Thinking about selling your home on your own? Think again!
While selling your home without a Real Estate Agent seems like a great idea to save costs, it can end up costing you more in terms of time, money and emotional expenditures than you first imagine. By turning to a real estate agent for the sale of your home, you can expect efficiency and quality in terms of their service but also in the proceedings of getting your home on the market and sold to a new homeowner. Here are just some of the reasons you should consider getting a Real Estate Agent to sell your home:
A Real Estate Agent Has Access To Marketing Resources
In a recent article by the Canadian Business Journal, the increase of Internet Marketing and Google searches are prevalent in targeting those looking to buy a home. Those who are in the demographic of 50 and under tend to be searching for homes online and in recent years, they are the same demographic that make up a large portion of the home buying market.
But the Internet is full of different marketing tools and resources, some of which aren’t available to the average user. For example, in Guelph, the Multiple Listings Service (MLS) is only available to Real Estate Agents that are registered with the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). These listings are the most searched through listings that homebuyers reference via Real Estate websites and Real Estate Agents. The credibility that comes from having your home listed on the MLS not only keeps your best interests in mind when a Real Estate Agent adds your home to it but shows potential homebuyers that your property adheres to MLS standards.
Real Estate Agents not only have MLS resources, but they will likely also have their own website that garners a reasonable amount of daily traffic from organic Google searches, as well as their own social media that they use to market their listings. With an established following of people interested in real estate transactions, this puts your home in the view of serious buyers that are looking for listings from a trustworthy Real Estate Agent.
A Real Estate Agent Is Experienced To Sell In Your City
Another great reason to use a Real Estate Agent to sell your home is that a real estate agent has the knowledge and experience of the city to know exactly how to sell your home, fast. For example, in Guelph, there are pockets that are perfect for recent graduates who want to experience downtown living, but there are also pockets that are quieter and community based that are perfect for young families.
When an experienced Real Estate Agent in your city sells your home, they’ll know exactly who to target based on neighbourhoods and living styles. With this information and knowledge, they’ll be able to market your home in a way that attracts the ideal crowd of potential buyers. They will also be able to answer buyers’ questions when it comes to knowing the neighbourhoods and the lifestyles of those currently living in the area.
A Real Estate Agent Can Spot The Flaws
When it comes to establishing a home’s worth and its flaws, a Real Estate Agent will have the best insight. Many Real Estate Agents, myself included, have the qualifications to give a Market Value Appraisal (MVA) on a home, determining its worth prior to creating a list price. This is a process that can’t accurately be done by a homeowner attempting to sell their home on their own.
By appraising a home, a Real Estate Agent will tell you what features of the home will help it sell, and they will also be able to highlight areas that will lead to a decrease in the home’s market value, or at worst, negate the sale. For example, if there is a problem with the plumbing and there is evident water damage, the home will not sell for the same value as it would if the plumbing was in working order, and it may hinder the sale because the buyers can ask for conditions to be met—like the plumbing being fixed prior to the closing date.
A Real Estate Agent can also provide feedback on quick fixes that will increase your home’s real estate value, such as steam cleaning the carpets or painting over boldly coloured walls. If you need a bit more than a quick fix, Real Estate Agents also have networks and connections to contractors who can provide home renovations for sellers. To learn more about renovations that can increase your home’s value, check out a post that I wrote that goes over the best investments in your home’s resale value.
A Real Estate Agent Will Hold A Successful Open House
While everyone technically has the ability to host an open house, Real Estate Agents will have a more successful outcome than a homeowner. Why? Because a Real Estate Agent has the time and resources to dedicated to getting potential homebuyers into your open house.
When homebuyers are looking to view a home at an open house, they expect an easy process. First of all, they’re going to be looking for open house listings on Real Estate websites, Facebook pages and other social media outlets. They won’t be looking at a small newspaper listing, or hear it from word-of-mouth from your neighbours.
In most cases of buyers attending an open house, they’ve likely seen the home listed online and are coming to the open house to make those static images come to life in front of their eyes. They’re coming in to view the home during the window of time it says on the open house listing on whatever website they found it on. But if the open house is just presented by the homeowner, there’s a fairly strong chance of a hiccough in the process. Last-minute errands and hectic schedules can mean that a homeowner doesn’t put in the same amount of effort as a Real Estate Agent would show the home. It can be anything from being late to the process to toting around children and coming across as less than professional.
By having a Real Estate Agent conduct your open house, they’ll have the time and resources to ensure it is a success. They will be promoting the open house well in advance of the date and to the right buying crowd. For example, if you’re trying to sell a bungalow, a Real Estate Agent may direct the sale more towards people who have mobility concerns or are ageing, or just don’t want to deal with stairs, rather than people who prefer various floor levels for their living space.
Understanding More Behind The Sale
Of course, these are just a few of the reasons you should have a Real Estate Agent on your side when it comes to selling your home in Guelph, or elsewhere, and there will be more of these tips to come in the future. But to learn more about selling your home with a Real Estate Agent, be sure to give me a call and come back for part 2 of this blog post series.
I make the process as easy as possible for home sellers so that all they need to worry about is packing their items and moving to their next home. For more information on how the home selling process works, or to get your home listed in Guelph and the surrounding regions, contact me, Deb Olender, today!