of their local knowledge.
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Advertising- will your sign on your house and ad in the paper attract prospective buyers? The best advertisement is listing your house with a realtor who will place the home on the local MLS. Advertising on the internet is also extremely valuable as over 80% of all buyers begin searching for properties online. You will want your home on Trulia, Yahoo, Google, Zillow and Craigslist.
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Curiosity Seekers- can you be certain that everyone that comes to see your home is sincerely interested? A good realtor should eliminate all but the serious buyers. These buyers work with successful and qualified realtors who know the Moses Lake inventory. They expect us to do our job while they (the buyers) are doing their job and/or jobs.
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Terms of Sale- how will you determine the buyer’s financial history? What about their credit? Do you know the details of FHA, VA, Conventional, etc., types of financing? Do you know the availability of mortgage funds? The terms you are willing to accept are very complicated. You will need help!
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Bargaining- most buyers make offers on “For Sale By Owner” houses that are substantially below the asking price. It will be difficult to discuss price, terms, possession, etc. As the principal in the transaction, you will have little or no freedom to negotiate. Your realtor serves as an intermediary, a negotiator, and an advisor. If you get several offers, a realtor can help you determine which offer is best for you.
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Selling Your House- what if the buyer is not quite sure about your house? Your realtor should be able to focus on the benefits of home ownership and help the prospective buyer overcome any fears they may have about purchasing a home.
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Time- as you know, selling a home is time-consuming. It can be a full time hectic job. Your realtor should answer all questions, prequalify all prospects, and escort all prospects through your home or with another realtor who has a qualified buyer. Most people don’t have the time to spend taking care of all the details of selling their own home.
Windermere/K-2 Realty LLC specializes in providing maximum service and attention to our clients. We would be more that happy to list your home and go to work expediting its sale.
Please give me a call. We are ready to go to work for you!
509-765-3337
Life is like a coin- you can spend it like you want to, but you can spend it only once. – Unknown
