There’s more than one way to get your house sold. That’s the entire premise of SOLD.com; depending on your real estate goals and the condition of your property, it might make sense to sell your own home, work with a discount broker, or even sell to an iBuyer. When you request your SOLD.com report, you’ll get personalized recommendations for the best way to sell your house.
Of course, one of the most conventional ways to get a house sold is by working with a real estate agent. An agent who helps you put your property on the market is known as a listing agent, and while this approach may not be ideal for everyone, it can certainly offer some advantages.
Why Work with a Listing Agent?
For example…
A listing agent will ensure you get your house priced right… the first time.
Arguably the most challenging part of selling your house is getting the price right. There are a number of factors you’ll want to consider, including the overall state of the market; comparable homes in your area; and the specific shape of your property.
There’s nothing easy about it but making an error could be disastrous. Price the home too low and you’re effectively leaving money on the table. But if you price it too high, it’s unlikely to sell. Months down the line you may have to do a price reduction, which signals to buyers that you’re a little desperate. The bottom line: If you don’t price right the first time, it becomes much harder to ever get the place sold.
But a real estate agent will be skilled in doing the research and coming up with just the right price, maximizing your odds of getting a quick sale and a solid return on your real estate investment.
A listing agent will get you more exposure.
What’s the best way to market your home? Facebook? Direct mailers? Signs in the neighborhood? An MLS entry, ensuring your home shows up on real estate websites and apps?
The answer is all of the above, and the MLS entry in particular. A good listing agent will be able to do all of this for you, ensuring your listing is seen by as many people as possible. Of course, this maximizes your chances of a sale.
Working with a listing agent will get you a better home presentation.
A listing agent can also be invaluable in helping you make your home look its very best, delivering the strong first impressions you need to win over buyers.
There’s a real art to home staging, and while this is something you can definitely try on a DIY level, there’s something to be said for the experience that a real estate agent provides.
An agent will be skilled in negotiation.
Another area where agents bring invaluable experience is in negotiation.
We don’t just mean negotiation over the price of the home, either. Your agent will also be able to negotiate over the results of your home inspection, using the inspector’s report to help you save money or get key updates made to the home.
Again, there’s nothing to say you can’t do this yourself, but a listing agent will deliver a wealth of real-world experience.
An agent has time.
You may be attracted to the idea of selling your own house, going the FSBO route. After all, this prevents you from having to pay a listing agent’s commission.
Selling your own house can sometimes be a shrewd move, but keep in mind that it’s basically a full-time job, and you’ll need to be available for showings and inquiries pretty much around the clock. You may not have that kind of time or flexibility, but a listing agent definitely will.
Working with an agent means quicker closings.
Finally, it’s worth noting that, statistically speaking, working with a listing agent is a good way to speed up your transaction, closing sooner rather than later. If you’re ready to get the place sold and move on ASAP, working with an agent may be one of your safest moves.
To find out whether working with a listing agent is truly your best move, we invite you to request your seller’s report from SOLD.com today.
