Why You Shouldn’t Sell Your Home On Your Own

When choosing to sell a home, the homeowner has to consider how they are going to do it. There are two options: the first is hiring a real estate agent, and the second is going For Sale By Owner (FSBO). Going FSBO may seem like it’s a better choice because it puts the seller in charge of every aspect of the sale instead of going through someone else, but it’s actually a bad idea. Here is what all sellers need to know about FSBO and why they need to hire a real estate agent.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

No Professional Help

When a Mountainview homeowner opts to sell a home on their own, they’re committing to doing every part of the selling process on their own. The homeowner needs to navigate negotiations, closing, documentation, and everything else that goes into selling a home on their own. To understand how much work this is, it typically takes up to two years to become a licensed agent, and it takes years for an agent to truly master their job. Selling a home isn’t something a homeowner can just look up on Google and follow tutorials for. If a seller insists on doing everything on their own, they need to understand that they are going to be prone to mistakes that fully trained real estates know how to avoid.

Selling Can Be Confusing

The reason may people want to go FSBO is because they think selling a home is like selling anything else. However, this is not the case at all. It can take years for a real estate agent to master the art of selling homes. When a homeowner tries to sell their own home, they’re going into a very long and confusing process with zero preparation. Any mistakes the seller makes during this process will cost time and slow everything down drastically. If a seller wants to get the most out of the selling experience and make sure it’s done quickly, efficiently, and correctly, they need to hire a real estate agent.

Sellers Have Limited Exposure

When selling a home, the seller needs to make sure as many people can see it as possible. The wider the net they cast, the higher the chances of finding a buyer. However, when a seller chooses to go FSBO, they significantly reduce the amount of exposure their home will get. The homeowner will only be able to put the listing for their home on websites that anyone can access. Sellers who hire a real estate agent have access to their agent’s agency’s website for advertisement, and many other things such as Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Going FSBO means the seller will need to do everything they can and work as hard as they can to get their home’s listing in front of buyers.

Sellers Don’t Know the Market

One of the biggest disadvantages a FSBO seller has to face is that they just don’t know the housing market like an agent does. Agents are able to look at the market and decide if it’s a good time to sell a home, if that type of home is popular, how long it may take to sell a home, and so on. FSBO sellers can try to do the same, but they don’t have the background knowledge that agents have, and this will work against them.

All homeowners who want to sell their home should hire a real estate agent. Agents are an invaluable asset, and no seller should go without one. If a seller goes FSBO, they risk sabotaging themselves.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.