Differences Between Hiring a Real estate agent vs. Sale by the Owner

Selling a house needs lots of hard work. To save money, homeowners go through the entire process by themselves. Selling a house without a professional real estate agent has its pros and cons. You can weigh those options and decide what works the best for you. If you have listed your house for sale in San Antonio, TX, then this comprehensive guide will help you decide what to choose.

Marketing the home

For a successful home sale, marketing is the main component. Besides a home, you need a qualified potential home buyer. According to San Antonio real estate agent, 90% of the homebuyers were on the hunt for a new home which they searched online. FSBO sellers usually purchase ads in magazines and newspapers. They host the listings online. However, top realtors in San Antonio have many more ways to market the home and increase its visibility. The best example for it is Multiple Listing Services or MLS.

Price for the home

The ever-so-on-going debate of selling the home FSBO always talks about the net income. Selling the home yourself can save you a lot of money as you do not have to pay any realtor fees. A recent study found out that San Antonio homes for sale got the same amount of money as the homes sold by a real estate agent.

While it is true that real estate agents charge some percentage of the home selling price. But, that fee saves you a lot of time and money that goes into selling the home all by yourself. It was recently found out that the median price of the homes sold by a real estate agent was $210,000. And other homes that were FSBO were sold for $154,000.

If you plan on selling your home FSBO, you will have to do the following tasks -

Stage your home. Home staging is expensive. Doing it all by yourself is even more expensive. It can cost you several hundred and sometimes even thousands of dollars.
Market the property on your own.
Host open houses for potential buyers.
Set the price all by yourself.
Take pictures of the house by yourself.

Sounds like quite a hectic task!

However, when you choose to work with a real estate agent, they will help you stage the home, take professional pictures, market your home, list them on MLS, and post ads on real-estate-agents-only websites where thousands of people can have a look at your property. You will not have to pay extra money that goes into listing if you work with San Antonio Real Estate Agent. Your realtor will also host open houses and property viewings at their times. This way, you will not have any disturbances in your work or life to show the property to potential buyers.

Oh and one important thing! Just because you are doing FSBO doesn’t mean that you have escaped all the realtor’s fees. The buyer’s agent will ask for at least a 3% commission from the home sale for their services to the buyer.

Time

The time period for which the property remains on the market is very important. The longer time the property has spent on the market, the lesser it will sell for. San Antonio homes for sale sold faster through Multi-Listing Service or MLS. A source tells us that it sold 20 days faster on average as compared to FSBO listings.

There is a reason why a real estate agent is a full-time job. It takes a lot of work in selling every home or property. Right from staging, scheduling property viewings, getting offers on a home, price negotiations, etc. Real estate agents work for long hours. They even work on weekdays and holidays to ensure that the home is sold in the right amount in the least amount of time.

A lot of FSBO sellers shorten their time at work. It is because they may have to show the homes during business hours, cutting their paycheck. Other FSBO sellers keep their homes listed on the market for a longer period of time because they are not able to drop everything and run when any potential buyer comes for home viewings. They do not have that much time on their hand to put their homes or condos for sale in San Antonio. So, their property remains on the market for a long. This is a red flag for potential buyers whether the reason is justifiable or not.

Negotiation

Home selling is a legal transaction. Thus, the seller and the buyer have negotiations. When you are selling your house through a real estate agent, he/she will take care of all the negotiations. But, if you are doing FSBO, you will have to handle negotiations on your own. Whether through a realtor or FSBO, you will be handling the negotiations with the buyer’s agent, buyer, buyer’s attorney, the appraiser, the home inspector, and also the bank.

FSBO sellers will also have to strategize on their own and rely on their expertise whereas real estate agents have expertise in the real estate market for years together. They are experts in the market when it comes to selling homes. If you are an FSBO, you may sell 3 to 4 homes in a lifetime. But, real estate agents, on the other hand, sell 3 to 4 homes every week. A huge difference!

Legal help

Home selling involves legal procedures that should be followed. If you are an FSBO, remember that some states will never let you go through the entire procedure without an attorney present. So, if you are planning to list your condos for sale in San Antonio, make sure you have a real estate attorney by your side. Even if you are well-versed with all the legal terms, you might overlook minor details and may end up in a lawsuit post-closing. Real estate agents, on the other hand, are aware of the ins and outs of home selling. They can help you make sure that the legal part of home selling is done properly and that you do not end up in a lawsuit.

If you are wondering whether buying a house with a friend or relative is a good idea or not, check out this post.

The bottom line

As we read above, it is hands down the best decision if you sell your home through a real estate agent. If you have San Antonio condos for sale, or a house for sale in San Antonio, TX, a San Antonio real estate agent will assist you. They have extensive experience in the San Antonio real estate market. So, if you want your home selling process to be hassle-free and smooth, contact a San Antonio real estate agent today!