Why You Should Work with a Real Estate Agent When Selling Your Home

If you’re thinking of selling your home in the current red-hot housing market, you may be deciding between selling with the help of a real estate agent, or going the FSBO (For Sale By Owner) route. While the thought of not paying commission may seem attractive, you’re almost always better off working with a real estate agent. Here’s why:

Real estate agents can help price your home to sell.

When selling a home, your primary goal is to sell it as quickly as possible at the best price, so you can move on to your next place. As the homeowner, it’s easy to think you know what your home is worth, but there’s likely a bit of subjectivity that goes into your estimate. A real estate agent has a more fact-based process that involves pulling comparable recent home sales within a specified radius and reviewing your home against these to determine a competitive asking price.

Only real estate agents can get your home on the multiple listing service (MLS).

One of the biggest challenges of selling a home without a real estate agent is finding the best way to distribute your home listing to potential buyers. Advertising is a pay-for-play process, so selling your home on your own will require you to spend money up front in order to get your listing in front of as many eyes as possible. Working with a real estate agent provides your home access to the MLS, which is generally considered to be the primary system all real estate agents use to search for the most up-to-date home listings. MLS listings are what most buyers look at when searching for a home.

Real estate agents handle the negotiation process professionally.

One of the trickiest, yet most important, aspects of the selling process is handling negotiations with potential buyers. A good real estate agent will tackle negotiations professionally and work hard to sell your home for the maximum price so you don’t have to give up any additional sale proceeds aside from agent commissions. Real estate agents handle negotiations day in and day out, so you can feel confident in their ability to look out for your best interests.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices John M. Brabham Real Estate Agency provides quality realty services to the greater Sumter, SC region. Our expert, talented agents will help you rent, buy, or sell real estate. Whatever real estate needs you have, our team has the expertise and knowledge to help you! Call us TODAY at (803) 775-1201 to schedule an appointment or visit us online. Please also ‘Like’ us on Facebook!