The Blog

To the ladies out there: I know you've all been there when you cheap out on a haircut and you end up getting exactly what  you paid for and less of what you asked and hoped for.  I am constantly having to learn this lesson throughout time that sometimes it's worth it to just spend the extra money . This same philosophy applies to real estate. When you're faced with hiring a realtor or doing it yourself, trust me, just hire the professional. You wouldn't cut your hair yourself. So why would you sell your home yourself? 

Many might think that a Realtors job is easy. "Oh I don't need a realtor. I'll just post my home on the MLS and call it good." You think it will sell easy, right? Wrong. Do you know the current market? Do you know what price to list your home at so that you don't end up hurting your sell? Do you know how to get the most money from a buyer or how to deal with multiple offers? Chances are, you don't. These things are all important when it comes time to selling your home. A Realtor will know how to navigate through this process and be able to save you time! 

My old neighbor decided to sell his home himself. He researched his home value and had it all figured out. He had offers coming in and things were going great. Or so he thought. What he didn't realize is that in his home description he had written that it had hardwood flooring. He later got sued because it turned out to be vinyl. To the untrained eye this is very mistakable. But for a Realtor that has experience with these types of things, this situation wouldn't have gone unnoticed. It would have been avoided completely. Here are some other reasons you should hire a Realtor:

1. FSBOs Sell for Less. According to Inman.com "in 2015 FSBOS lost 16% of the sale price with a median selling price of $210,000 (agent-assisted homes sold for $249,000)". 

2. FSBOs Take Longer to Sell. For the same reason they sell for less money, FSBOs stay on the market longer because there is no one dedicated their full time to making sure the home is properly marketed and gets moved. 

3. Inspections Are a Pain. If you don't know the rules, you could get caught with expensive changes that could have been avoided. Buyers can demand things that you may think need to be met after inspection, when in fact, they don't. 

4. Searching Isn't as Easy as it Seems. The internet is a fantastic resource. You can find almost anything! Websites galore give you access to homes for sale in your area and that's great! But there's a whole list of homes that aren't being advertised on the internet that a Realtor would have access to! 

5. Realtors Have Negotiation Super Powers. Realtors are trained on negotiating. With a market like today, when things are getting hot, you're going to want to know what to do with competing cash offers, bidding wars and other tactics. 

Above all that, your Realtor will be working for you at all hours of the day. They are dedicated to putting your needs first. While your at work, they're dealing with the hard stuff so you don't have to. When it comes to the crossroads of whether to hire a Realtor or not, always choose the professional. You won't be sorry.