A Realtor’s fee may feel like an unnecessary expense, which will often times lead homeowners into trying to sell their home themselves. Wanting to take on the challenge of selling your home may seem like an easy enough task but can you do it? More importantly – can you do it and net yourself more money than if you would’ve hired a real estate professional? When it comes down to it, there are 5 things that you need to be able to do if you are going to try and sell your house without a Realtor.
Pricing It Right
Pricing your home right is one of the most important factors in whether or not you’ll be able to sell your home without a Realtor. Often times, Topeka sellers don’t know the current market conditions and aren’t sure what their home is really worth. When pricing your home do not, I repeat do not, do these two things. One, look up on Zillow’s Zestimates how much your home is worth. Zillow is filled with all sort’s of inaccurate information and you’re better off just guessing than pricing your home based off of what Zillow has to say. Two, looking at your county’s latest appraisal isn’t the answer either. While it might be closer than Zillow’s guess, the county appraisal doesn’t take into consideration Topeka’s current market conditions. Homes in Topeka are often time’s going significantly over what the county says. All in all, the majority of the showings come within the first week of marketing. History shows that when a home has a price reduction and has been on the market too long it will sell for less than if it were priced right in the beginning. Pricing your home right is very important in making sure you get top dollars for your home.
Marketing It Effectively
When it comes to marketing your house, it couldn’t be more true that a picture speaks a thousand words. High quality photographs are a must if you expect your home to get the attention and showings it deserves. Once you complete that step, now it’s time you get those pictures seen! It is very important that you have more than one avenue of marketing your home. The majority of buyers in the Topeka market are searching online and it’s important that you show up everywhere. I hate to say it, but making a Facebook Post is simply not enough. If you’re not using a Realtor and their access to the Local MLS (Multiple Listing Service), then you need to be willing to send some of your own money in order to get your home proper exposure. The Newspaper, Zillow, ForSaleByOwner.com, Facebook, Instagram, and etc. All of these are avenues you need to explore in order to get your home seen by all of the buyers out there.
The Paperwork
One of the things that a Realtor provides in their services is making sure all of the paperwork is done correctly from start to finished. It’s very important that you have everything you need in order to make this sale go smoothly. Some items that you need to be able to prepare and order are: Seller’s Disclosure Agreements, Lead Based Paint Agreement, Title Insurance Policy, Inspection Invoice/Reports, Closing Statements, and most importantly The Contract. Making sure the contract is filled out correctly is one of the most important items on this list. Without a Realtor, you need to make sure you read through every detail of the contract in order to make sure what is being written down is what YOU want to happen. The last thing you need is a legal nightmare. You thought Realtor Fee’s were high? Just wait till the attorneys get involved.
High Quality Inspectors/Contractors
Who you know is a huge part of the sale of your house and namely in what kind of inspectors & contractors you hire. Just like every profession, there are recommended inspectors and contractors and not so recommended. It’s important that when you enter into this phase of the home selling process that you do your research on who you’ll hire. Hiring the wrong whole house inspector or plumber can cost you thousands of dollars. Do your research and ask around because as easy as it seems, this is not something you want to mess up. Often times Realtors know know which inspectors take it easier on sellers or which ones are more nit picky. The difference in who’s doing your inspections isn’t just a question of quality, but also a questions of personality. There’s a difference.
Negotiating
At the end of the day, everyone thinks they are more than capable of representing and negotiating for themselves. The thing that you have to remember is that you are more than likely negotiating with the Buyer’s real estate agent, not the buyer. This agent, knows the ins and outs of the contract and paperwork, knows which inspectors to hire, and has been through this process a few hundred times. She is representing the buying and is wanting to get them the best deal possible and while you are trying to do the same. When selling your house without a Realtor, you are clearly unfavored to win the negotiating battle with the other agent but this is okay! As long as you are STILL netting more money by not hiring your own Realtor and representation this shouldn’t be an issue because you’re still coming out ahead.
In The End
In the end what’s most important is that you are netting the most amount of money possible from the sale. If by selling your house yourself you are able to net more money than by paying a Realtor of your own 3 percent then selling your home without a Realtor is something you need to consider. If you feel that after it’s all said and done you’ll end up netting less money, then maybe it’s time you look into hiring a real estate professional.
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About the Author:
The above article How To Sell Your Home In Topeka Without A Realtor was written by Justin Armbruster of the Armbruster Team at Genesis REALTORS®, local leaders in Topeka Real Estate, Marketing, and Social Media. You can contact the Armbruster Team at (785) 260-4384 or through this form. They have helped hundreds of people buy and sell homes in the Topeka area for years, and would love the opportunity to help you as well.
Are you thinking about selling your home? They have a passion for listing and selling homes in Topeka and would love the chance to use their expertise in Real Estate, Marketing, and Social Media to help you sell or buy yours! Are you interested in buying a home? Give the Armbruster Team a call. They have helped people buy and sell real estate in the all of the following Topeka School Districts:
