Reasons to Choose a Real Estate Agent Over “For Sale By Owner”

Are you thinking of selling your home? Trying to decide whether to go the ‘for sale by owner’ route, or use a professional estate agent? Perhaps friends and family have confused you by giving you their personal opinions? The best you can do is be open to research, after all… this could be one of the largest transactions of your life. 

Pride Property in Gansbaai shares a few valuable reasons why enlisting a pro to sell your home is the way to go.

Agents Have Access To Data-Bases

Yes, you can list your home yourself on public marketing websites and on social media, but will that be enough? You don’t have relationships with other agents or past clients who can assist in bringing the largest pool of potential buyers to your home. Moreover, an estate agency such as Pride Property has a database of potential buyers just waiting for the right property to become available. 

Real Estate Is a Full-Time Job

Can you rush home from work every time someone wants to see your home? Can you interrupt whatever you are doing each time a potential buyer calls with questions? Do you have the energy to take advantage of every possible opportunity to market your home at the end of a long workday and on weekends? While your answer to all of these questions might be “no”, your agent’s answer will be “yes!” 

Agents Avoid Emotional Sales

Selling your home can be a stressful and emotional process. Having an agent keeps you one step removed and makes you less likely to make rookie mistakes such as under or overpricing your home, refusing to counter a low offer because you’re offended, or giving in too easily. Your realtor can communicate with a potential buyer without sounding too eager or desperate which could negatively affect your asking price. 

Weeding Out Unqualified Buyers

An agent can find out whether someone who wants to view your house is really a qualified buyer or just a dreamer or curious neighbour. It’s a lot of work and a major disruption every time you have to put your life on hold, make your house look perfect and show your home. Additionally, the owner should never be present when there is a showhouse because nothing makes a potential buyer more uncomfortable than the current owner lurking around. When a seller is present, most buyers tend to rush through a house and won’t notice or remember much about what they saw.

Price Negotiations Take Skill

Even if you have sales experience, you don’t have specialised experience negotiating property sales. An agent does, they do this for a living so they are more likely to succeed. An experienced selling agent may have negotiated hundreds of home purchases and knows all the pitfalls and how to work around them. Furthermore, agents know the local customs for selling a home, such as whether the buyer or the seller typically pays fees such as transfer taxes and closing costs and what paperwork needs to be done. They have contacts everywhere and don’t have to struggle with municipal paperwork as non-agents do.

You Ignore Your Home’s Flaws

Agents are experts in knowing what makes homes sell. They can walk through your home with you and point out changes you need to make to attract buyers and get the best offers. An experienced agent will also know how best to stage your house to appeal and not repel potential buyers.

Exposure to Legal Risks

A lot of legal paperwork is involved in a home sale, and it needs to be completed correctly by an expert. One of the most important items is the seller’s disclosures. A seller of real estate has an affirmative duty to disclose any fact that materially affects the value or desirability of the property and can be held liable for fraud, negligence, or breach of contract if they do not disclose properly. 

Pride Property - Ready To Help you Sell Your Property For The Best Return

Pride Property is a leading real estate agency in Gansbaai that deals in residential, commercial and agricultural property in the greater Gansbaai area. To find out more about them and to arrange a consultation regarding the sale of your property, see here.