By Nathan Walldorf, ABR, GREEN, GRI, SFR, e-Pro
President, Greater Chattanooga Association of REALTORS®
Especially at times like now when the real estate market is good, people start to ask why they should sell their home with a REALTOR®. Before I became a REALTOR®, someone in another market told me I could easily sell my home on my own. I am glad I didn’t take their advice. I wouldn’t have known what to do if a buyer had come to me with an offer. And I would have wasted several months marketing my home only ultimately to list with a REALTOR® during the Fall as the market was cooling down.
Here are four of the biggest advantages to using a REALTOR® to sell your home:
1. Professional exposure. You want your home to look its best, which is what a REALTOR® can help you do. When interviewing for a listing agent, the REALTOR®’s listing packet should be professional and aesthetically pleasing to you. How REALTORS® represent themselves is similar to how they will represent your home. While a REALTOR® cannot fix any updates your home might need, they can suggest ways to dress up the home and help you portray it in the best way possible.
2. Fast exposure. REALTORS® have the tools to get your house in front of the largest number of potential buyers in the least amount of time. In Greater Chattanooga, your REALTOR® will enter your home into the Association’s multiple listing service (MLS), which then sends the listing to REALTOR.com and other national home search websites. REALTORS® also have connections with publications to get your home in local magazines and newspapers. In addition to interior and exterior photos, a REALTOR® can make a video tour, which they can upload to the various home search websites.
3. More money in your pocket. It’s a common misconception that a seller can make more money by avoiding paying a REALTOR®’s commission. Sure, you may be able to secure a buyer for your home in a hot market, but wouldn’t you rather have more than one person trying to buy your house? In several price ranges, Greater Chattanooga REALTORS® are seeing lots of multiple offers right now. This demand partially is due to low inventory in our market. Each month we’re seeing more New Listings come on the market than the previous month. Anxious buyers are looking at homes quickly and making offers shortly thereafter. Multiple offers often lead to home selling for more than the seller’s initial asking price. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, “Unrepresented sellers often mistakenly think they will save money by foregoing professional advice and representation when in reality the median selling price for agent-assisted home sales is about $26,000 higher than unassisted sales.”
4. Professional negotiation. REALTORS® are professional experts at negotiation. Your REALTOR®’s goal is to get you the most money for your home. REALTORS® know the market and can gauge what is fair in negotiating. Many sellers and buyers are unaware of what to anticipate when negotiating price, repairs and what items will remain with the home. With a REALTOR® on your side, you’ll have someone to guide you away from unreasonable demands and negotiate on your behalf.
Hire a professional to help your home look its best; get your home in front of the broadest number of potential buyers in the least amount of time; get you the most money for your home; and guide you through the negotiations from offer to contract to closing. Hire a REALTOR®.