I honestly think that most homeowners are not prepared to do everything it takes to sell a home on their home. There is a lot more involved than just sticking a sign in the yard. Sometimes the hardest part is overcoming the hurdles that can kill a deal after it has been accepted.

Still, I do think that there are some homeowners that can be sell on their own, and others that just need to try before hiring an agent. I’m hoping that this post gives them some tools to be successful if they do decide to go FSBO.

We got in a big discussion at Christmas with some family members that felt agents were overpaid and insisted they would always sell their homes themselves. Personally, I prefer to let a professional handle things and I know that if I spend a bit of time shopping for the right person, they will be worth every penny.

That doesn’t mean I won’t involve myself in the process (well actually it’s my husband – you won’t be able to keep him out of it even if you wanted to), but there are just too many things to deal with to run the show myself!! This list not only makes people better prepared to be successful if they decide to sell it themselves, but it also opens their eyes to the fact that there’s a TON of work to do to sell a house.

Nice work.

Rarely does an agent have a friend sitting ready to buy your house. Reputable agents are in business to help their clients sell for a fair price. We build our business through satisfied customers passing on our names. During the interview stage, suggesting a unrealistic low price is the best way to not get hired.

In fact, you are likely to find the opposite problem when interviewing agents. If they are trying to win the listing against competition, they may tell you what you want to hear…meaning a price that is really too high but might win them the listing. They figure that they can work on you later with price reductions.

(Off topic…but my suggestion in interviewing agents is to hire the agent you like best, even if you don’t completely agree with their price. Tell the agent you want to hire them, but you want to try a different price. Most agents will agree unless you are way off base)

I think it is fair & ethical to tell the agents you are interviewing that you are probably going to do it on your own, but you haven’t made a final decision and would like to meet them. They’ll be happy to meet you because most people that put up a FSBO sign end up hiring an agent at some point.

I have a client that listed with a MLS-only agent yesterday. I’ve spent hours with them giving them listing advice. When they do sell, I’ll be their agent to buy a new house. They are going to try this discount listing brokerage for a few weeks, then switch to me if a buyer doesn’t turn up right away. I’m ok with that. However they sell their house, I’ll make money by helping them purchase a new one.

Lastly, thank you for such a great article! You’ve provided some much-needed insight into some of the basic fundamentals of home selling that most folk may not have considered! Great post!

Matt Hanson