30 Reasons to use a REALTOR® to market and sell your home MLS Exposure. The Multiple Listing Service provides exposure to literally thousands of people through Realtors®; the efforts of a For Sale By Owner just cannot compare with the exposure the listing will have on MLS. The Internet - Over 600 Websites! The Northern Regional Ohio Multiple Listing Service feeds your home listing to over 600 websites across the world, letting your buyers know that your home is for sale wherever they surf online. Also, I have my own personal website, www.NEOhioRealty.com, that I actively market, where I post all of my listing info and dozens of photos per listing. RE/MAX has numerous sites as well including www.remax.com where buyers from all over the world are driven to find your home. Your Home is Available to Show! Real estate offices have assistance during peak hours and message answering and paging services during off peak hours. When a buyer calls in, or an agent calls to show your home, you don't have to race home or beat rush hour traffic to open your doors. All appointments will be scheduled and confirmed through you with our support. "The time and work required just isn't worth it!" A seller selling privately can expect to put in a minimum of 80 hours "work" into the project. This does not account for other out of pocket expenditures such as marketing and a lawn sign. Selling a home can be extremely stressful and aggravating to go it alone. According to the Statistics of Home Buyers and Home Sellers, only 5% of the homes listed For Sale By Owner eventually sell. Of that percentage, 86% report that they would never attempt to sell another home themselves again - there were no savings and the grief they dragged themselves through and time wasted far outweighed what they thought they would save. Purchasers want the protection a REALTOR® can offer. A realtor must adhere to a rigorous code of ethics. A direct buyer or seller is not so constrained. A diligently completed Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) saves time and money. By use of a comparative market analysis, an agent can help a seller choose the right price to ask. While some sellers ask too little, others ask for too much. Once a house sits unsold for too long, it becomes stale. Often a seller is forced to reduce the price and may have to accept less money for his home than he would have received had he started at the right price originally. You may know what your neighbor is asking for thier home, but what matters is the actual sales price, comparable features, quality materials and workmanship and the area is broadened to the entire area, not just our neighborhood. Don't limit yourself waiting and hoping. A property depreciates the longer it is on the market. The first two or three weeks is a crucial period. Many owners fail to take advantage of this excitement by limiting the market to their own contacts and advertising. A REALTOR® can help you showcase your home better than anyone. Market value is influenced by perceived value just as much as by the concrete statistics. Realtors are able to offer suggestions about how to improve a home's "showability" and hence increase that value. Take advantage of the entire buying market including corporate and business referrals. Much of a real estate company's business comes from corporate or personal referrals. This market is unavailable to private sellers. Out of Town Buyers Out of town buyers seldom have the time or knowledge to deal directly with owners, but they do contact sales representatives through relocation systems. The best buyers work with REALTORS®. People who have been transferred from out of town, people who have their home for sale, or people who have sold their home all work with sales representatives. Ready, able and willing buyers at your doorstep. Other homeowners who have already listed their home usually purchase through the company with which their own home is listed. Qualified prospects right for your home. Realtors are capable of qualifying prospects so that only those who qualify to buy the home are introduced to it. This eliminates most "lookers" and non-serious purchasers and saves you a lot of time and falsely getting your hopes up. Safety REALTORS® screen all prospects and accompany all potential buyers through the property. There is a much less chance that strangers who may have activities in mind other that of buying a house will come, and it makes opening your home to the public safer in general. Remove the chance of a personality conflict. Private showings eliminate the possibility of a personality conflict between seller and purchaser. Demonstrating property is an art. Not everyone enjoys poking through other people's closets. It's the salesperson's job to demonstrate the home's strong points and its features. Assure the property is shown in the best light possible. A REALTOR® can select the best route to a showing and point out comparable properties that will assure the buyer that your home is priced reasonably, and point out the features your home has that the buyer is looking for. Perception of a desperate homeowner when a buyer has concerns. Virtually every buyer has objections and relies upon their agents to help them clarify. To a buyer, you're considered "selling". Where you are more emotionally involved, and may be less equipped to quell their concerns. As a REALTOR® I'm looked at as a counselor, and my clients know my intentions are sincere. With my experience and expertise, I can quell these concerns for you without being perceived to be a desperate home seller. FSBO-seeking buyers bring lowball offers. Private sales attract bargain hunters. Any time a buyer doesn't buy from a store or through a salesperson he expects to pay less. In effect, he expects to save the commissions or profits that would normally go to the sales-person or store owner. Why should someone do all the work a sales representative would normally do and still pay the full price? For example, if the seller is trying to save about six percent commission and the buyer is trying to save six percent, now they are 12 percent apart. Honest feedback from your buyers. Not all buyers will come out and say what is bothering them, particularly in front of the seller. A professional is trained to smoke these out and handle them professionally. Consistent follow up. Real estate professionals are trained to follow-up all leads, inquiries and showings. Such follow-up is normally expected and does not have a detrimental effect on a seller's bargaining position, while a private seller doing follow-up can seem desperate. Do you have a sale, or do you think you do? In real estate, the offers are in writing and irrevocable. Private buyers often give verbal offers and then revoke them. Skilled negotiations. Realtors are trained to negotiate better than a seller can on his own behalf. Financing. A REALTOR® is aware of many different ways to finance a purchase and often have reliable financing contacts, while a private seller doesn't normally assist in finding suitable financing or know how to get over the barriers of financing alternatives. Avoiding legal traps. I can help eliminate red tape and keep legal costs to a minimum. If you are not using a ® to draw up your contracts and collect other legal documents, a lawyer will have to do it for you, and they will charge you accordingly. Someone there taking care of it all. I am involved throughout the entire process until your home is transferred. I can stop what I'm doing and take care of any problems that may arise for you without you needing to take time off work or juggle your schedule. I am a full time, full service REALTOR® and I don't get paid until your home is successfully sold. The buyer feels more secure. A buyer can remain secure in the thought that although a seller may leave town, the agent will be there to help out should a problem arise after closing. Trust. From a buyer's perspective, a licensed real estate representative is more credible than an owner, who will not likely be around after the sale. Cheaper than a lawsuit. Selling real property is a hassle for which most people are ill-prepared. I can't possibly go into your job place and perform your job without your skills, knowledge and training and expect to be successful. Could you go in and perform surgery today? Or step into a courtroom and represent yourself as a defendant? Most real estate commissions are cheaper than most law suits. Commissions are negotiable. Contrary to public belief, commissions are negotiable. I am an independent REALTOR®. My license is held by RE/MAX, but I work solely on behalf of my client. My services are appropriately priced and affordable. I offer flexible packages for my clients allowing them to utilize my professional services and marketing programs for a fair price.