When thinking of selling your home, the idea of listing it yourself to cut costs can be a compelling one. However, the DIY method of home-selling can often be more trouble than it’s worth, both mentally and financially. Here are benefits to having a professional involved in the process that you may not have considered.
- Correct House Price: Professional listing agents are experts at interpreting comparative market analyses, or CMAs. A CMA shows information on recently-sold listings of similar properties in a similar area to the property you are looking to sell. Professionals have access to the most recent data and know how to filter that data to best suit your property, thus settling on a price that will accurately reflect the current market.
- Qualified Customers: While getting anyone to view your listed home is the key to selling it, having a pro on board will ensure that the potential customers viewing your home are more qualified to make an offer, and will allow you to entertain competitive bids.
- Choosing an Offer: Even the most confident homeowner would be hard-pressed to sift through offers and separate the fool’s gold from the diamonds in the rough. Professionals know what exactly to look for in the offer, and have the experience in negotiation and bid interpretation to ensure you are working towards the best offer.
- Navigating Closing: Real estate professionals can help guide you through situations you may not have anticipated during the closing process, such as a customer’s requests for repairs. Professionals can advise you on what to concede and what to stand firm on in order to reach a satisfactory deal for everyone.
- Selling for Maximum Profit: The 2016 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, an annual study conducted by the National Association of Realtors, found that sellers using real estate agents sold their homes for an average of $60,000 more than sellers who didn’t. No matter what your budget or price point for selling, that is not a number to scoff at.
Ultimately, the choice is yours when deciding how to sell your property, but hopefully these benefits give you a better understand of just how vital having a real estate professional on your side can be.
If you’d like a no obligation opinion of the value of your greater Seattle area home please contact me.
David Warren
Managing Broker | REALTOR
METROPOLIST
425-760-8285
david@metropolistgroup.com