Just because an agent works for “Biggest Brokerage” doesn’t make them automatically a good agent, or one that fits your needs. Since we are all Independent Contractors, we follow certain rules of our particular brokerage, local, state and national Realtor associations. How WELL we follow is up to the individual.

Meet with a few agents that catch your attention to ask questions and decide if they are the one for you.

An ‘iBuyer’ is any company that will buy your home either sight unseen or after a short assessment, for an offered price. These prices are usually quite a bit lower than market value. Why? They have to make money on it once THEY put it on the market. This method simply saves you time, repairs, and keeping your house clean for showings.

It does NOT always save you commission. Often, the ‘iBuyers’ do charge you a ‘service fee’ of 5-12%, and some even ask you for money for repairs after their assessment!   • If you are needing to sell your home quickly- maybe a pre-foreclosure, death/probate, job relocation, divorce, etc. – this may be a good option for you, depending on how much equity you have in the property. •  If not enough to pay off the mortgage, you’re looking at a Short Sale(bank will take a hit on the price but they decide who can buy it).

This is certainly a choice. The main issues with FSBO are:

• Time – you need to have extra time to market, show, be around for inspections, etc.
• Safety – allowing all sorts of people to walk through your home without any background checks. What about your family and valuables?
• Visibility – Sometimes a sign, word of mouth and a low cost listing (think the ‘Z” site) is just not enough to reach the perfect Buyer. More time wasted.
• Negotiation – So many factors to negotiating, and you’re already emotional about the home you love. Many deals have soured at this point that a Realtor could have saved from a neutral, experienced vantage.
• Insurance – What happens if these Buyers cause some sort of contractual issue, or, if you’re the Buyer of a FSBO, the Seller ‘leaves out’ serious information? You’re out of pocket, unless the contract you used covers any of this. Realtors have what’s called Errors & Omissions insurance. This is used in situations such as:
  • You list a property with an undisclosed physical or structural flaw.
  • You buy a property for a certain use, but Seller didn’t tell you it wasn’t able to be zoned for this use.
  • You describe a property incorrectly in a listing.
  • You fail to disclose all liens on a property.

This isn’t to say you can’t get it done. It’s just going to take longer and, of course, Buyers assume the price is going to be cheap. If they bring a Realtor to help THEM, you’ll need to pay that commission. So it’s only a small savings with no support for YOU.  Read more on my Blog about this.