Sell Your Home Without a Realtor and Save Thousand$$$
Sell Your Home Without a Realtor and Save Thousand$$$
A typical real estate commission on a $234,000 home (national median price for all existing homes as of July 2005) is over $16,000. In many areas the cut a real estate broker gets is much higher. A home owner can easily save that money by selling on their own. All that is needed is a basic understanding of the real estate market and a touch of marketing sense. Here are the “Big Five” of selling any home.
1. Pricing. Set a realistic asking price. While it might be tempting to inflate the asking price just in case someone really loves the home or to make room for negotiations, the result is a home that can’t stand the competition. The market always sets the price. Find out what the competition has to offer and set your price accordingly.
The best way to do this is have three or four real estate brokers provide a free market analysis. Yes, you will be wasting their time if you sell on your own. But don’t worry; real estate brokers are used to having their time wasted. If we earned a $20,000 commission every time we went out we’d arrive at your home in a limousine. Fact is, nine out of ten outings are general contractors sierra madre a bust for us. It’s the main reason why commissions are as high as they are. In any event, you may end up listing with one of them. Fact is, selling by owner really isn’t for everyone. But pricing your home correctly is the first step in a successful transaction.
If you choose not to have a market analysis from your local Realtors you will have to do your own calculations. In order to do that you will need a fresh batch of comparable sales. The best place to get these is from your local assessor or municipal records. You will need between three and five recent comparable sales. Make sure they really are comparable. They must be in the same location (ideally within a half mile) they must be the same style and size as your home (number of bedrooms, baths, garage, etc.) and they must be in the same condition as your home. Drive by each. Take pictures.
The hard part is when you can’t find exact comparables. You will then have to make adjustments for the differences. The best way is to ask your assessor how much an extra bath, for instance, influences the Malvern homes market value. Hopefully they will provide an approximation.
If you can’t come up with an accurate dollar amount consider hiring a professional appraiser. They can be found in the yellow pages or online. And while the service costs several hundred dollars it’s a small price compared to what you will save by successfully selling on your own.
Avoid pricing your home based on how much you paid, how much you owe, the amount of the municipal assessment, the cost of improvements you have added, or what a friend
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