Did You Know!

According to National Association of Realtors (NAR's) 2005 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers - The median home price for sellers who use an agent is 16.0 percent higher than a home sold directly by an owner; $230,000 vs. $198,200!

Agents know best how to prepare a home and maximize value, provide broader exposure to the market and are more likely to generate multiple bids, and the portion of sales that are between private parties are likely to be at a lower price than those on the open market.

The following are a few things to keep in mind about using a Real Estate Agent:

• Nine out of 10 home buyers use a real estate agent in the search process.
• 81 percent of buyers who use the Internet to search for a home purchase through a real estate agent, while 63 percent of non-Internet users buy through an agent.
• Owners without professional assistance may have problems in understanding and completing paperwork, prepping the home for sale, getting the right price and selling within the time planned.
• The typical buyer walked through nine properties, searched eight weeks to buy a home and moved 12 miles from their previous residence.
• The typical seller placed their home on the market for four weeks, had lived in it for six years, moved 15 miles to their new residence and previously owned three homes, including the one just sold.

STILL NOT CONVINCED?  STILL CONSIDERING FSBO (For Sale By Owner)?

We are actually going to send you to a For Sale By Owner Website!  In fact, it's the most well-known site: FSBO.com!  We want you to read the advice they give to Owners considering selling their own property.

Is selling for-sale-by-owner worth the risk?
June 05, 2006  By Dian Hymer

* Dian Hymer is author of "House Hunting, The Take-Along Workbook for Home Buyers," and "Starting Out, The Complete Home Buyer's Guide," Chronicle Books.

With the increasing use of the Web as a real estate search tool, you may think that as a seller, you can simply post your home on the Internet and buyers will find you. They might, or they might not. But having your property listed in your local MLS guarantees it will receive the widest possible exposure, since agents from member firms can show all of the properties placed on the MLS.
 

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