With the rise of popularity in Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and other online real estate tools, it might seem like you would be just fine selling your own home without hiring professional assistance. After all, with the click of a mouse you can tour a home and even decipher future payments on that home. It’s easy, right?
 
Not so fast.
 
Although sellers have the choice of going the “For Sale By Owner” (FSBO) route, they would be missing a key component to successfully selling their home - the talents and knowledge of a real estate professional. We believe there are several sound reasons for why you should opt out of the FSBO route and instead choose an agent to represent you.

 
The price is right

When selling your house, pricing is everything. In today’s market, one of the biggest reasons a house doesn’t sell is it is priced too high. There are a lot of factors that go into pricing a home correctly: location, square footage, layout, age, condition, upgrades, negative events, etc.
 
Before you decide to add the challenge of being your own real estate agent, we would love to consult with you on listing your home. Our real estate professionals at Network Real Estate take pride in representing the Wilmington community with excellence.
 

Set the stage

Due to their experience, realtors know what it takes for a home to sell based off aesthetics alone. Not only do they have an eye for home décor perfection, but chances are they also have connections with a lot of local stagers in town. Elegant staging can be highly effective for selling your home quickly because it allows the buyer to visualize what it could look like when they move in.
 

Marketing mania

When you list your home with a licensed real estate agent, you know your home will be marketed well. Agents provide marketing tools such as: home flyers, home books, professional photography, social media boosts, email blasts, open house flyers and more. With all this advertising, plus the extra exposure they will give you on real estate websites, your home is guaranteed to be sold so much faster for a better price.
 

Paperwork galore

If you have ever bought or sold a home before, then you probably remember the vast amount of paperwork and documents involved. It seems like every day there is something new to initial or another dotted line to sign. Because there are so many legal documents involved in the real estate process, it is important to receive guidance from a trained professional who knows the documents, inside and out. An agent will guide you through the paperwork contract, ensure that you do not miss anything along the way, and make the process smooth and easy.

 
Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate

As offers start funneling in for your home, your real estate agent is trained to help you evaluate the strength of each offer. With their past experience and knowledge of the market, they can strategize with you in issues like whether to accept or reject an offer, make a counteroffer or wait for a backup offer. In addition to that, they will ensure you get the highest and best possible sales price for your home. Leave the negotiating to the professional!
 
If you choose to go at the home-selling process without a real estate agent, be sure you have the time, energy, resources and ability to handle all the associated details. If you choose to work with a professional real estate agent, our agents at Network Real Estate would be happy to guide you along through the exciting process.