Should You Hire A Realtor or Try FSBO?

Hiring A Realtor Can Be Full of Challenges, Should You Hire One or Try An FSBO?

Let’s examine the pros and cons of both options to see what may be your best option.

What Are The Pros & Cons?

In recent years businesses have come into existence to help homeowners buy or sell their properties. There can be advantages to doing an FSBO listing, but there can be drawbacks as well. Here are a few things you will want to consider when making this decision.

Questions to consider

Are you buying land or a lot to build on? Are you aware of any easements and setbacks?
What are comps? Don’t overbuild your neighborhood.
Historic areas, POA requirements, Municipal restrictions.
Are you selling your home; before during, or after your new home is built?
Do you understand contracts?

While some say you can do it on your own, if you’re not familiar with the processes of buying or selling a property we recommend hiring a Realtor® to help guide you through the process. If you choose to hire a Realtor® here are a few things you will want to know about them before you make your selection. Always talk to more than one.

How many years have they been a Realtor®?
Are they a full-time or part-time Realtor®?
Will they represent your home well to buyers?
Do they have personal knowledge of the area?
How many homes do they typically represent?
Are they professional and knowledgeable?

Prepping Your Home to Sell

If you already own property to build on then your biggest concern may be what you need to do to prepare your current home to sell. Whether you choose to hire a Realtor® or sell your home yourself a local Realtor® can still be helpful in your efforts.

Most Realtors® will come to your home and recommend what they would do to prepare your home before listing it. They can also examine how much you should do before you exceed the Square Footage Comp Value for your area; this helps to determine how far to go in refreshing your home for the current market without exceeding its value. A Few things you can do yourself are:

Getting Your Home Ready

Declutter your home – Remove as much clutter and personal items as possible. Even reset your furniture if needed.
Fix anything broken – Replace non-working light bulbs with similar working bulbs. Clean carpets, repair damaged drywall and trim, and retouch paint or completely recoat if needed. We recommend repainting your front and back doors to create a fresh look.
Replace air filters and air fresheners – This will refresh your home.
Clean inside and out – Power wash the house, clean gutters, clean and re-mulch flowerbeds, and keep your yard mowed and trimmed. Clean appliances, kitchen, and bathrooms. Make sure beds are made and closets are clean.