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Selling your Home?
We Can Help If you are thinking about selling your home without the help of a Real Estate Professional, consider this: More than 75% of For-Sale-by-Owners who try, wished they had not and ultimately list their home with a Real Estate Professional. The reasons are really quite simple. It's harder than it seems. Most sellers have the misconception that selling their homes is a piece of cake. And by doing it themselves they can save money by avoiding the real estate commission. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that the odds of successfully selling your home alone are stacked against you. Unless you are trained and experienced in Sales, Real Estate Law, Financing, Property Valuation and Negotiating Skills, you might NOT have what it takes to be a successful For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO). The paperwork alone is enough to intimate most do-it-yourselfers. There are just too many pitfalls for the unsuspecting FSBO to avoid. FSBOs quickly learn how frustrating, confusing and time-consuming the process really is. After losing valuable marketing time, most FSBOs end up throwing in the towel and listing their home with a professional real estate agent.
Pricing your home right. Do you know what your home is really worth? Unless you pay for a professional appraisal, you are more likely to overprice or under price your home. In either case, you lose.
Once you have set your price--whether it's right or wrong--it is time to begin marketing your home. How are you going to advertise your home to qualified buyers? Most FSBOs put a "For Sale by Owner" sign in the yard and wait for potential buyers to drive by. What happens if no one ever drives by? As a homeowner, the only other marketing medium available to you is the local newspaper and possibly some Internet sites. Unfortunately, this can be quite expensive. And unless you are a skilled copywriter, your ad may be completely ineffective at marketing your home.
Let's assume you get lucky and people stumble upon your FSBO sign. Be prepared to answer calls at all hours of the day and night from people inquiring about your house. Most will be curious neighbors wanting to find out your selling price. Others are window shoppers that are simply not qualified to buy your house. And what happens if they want to see your home? If you're not at home, how are they going to get in? Essentially, every time you leave your house-- for whatever reason--your home is "taken off the market." If you happen to be at home, do you really want to let a complete stranger enter your home? Do you know if the person is REALLY qualified to buy your home? Or are they just tire kickers?
Getting down to business. You have finally found a serious buyer. Now what? How do you negotiate the deal? How do you objectively handle a buyer that is indecisive and on the verge of making the biggest investment of his life? Who will reassure the buyer that he is making the "right" choice?
This is arguably the most confusing, intimidating and frustrating part of the selling process for must FSBOs. In many ways, this is when the real work begins. First you have to deal with all of the legal aspects of the contract and the associated disclosure forms. Then you have to help the buyer navigate his way through the maze of mortgage financing, discount points, lock-in rates, fixed or variable interest rates, etc. Then there are the inspections, appraisal, escrow, closing attorney, and a whole host of other details to keep you jumping until the closing. Along the way, any one of a thousand things can go wrong, that can potentially unravel the entire deal. And in the middle of all if this you're busy trying to make plans to purchase a new home. Are you up to the challenge?
Before you decide, consider all that will be required in the way of time, skill, experience and money. And then consider the advantages of having a Professional orchestrate the entire job for you--smoothly, painlessly and safely! The decision is yours alone to make. It's your money.
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