i am thinking of selling my home should i use a real estate agent and waste 6% comm or should i try to sell it

Question

i am thinking of selling my home should i use a real estate agent and waste 6% comm or should i try to sell it, i spoke to a few other people that have used real estate agents and the sellers just felt that the agents were liars and lied about everything just to get them o sign a contract , is it true that real estate agent are liars and will say anything just to get a list also is this a good time to sell or is it true what ii hear that nobody is buying houses and real estate sales are flat , thank you

Answer 1

There are good realtors and bad ones. Their are realtors precisely because they provide a service and save people money in the long haul. (If they didnt, everyone would sell on their own, and save the commission)
This is how they help you:
1. They bring a network of buyers to the table with MLS. You cant get your house listed in MLS, therefore the thousands of buyers working in Minneapolis with realtors, will never know your house id for sale.
2. They know the market, and know how to price your home. You may underprice your house.
3. They save you time, by prequalifying people that want to see your house. No walkins that have no money, or waorse, have criminal intents.
4. The buyer of a FSBO knows you are not paying a commission, and often feels half that money belongs to him. Your savings just got cut in half.
5. The realtor pays for all the advertising and open houses.

Answer 2

First of all I do suggest listing your home with a Realtor. You need someone who is working full time putting forth all the efforts that it will take to sell your home in todays tough market. It is not enough to put a sign in your front yard and hope for someone to walk past. Secondly it saddens me that Realtors are getting a reputation for being liars because overall we are an industry of hard working, honest people. Sellers sometime think the a Realtor is lying just cause it is a Realtor's job to tell you exactly the way it is. Unfortunately there are some Realtors who have not seen a commision in months so they have reached the point where they will say anything for a deal to go threw. So research your Realtor before you sign on with them. Finally it is a tough market to sell in these days because there is so many houses on the market, but with that said there is a shortage of quality homes on the market. So if your home is well maintained and price correctly you have nothing to worry about. In fact, more homes on the market will help sell your home because buyers visit all the low grade homes and become disappointed by whats on the market. Soon after your quality home comes on the market and it creates a frenzy and all the buyers who are waiting around for a good home just has to have yours. Real estate is still a very stable market and a sound investment. The market is just returning to normal after a crazy 5 yrs. Hope that helped.

Answer 3

There are some real estate companies that will sell your home for a flat fee, but they are hard to find. Most of them are the "For Sale By Owner" websites that you mentioned. Most good real estate companies only work on commission. I'm not sure what kind of experiences you've had with real estate agents in the past, but they do alot more than just list your property on MLS. There's alot of time spent advertising and promoting your home and if it doesn't sell your agent isn't paid so all their time and effort goes unpaid. Maybe you'd be best to just ask around from friends and family to get some advice on some good agents in your area. Attending open houses is another good way to meet agents and you get to see what type of effort they put into marketing the home.

Answer 4

I would get an agent. If you are worried about the quality of the agent I would suggest going to www.daveramsey.com and picking from his endorsed local providers.

Source(s)
1) Why use Dave’s ELPs?

ELPs are professionals in your neighborhood that have been personally chosen by Dave’s team to serve you. Not only are they top professionals in their field; they are fans of "The Dave Ramsey Show" and can’t wait to get to know and serve you. The ELP program was designed to provide you local service and to do it the way Dave teaches.
2) Why use a real estate agent?

Good question. Don’t you mean, “Why pay someone thousands of dollars that I’d rather keep?” If anyone is an advocate of avoiding unnecessary expenses, it’s Dave Ramsey. But this is your home, possibly your largest asset. A relatively small mistake or oversight in the home buying or selling process will cost you so much more money, time and frustration. When it comes to buying or selling a home, choose to use a professional. But not just any professional - one that really knows how to serve you all the way through the process. Dave spent most of his early career in real estate and wouldn’t think of risking the sale or purchase of his home without an expert real estate agent.

Check out the Real Estate Resource Center. You'll find the only agent Dave endorses in your neighborhood as well as tools to empower you.

Answer 5

You aren't likely to listen to anyone who tells you to use a Realtor if you are under the impression that their services are a rip off. The housing market is very tough for sellers right now, but go ahead and try to sell your house yourself. When you fail, you might have to re-evaluate what real estate professionals can do for you.

Or you can wait for someone to validate your suspicions in this forum by hearing from someone who was successful in selling their property previously. But what you don't realize is that only a small percentage of for sale by owners actually sell.

Answer 6

Are you familiar with the entire legal process of selling a house?

Example: I need a divorce and a division of assets, should I just fill out the papers myself or should I hire a paralegal? Since I'm not familiar with the paper work and process involved in a divorce, I need to hire a paralegal to help me make sure I conduct my divorce legally.

If you are not familiar with the legal process of selling a house, I advise you to utilize a real estate agent. Besides, who doesn't lie to sell someone something? Don't you watch infomercials?

Answer 7

I've owned several homes and sold one myself, to save 7%.
I wouldn't go through that hassle again even if the agent wanted 15%. There are so many thing you don't know about, and costs and paperwork involved that it makes it almost unprofitable when I conser all the time and gas I wasted making multiple trips to the court house and the insurance agencies and having the prospective buyers paperwork checked. Plus I still had to have an attorney check and doublecheck everything before I submitted their application.
Pay the 6%, get to sleep without nightmares each night and walk away with cash in hand.

Answer 8

Here's the real question: how much do you know about selling houses? Do you know anything about disclosure forms and sales agreements and buyer's contracts and so on? Are you familiar with the necessary forms to get a buyer lined up with a mortgage company? Do you have the money to place display ads in the newspaper? Are you willing to host open houses and take calls about the house 24/7?

If so, save the commission and sell it yourself.

Answer 9

Get a Realtor. Interview several until you feel comfortable with one. There are alotof litle things in a real estate transaction and unless you know the regs and rules and most of the little things. Generally they are worth the cost.

Answer 10

use a realtor. but get one that knows the laws and can prevent any legal hassle that could come up later. I didn't use a realtor and some things were over looked that were problems later. Its worth it if the realtor works hard for you. Ask them this question how long does it take them to sell the house if they list it. My friend has sold 99% of all her houses! You don't want to have to relist it. Make sure they work hard for you.