Just like you, I am on social media. And just like you, I see all sorts of posts coming from friends sharing their friends For Sale By Owner posts. Each time I do I have to really bite my tongue to refrain from making what I feel are a few obvious pieces of information. Such as:
- Did you know you can be sued by the buyer for up to 5 years after the transaction closes doing FSBO?
- The Title company isn’t responsible to make sure you have all legal documents in your purchase and sale.
- A real estate attorney can certainly review the initial documents, but what about giving you advice during and after the buyers do an inspection? They don’t help with that part for sure.
- Great, so you based your selling price off of hearing what your friends have recently sold their homes for and the “Zestimate” tool. But what will you do if the appraiser says its not worth that price?
- Did you know sellers who use a Real Estate professional make on average 12% more on the sale of their home than people who do FSBO? And that includes after paying commission?
So those are just the questions running though my inside voice as I smile and think to myself, “I have a license to do this job, had to be fingerprinted and take continuing education classes every year, but apparently some people think that’s not important when selling a home.” Plus, don’t YOU have a job? Taking time to come open the door for people, making sure you are prepared to ask every random question they may have about your home, vetting people, choosing the right offer without violating the Equal Housing Act….there’s a lot of little things that are very time intensive.
Here are the 5 SIMPLE reasons why you should hire a real estate professional and not just my rantings.
- They help with all the disclosures and paperwork necessary in today’s heavily regulated world. There are legal forms in a PSA and they change all the time! Knowing how to fill them out, what forms are necessary and which ones are not – its all part of the process.
- They are educated with the entire process. They know what it means and what to do when the appraiser brings back a low appraisal or calls for work orders to be done. Or when the bank is stalling, the title company needs to clear up something on title or the inspector finds something that needs to be looked at by a roofer, HVAC, plumber, electrician.
- They act as a ‘buffer’ in negotiations. This is especially helpful if you are selling to someone you know, and like….and want to continue to like in the future.
- They understand today’s real estate values and will help determine the price that will not only get it sold, but appraised as well. They also know how to market your home, have professional photos taken and write text that makes your home get noticed.
- They will explain today’s real estate language and help you understand what is going on. You don’t have to age 5 years during the 45 day escrow period.
Selling your home For Sale by Owner may appear to be easy, but few real estate transactions are ever truly easy. This is why you hire someone. After all, you wouldn’t represent yourself in a criminal trial would you? Or extract your own teeth, perform surgery…..etc. So when you’re ready to have a professional sell your home, call Amy Maib of Keller Williams Yakima Valley.
