5 Things You’re Missing if You’re Not Selling a House with a Realtor

Many people are tempted to try to sell their homes themselves, not realizing all the ways a realtor can help. Sure, selling a house by owner may save on commission costs, but a realtor lends a lot of expertise that makes those costs worth it. A great real estate agent knows how to price, market, and sell homes as fast as possible, and for more money. If you’re not “sold” on finding a realtor to help you, consider all of these things you’ll be missing.

Do you know what buyers are willing to pay for your home? If you aim too high, your house might take a long time to sell – or not sell at all. A home that stays on the market for 30 days or longer stands as a red flag to buyers because they assume something might be wrong with it. Many times after overestimating an asking price, a seller will need to drop the list price below market value just to draw interest. 

On the other hand, if you aim too low because you don’t know your home’s true value, you could end up losing money. 

Finding a realtor to help determine what your home is worth is a tried and true way to set a realistic price because they have years of expertise and professional tools to gauge what buyers in your area are willing to spend. They take steps such as: 

Conducting a Comparative Market Analysis 

Real estate agents look up recent sales of similar homes in the area in the MLS database. They find homes that have the same amount of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage and lot size, and features like garages, lakes, or pools and note how much they sold for. They also know how to make price adjustments. For instance, if the same size house as yours sold for $300,000 but yours has all brand new appliances, a realtor will factor that into the value of the home. 

Examining Selling Points of the Neighborhood

Buyers are willing to pay more to live in a highly sought-after school district or a town with a great safety rating. Recreational perks like walking trails and playgrounds are also appealing.  Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties agents know St. Louis area neighborhoods well and consider these things when setting an asking price.  

Giving a Professional Opinion About Offers

When you do get an offer, an honest realtor will tell you whether you should take it or leave it. Even though they want to make a sale as badly as you do, they’ll know if a higher offer is possible – which could benefit you both. Or, if it’s lower than you wanted but they believe it’s the best offer that will come in, they’ll let you know if you’re better off not passing up.  

It makes sense that your home feels like your home. You’ve lived in it for a number of years, made memories, and decorated it the way you like it. But when it comes to selling a house, it’s best to have someone on board who isn’t attached to it. 

Finding a realtor means having a neutral partner in the sales process. As soon as they see your home, they’ll see it with fresh eyes just as a buyer would. If landscaping is lacking, a drab room should be painted, an ugly couch needs to be removed, or the whole house needs decluttering, they will tell you. Their honest assessment will make the home more appealing to buyers. 

A realtor can also point you to a professional stager or show you how to stage the home to look inviting. Knowing color trends and furniture styles that today’s buyers like is extremely helpful in creating a living space that others can see themselves living in.  

Selling a house takes more work than sticking a sign in the yard or sharing it on Facebook. Realtors use proven strategies to let buyers know when a home is available, such as:

• Taking professional photos of every room, along with photos that highlight desirable features of the property.
• Listing the home on the MLS where buyers’ agents can see them.
• Posting the home on real estate sites like Realtor.com and Zillow.
• Creating virtual tours and sharing them on social media.
• Sending emails with new listings to potential buyers.
• Scheduling and advertising Open Houses.

It also helps that realtors have a wide network of other agents who could be looking for homes for their qualified buyers. Maintaining those relationships allows them to get the word out to the right people right away for the fastest sale possible. 

Are you prepared to be available whenever someone calls to see your home? Buyers might want to come over when you’re at work, or on a Saturday morning when the kids have soccer. Not being able to show it could mean a lost sale. A listing agent can set up times to walk interested people through the home and can answer prospective buyers’ questions so you don’t have to.  

Finding a realtor who can show your home also takes the awkwardness out of the sales process. Watching people walk through your personal space and pointing out faults might make you uncomfortable or even defensive. An agent just sees it as another day at work.

Moving out of a home involves many moving parts, and it’s a lot for a homeowner to coordinate on their own.  A  good realtor will go above and beyond to take the guesswork away, and make sure everything goes smoothly by: 

• Ensuring your contracts are complete and accurate
• Telling you what to expect in closing costs
• Scheduling final walk-throughs
• Coordinating closing dates with moving dates
• Working with a title company and ensuring there are no liens on the home

And on more occasions than you would believe, hiccups happen in the home selling process. The buyer’s financing might not go through. That means contacting buyers who have backup contracts or putting the house back on the market. A lien could be found on the home. The seller’s child is very sick and the closing date needs to be changed. A realtor doesn’t mind dealing with any of that, because it’s just part of their job!

Moving from one house to the next is an exciting time. Instead of worrying about all the things that could go wrong in the selling process, working with a realtor brings peace of mind to let you look forward to the future. Agents at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties would love to show you everything we can do to help. Contact us today.    

Cover Image by Jakraphong Pongpotganatam by Getty Images by Canva.com