Should home sellers choose a full-service real estate agent, or a flat-fee broker? Some things to consider:
- The full-service broker will offer you more but also charge you more.
- With a flat-fee broker, you can simply pay for an MLS listing—and that may be all you want.
- Ultimately, it’s a matter of choosing how much work you want to do yourself.
Get more insights from Sold.com.
When it comes to selling your home, the first decision you have to make is simply this: Do you want to do it yourself, or would it be smarter to seek professional help?
If you’ve already decided to go the FSBO route, we wish you Godspeed! But if you’re considering professional real estate assistance, you should know that there are a few different options to choose from.
In this post, we’re going to compare a couple of the most prominent options—full-service and flat-fee agents.
Note, however, that you can get a fuller rundown of your options—complete with an independent, unbiased recommendation—simply by answering a few questions about your listing. Learn more by requesting your Sold.com report today!
It’s All A Question of Value
When it comes to choosing between full-service and flat-fee agents, it’s very much a case of getting what you pay for. As you can probably guess, a full-service agent will typically offer you more benefits, but they come at a higher cost. Flat-fee agents are more affordable, but you shouldn’t expect to get many services from them.
A full-service agent will work tirelessly to get your home sold—for top dollar, and as expediently as possible. This means helping you price it, stage it, market it, take photos, run open houses, navigate all the paperwork and legal complexities—you name it. In fact, as the seller, you’ll have very little you have to do yourself.
The rub is that you’ll have to pay a sales commission—which is often 6 percent of the total sale amount. So, for people who want the sale done right and without much hassle, full-service agents make the most sense. For those who want to get top dollar, full-service agents may prove a little too expensive.
A flat-fee agent basically takes all the services we mentioned and unbundles them—allowing you to pick and choose. Most often, flat-fee agents are used simply to get access to the MLS database, which can certainly be valuable—but it leaves the seller to handle everything else.
With flat-fee agents, you don’t pay a percentage. You pay a set dollar amount, which can vary from one agent to the next but will always be quite a bit less than that 6 percent. And, because it’s a predetermined dollar amount instead of a percentage, it’s a little bit easier for you to run the numbers and know exactly how much profit you stand to make from your home sale.
Choosing How to Sell Your House
There’s no single correct answer here; it’s all a matter of the services you’re after and how much you’re willing to pay for them.
To make an informed decision, we invite you again to get a report from Sold.com. Our goal is simply to help homeowners cut through all the noise and find the option that makes the most sense for them. Get a free, unbiased report by filling out the Sold.com sellers’ questions today!
