Charlotte Real Estate & More

The Advantages of Selling Your Home Without a Charlotte Real Estate Agent…

…Or are they really advantages?

The Wall Street Journal wrote just today, that even Colby Sambrotto, founder and COO of ForSaleByOwner.com, even used a real estate broker to sell his personal home (paying full commission, I might add).  The resulting multiple Offer situation got Mr. Sambrotto more than he imagined he would be able to get for his home - to the tune of $150,000 ABOVE list price!

In today’s economy, people are looking for ways to save money.  This is also true when it comes to selling their homes.  Some homeowners believe that selling their homes without a Charlotte real estate agent will save them thousands.

Is selling your home on your own right for you?  After weighing some of the advantages and disadvantages to selling your home without a Charlotte real estate agent, you will be able to make a more informed decision on which choice is best for you.

Here are three reasons sellers feel that selling your home as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) is advantageous:

1. You may save money by eliminating the commission.  Selling your house as a FSBO means you don’t have to pay commission to a listing agent.  Suppose you pay 6% of the sales price in commissions; you could possibly save that amount.  Unfortunately, buyers know that too.  So, most buyers believe that if you are selling on your own and not paying a commission, they should get the savings – not you.
2. The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is now available to you.  A FSBO can now be advertised on many local Multiple Listing Services.  In the past, this tool was only available to real estate agents and brokers.  You will usually have to pay a fee to get your home listed on the MLS.  Bear in mind that real estate agents have multiple ways that they use to market your property–they KNOW where the consumer is looking and some pay dearly to market there.
3. Offers and counter offers can be negotiated face to face between you and the buyer.  You don’t have to wait for your listing agent to talk with the buyer’s agent and get all the paperwork drawn up.  However, if you are not skilled in negotiation, you may leave money on the table.  Remember:  You may have sold as many as 2-3 homes on your own–an experienced real estate agent has negotiated hundreds!  Put their experience to work for YOU.  You will more likely than not, find that you’ll actually get MORE for your property, even after paying commissions, just as Mr. Sambrotto found!

One other thing to take into consideration before you put up your For Sale By Owner sign is the state of your local real estate market.  If it is a buyer’s market, you will most likely have a hard time selling your home by yourself.  It’s easier to sell your home by yourself when it is a bustling seller’s market.

If you’d like information on selling your Charlotte home, I’d be happy to help.  Contact me today by phone or by email.

Read more: http://www.icharlotterealestate.com/are-there-advantages-of-selling-your-home-without-a-charlotte-real-estate-agent/#ixzz1U7dmcTi6

 

      

  Charlotte NC Homes for Sale

 (THE best Charlotte home search available - no kidding!)

Debe Maxwell, CRS/Realtor®/Broker
Broker@TheCharlotteScoop.com
Phone (704) 491-3310

     

  

 

    

      

       

 

         

   

Disclosure of material contained within.

4 Questions to Identify Qualified Buyers for Your Charlotte Home for Sale by Owner

Selling a Charlotte home for sale by owner takes a lot of time, energy and expertise.  You’ll need to know how to set a fair market value for your home, promote your home to the max to be able to pull in as many qualified buyers as you possibly can and then negotiate the final terms and sales price.  

One of the most important skills you need to learn in order to find qualified buyers for your Charlotte home for sale by owner is how to sort out the “Lookie Loos” from the serious buyers.  

Lookie Loos are people who aren’t serious at all about buying a home.  At the very least, they waste your time and energy.  At worst, Lookie Loos could be a security problem.  They could be simply checking out your home to determine if you have valuables worth stealing.

Serious buyers are people who are interested in buying a home within the next 30 to 90 days and are already pre-approved for a mortgage.  Make sure you spend your time and energy only on these individuals.

So, how do you identify qualified buyers?  Before scheduling a time to show your Charlotte home for sale by owner to potential buyers, ask them these four questions:  

1. Are you pre-approved for a mortgage?  If they’re pre-approved for a mortgage, they’re serious about buying a home.  If buyers aren’t pre-approved, suggest they contact a mortgage specialist and get back in touch with you when they have their pre-approval letter.  Mortgage specialists check the buyer’s credit score, income and debt ratios.  They also verify that the buyer has enough money for down payment and closing costs.
2. How much are you pre-approved for?  Make sure they’ve been approved for a loan that allows them the ability to afford your home.  If your home is valued at $500,000 and they’re only pre-approved for $150,000, then they cannot afford your home unless they can pay the difference in cash.  If the buyer is purchasing your home with cash, or using cash for a large down payment, you’ll want to ask the buyer for a bank statement to verify his or her funds.
3. Do you have your pre-approval letter?  Verify that they are pre-approved for the amount they say they are.  Ask the buyers to email or fax their pre-approval letter to you or bring it with them when they tour your home.  
4. When do you need to take possession of the home?  Your move-out timeframe needs to be close to the buyer’s move-in deadline.  How close?  Close enough to negotiate the difference.  If they don’t want to take possession of your home for six months, and you need to sell immediately, they’re not a serious buyer for your home.

To successfully sell your home, you need to know if a potential buyer is qualified to buy your home.  The sooner you know this, the less time you’ll waste chasing after lookers and unqualified buyers.

Tired of going it alone?  If you’d rather have an experienced Charlotte real estate agent handle everything for you from finding qualified buyers to negotiating the sales contract, give me a call or email me today.

 

      

  Charlotte NC Homes for Sale

 (THE best Charlotte home search available - no kidding!)

Debe Maxwell, CRS/Realtor®/Broker
Broker@TheCharlotteScoop.com
Phone (704) 491-3310

     

  

 

    

      

       

 

         

   

Disclosure of material contained within.