Often the question arises:  "Can I save money if I sell without a Realtor?

I need all the dollars out of this sale I can get!! ... "

This is an appropriate concern, and although at first thought this might make sense, in reality the answer to the question is, USUALLY NOT. 

Biggest reason:  Most BUYERS looking at a for-sale-by-owner property will discount the price they offer you so they are not paying a price that includes Realtor-service fees when there is no Realtor.  Buyers today have access to the comparable sales, and they know those sales INCLUDED Realtor fees. 

The reason they are shopping for a for-sale-by-owner property is..…  to purchase more house at a lower price;  i.e., to “save the fee”!  So if you sell a property without being Realtor-represented and the Buyer purchases without a Realtor, did you save any dollars?  Or did you just give those dollars away???  While giving yourself the headache of having to handle all the details of the transaction yourself? 

In addition, unless a Buyer is paying all cash, the Buyer's lender will adjust the comparables / subject property to factor in "no Realtor fees" in the APPRAISAL VALUE for loan purposes --which means that if a loan is needed,  as an unrepresented Seller you may end up having to lower your sale price in order to close the transaction.

Minimizing Seller future-liability also needs to be a consideration.  Our on-going legal changes to the Purchase Contract and numerous Property Disclosure Statements are designed to help minimize future lawsuits against the Seller.  We have court cases on the books now where the Seller has been sued 7-8 years later and LOST due to not being able to substantiate original-sale disclosure information.  Crazy?  Yes! ---but that is the reality of our "lawsuit-happy" society today.

As a Seller, when you put your property on the market you choose whether or not to be professionally represented  --which is why the fee shows up on the Seller's side of the closing statement.  But keep in mind that in reality, the Buyer pays for those services as that fee is part of the purchase price.  

And today, especially with today’s real estate valuations, most Buyers want realtor-representation for purchasing what they consider to be a major financial asset.  Do you want a Buyer of your property to have an advantage that you do not?

Something to think about carefully. 

When I list your property, I will be representing YOU and YOUR INTERESTS, not those of the Buyer.  I will be giving you the full marketing and representation service you and your property deserve….. all the way through the listing process to a successfully closed SALE.    

Results that Count!     Liz Pickett