When it’s time to sell your home, you have a choice to make: do you hire a realtor, or do you manage the process on your own? Both options have their own advantages and disadvantages, whether you’re familiar with buying and selling homes or not. Understanding how to sell a house without a realtor can help you make a more informed decision. Start your journey by understanding the pros and cons of selling homes without a realtor, and then reach out to us at Joe Homebuyer Sacramento to learn more about the different options you have for independently selling your home and what the different timelines could look like.
Benefits of Selling Your Home on Your Own
Many homeowners in Sacramento prefer to sell their own homes. Here are some of the advantages of how to sell a house without a realtor to consider:
- You stay in control. When you’re selling the home on your own, you can choose the listing price, the contract particulars, and how you market it. Many agents may have a “take or leave it” approach when they present their home-selling strategy, making them a bad fit if you like being involved in the process. When you sell your home yourself, you can decide whether to stage it, how to photograph it, and whether to hold open houses or private showings, all on your own terms.
- Save money on commissions. As a rule of thumb, expect to spend about 6% of your home’s sales price on commissions: 3% to your listing agent and 3% to the buyer’s agent. Even though recent NAR legal changes have modified that commission breakdown process, you’ll still often be expected to pay the full 6%. If you’re selling a home for $800,000, that’s $48,000 right off the top.
- You have more options. You can sell the home to the buyer of your choice after a face-to-face interaction; you can hand off the property to a relative without any expensive intermediaries; or you can sell your home to a service that buys as-is houses for cash. When you’re interested in alternative approaches, not having a realtor keeps the doors open.
Cons of Selling Your Home on Your Own
However, many homeowners still prefer to use a realtor, generally for the sake of simplicity and convenience. Here are the main disadvantages of selling a home yourself:
- You have to manage buyers and negotiations. Depending on your market, you might interact with dozens of potential buyers, have conversations that never lead to offers, and receive offers far below your expectations. As your own agent, you have to respond to them and negotiate with those buyers and their agents as well.
- You might still have to pay for a commission. When the seller doesn’t pay for the buyer’s agent’s commission, then the buyer has to pay it. But many buyers may not have the cash to make a down payment and a commission at the same time, which is why it’s often included in the sales price. As a result, many buyers either won’t be able to buy your home or will need a complex negotiation in which the price goes up slightly so you can cover their agent’s commission.
- It takes time. You’ll handle a lot of preparation work, including deciding whether to make repairs, what a strong listing price should be, and what kind of marketing you’ll use. You might also spend your own time holding open houses, managing private showings, and talking with buyers or their agents. There are hours of upfront work, and even more as your home stays on the market longer.
Why You Should Sell Your Home to Joe Homebuyer Sacramento
Selling your home with an agent comes with significant disadvantages, but so does selling your home as a traditional FSBO. But there’s a third strategy: selling your home as-is to Joe Homebuyer Sacramento. Our team can quickly buy your home without the long wait times and weeks of uncertainty. We will give you a fair cash offer without any fees or negotiated repairs. We also close quickly, so you can get your cash and move on.
Contact Us at Joe Homebuyer Sacramento to Learn More About Our Home-Buying Process
Dreading the thought of paying a realtor’s commission or managing your own home sale? Choose Joe Homebuyer Sacramento for a fast and fair cash offer so you don’t have to worry about how to sell a house without a realtor. Reach out today to learn more about our process or to take the first step.
Image credit: // Shutterstock // Andy Dean Photography