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An InfoTube customer writes: 

“Can you settle a debate for us?  We have decided to sell our home, and want your opinion about hiring an agent.  Is hiring an agent to handle our sale really worth it  ?”

Dear InfoTube customer,

Thank you for writing to me.  The answer is Yes and No.  A lot of people would never sell a home without using an agent.  Yet, a lot of other people successfully sell their property by owner every day.   The answer to your question is one of lifestyle and budget.  Let me give you an example about myself.

When I sold my second home, I was working full-time, while caring for someone who was ill.  In addition, I was planning and coordinating our move to a different city.  I was very busy, and didn’t have the time or energy to dedicate to selling my home.   I found an experienced agent, who agreed to handle the sale for a 4.5 percent commission.   She did a great job in pricing and marketing the home.  We sold the property at near the list price and felt the commission we paid was more than fair.   In my case, hiring a Realtor was more than worth it.  It made financial sense and it made my move possible.

At another point in my life, my circumstances were different.  So, I opted to sell my home and save some money.  At the time, I had a flexible job that allowed me to market and show the property.  I felt comfortable showing my home and negotiating with buyers, because I had experience with prior sales and purchases.  In this case, I sold my home for near the asking price and received a hefty profit, because I didn’t need to use an agent.  I was in a position to do the work myself, so I made more money.  In this case, it didn’t make financial sense to hire an agent.

In conclusion, if you have the time and energy to sell your home, it doesn’t make sense to pay an agent.  If on the other hand, you don’t have the time or energy, hiring a professional to handle the sale is the smart decision and well worth the money.   When trying to decide, simply, do what works best for you.  Then, enjoy your profits.  You will have earned them, either way.

Thank you, as always for visiting InfoTube.net.   If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.  Others may be wondering about the same thing, too.

At InfoTube.net, we strive to help home owners sell their property, whether it is listed by owner or listed with an agent.  Sellers, who can afford the luxury of a full service real estate agents, often get less expertise and help than they deserve and pay for. 

6 Ways to Determine that you Hired a Crummy Realtor or Real Estate Agent:

1. Bad Behavior:   Each state has a real estate association that moniters agent behavior and tracks compliants.   Check the agents record before you hire them.  If you are already working with an agent that you suspect has acted in an ethical or unlawfile manner, contact your state association to review compliants from previous customers.   The state association also tracks criminal behavior by agents.
2. Part-Timers:   If you are willing to pay thousands of dollars in fee’s to a real estate agent, make sure they aren’t a waiter in real life.   Just because an agent is licensed, it doesn’t mean real estate is their full-time job.   Insist on a seasoned, full-time agent, before you give up six percent of your sales price.  The 6 percent real estate monopoly means they all charge the same amount to sell a home, so hire a pro.
3. No Contact:   When you are spending big bucks to sell your home by agent, instant communication is a “must do”.   If your agent doesn’t return calls in a timely manner, use email, or they have only one contact number…the relationship won’t work.    The last thing a seller needs in a bad market is to find they lost a buyer to the competition because no one could reach the listing agent.
4. Insists You Use Their Partners:  Realtors who insist or push a particular lender, inspector, title company, mover or lawyer, are likely receiving “kick backs” and making undisclosed money.   Agents scamming a referral fee should send up a huge red flag.  It’s your money, so you should use the services of whoever you want in your transaction.
5. Clueless:  Good Realtors are not the shy, quiet type.  They are sales people and they are full of advice.  If your agent makes no suggestions about improvements, drippy faucets or something…they are probably not fully engaged in selling property.  If they don’t firmly recommended a sales price and have facts to back it up, they probably don’t have the experience, confidence or personality to get the job done.
6. Push In House Listings:  Some real estate brokerages hold listings “in house” for some time, giving their company a chance to “double dip” and earn both the listing and selling commission.   Avoid brokerages who push in house listings and Insist that your property be placed on the MLS immediately upon signing of the listing agreement.    This questionable business practice is also known as a “pocket listing”.  Agents who pocket list harm buyers by limiting the inventory they can select from, and cost sellers time and money by limiting their exposure to all buyers in the market and increasing the odds the listing will look stale, once it is placed on the MLS.

InfoTube.net has thousands of home listed for sale by owner and by agent.  Search our database of fresh listings today and if you want the advantage of the MLS without paying 6 percent of your sales price in fee’s, get a low, flat fee MLS and sell today for thousands less.

Thanks for visiting InfoTube.net and good luck on the sale or purchase of your home