The house in human hands

Ready To Sell Your Home

Selling your home can be an exciting and a trying time for any individual, or family.  You may be relocating or simply downsizing or up-sizing.  Whatever the reason you are selling, you will most likely be making the decision of if you are going to try and sell the home yourself (FSBO), or hire an expert Real Estate Agent.  Homes are sold everyday, by both FSBO’s and with Real Estate Agent representation.  It just depends on how knowledgeable you feel you are, and how much work you are willing to do.

Selling The Home Yourself

If you decide to sell the home yourself, you will need to be prepared to do the following, in addition to what would need to be done if you use the services of a Real Estate Agent:

  • Be available to show the home when someone calls to see it
  • Verify that a buyer is financially able to buy the home
  • Have the necessary contracts and addendum’s on hand for when they are ready to make an offer
  • Complete a Property Disclosure for the buyer to accept
  • You may need to help the buyer locate a lender
  • Staging your home to help it show better
  • Be available for any and all inspections the buyer has done
  • Negotiate the offer (You may have buyer’s with a REALTOR® representation that will ask you to pay them a percentage of commission for their role.  Remember, they will be representing the buyer’s best interest, unless otherwise negotiated as a dual agent.)
  • Set up the closing with a Title Attorney or Notary if needed
  • Decide if you will be requiring a deposit after an agreed upon contract
  • Market the home for sale in print and on the internet
  • You may decide to place flyers in the yard with a marketing piece on your home
  • Set up and host the Open House’s (typically on Sunday’s)
  • Keep the home tidy and show ready at all times
  • Freshen up the landscaping and make any minor repairs that are necessary

Choosing To Use A Real Estate Agent

If you have decided you do not want the undertaking of selling your home yourself, you will want to begin interviewing Real Estate Agent’s to find the one you mesh best with.  Real Estate Agents work under a Licensed Brokers.  You can interview as many as you like, even more than one from the same brokerage.  A Real Estate Agent will handle all of the above for you, minus keeping the home tidy, landscaping and making repairs.  Now that being said, they can refer you to professionals that can do those tasks for you if need be, but you can also hire those yourself if you choose to take the FSBO route.

Real Estate Agents have access to the Multi List, or as we refer to as the MLS, and that will get your home on the internet.  The MLS is what the Real Estate Agents use to find homes for their buyers.  It is a great and swift way to get the word out that your home is for sale.  You will find many Real Estate Agents have their own websites and use additional websites to post your home to as well.  The National Association of Realtors (NAR) report that approximately 92 percent of buyers used the internet in some way in their home search process.

So, You Want to Be a Real Estate Agent ?

Let’s say you did go the FSBO route, and you enjoyed it.  Loved showing your home, working with the perspective buyers and the Real Estate Agents that showed your home, maybe you are interested in becoming a Real Estate Agent yourself.

There are two methods of getting your real estate education to prepare you to take the Real Estate Exam.  You may choose to take your courses online, or in the classroom.  Depending on your style of learning, and what fits within your schedule, you will get out of the course what you put into it.  To successfully pass the exam, study hard, take the practice exams and get a good nights rest before your test date.

Note, there is a difference between a REALTOR® and a Real Estate Agent.  A REALTOR® is a member of NAR and follows a strict code of ethics.  You can read more about this at NAR’s website, just click the link www.nar.com