Are FSBO Listings The Way to Go?
What You Need to Know About FSBO Listings and Selling Your Home
So, you want to sell your home but you're not sure whether to hire a full-service broker or go by the way of FSBO (for sale by owner) listings? When it comes to the world of real estate, you can't take anything at face value and many things aren't what they seem. If you're considering a FSBO listing to sell your home, there are some things you need to know.
Pull Your Own Teeth, Take Out Your Own Appendix
Would you forgo going to a dentist or a surgeon because it would be cheaper to do it yourself? Some FSBO listing programs make just as much sense.
Licensed real estate agents have to go to school and take a test for a reason -- it's a complicated profession that takes experience to do right. If you try to sell your home completely on your own without the help of an agent, you're going to run into more headaches than it may be worth.
That being said, some FSBO programs do make sense. However, they are a little more in-depth than just putting your home up for sale on a FSBO site or in a FSBO magazine for a few bucks.
The MLS
Any FSBO listing that's worth looking into will put your home in the MLS (multiple listing service). Without a listing in the MLS, real estate agents who have clients looking for homes like yours won't even know your home exists.
It's Not All FSBO
When it comes to FSBO listings, things can get confusing. Some of the "FSBO" services out there are really a la carte agent services and not FSBO services at all. These are usually the services I recommend.
For example, you can pay an agent 1 percent to list your home in the MLS, advertise it and do the paperwork but you may have to show the home. Just remember, if you sell to someone working with an agent, you're going to have to pay that agent a commission too.