Best Reasons for Selling a House Without a Realtor

If you’re considering selling your home, you have several options. It’s important to consider the pros and cons of each option to decide which selling method is best for you and your needs. Three of the most common selling options are using a real estate professional, For Sale By Owner (FSBO), or a cash buyer. 

While realtors are there to help you sell a home, it does come at a cost. You will have to pay your agent’s commission when the house sells. The amount of the commission is a percentage of the sales price. On average, you should plan to pay at least 6%. So, if your home sells for $300,000, you will pay your agent a $15,000 commission or more, plus cover repair costs just to get it on the market.

There are many great reasons not to sell your home through a real estate agent. Keep reading to find out the best method for selling your house and all the benefits of not using a realtor. 

Benefits of Selling Your House Without an Agent

Selling your house without an agent can offer significant financial and practical advantages. From saving on commission fees to maintaining control over the sale process, going the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) route empowers homeowners to maximize their profit and streamline the selling experience.

No Commission

You get to keep that extra money that would have to be paid as a commission to your listing agent when you sell your house yourself. The amount you save will depend on the closing costs, but, ultimately, you will walk away with more money. 

No Realtor Contracts

Realtors will require you to sign a contract before they will start the process to sell your home. If you decide you are not happy with the realtor, you are stuck with them until the contract expires. 

Resources for Direct and FSBO Sellers

Thanks to technology, there are plenty of resources available that you can use to list your home and sell it yourself. There are a variety of online tools, including the 800CashToday platform, that you can use to find direct cash buyers.

Houses Sell Faster in a Seller’s Market

If you know houses in your area are selling quickly and are in high demand, you can come out ahead by selling it yourself. When there is a seller’s market, like we’re in now, buyers will get into bidding wars, so you could walk away with even more money after closing.

Hire Services On-Demand

You can hire various professionals on-demand, such as a real estate attorney, title company, etc., as you need them. The overall costs typically end up less than the commission paid to a realtor. Plus, you can pick and choose which ones you want to use.

Better Communications

Since you are the primary contact for selling your home, you receive all communications from potential buyers or the buyer’s agent. This allows you to avoid wasting time waiting on your realtor to relay information between the parties. 

Better Control over the Closing

If you need to juggle the closing date to coordinate with purchasing another home, it is easier to do when you sell your home without a realtor. You can negotiate the closing with the buyer, such as allowing you to rent the home for a month after closing to give you time to close and move into your new home.

Plenty of Resources and Support

With more people selling their homes independently, there is an abundance of resources and support available. You can often access the same online forums and resources real estate agents use for free. 

Sell Your Home “As-Is”

If you do not want to put the work or money into making repairs on the home or doing other upgrades, you can sell your home “as-is” to a direct cash buyer. This option will help save you time, money, and energy.

Tips for Selling Your House Yourself

Now that you know why it can be a good idea to sell your home without a real estate agent, let’s look at some essential selling tips you will need to know.

Tip #1: Market Your Home

If you want to sell the home quickly, you do need to make an effort to advertise the listing. You can put a for sale sign in your front yard, hand out flyers in local stores, take out an ad in local newspapers, and use online selling resources. Selling directly to a cash buyer is one of the easiest ways to effectively market your home.

Tip #2: Take Care of Repairs and Maintenance

If you are not selling the home “as-is” and want top dollar for it, you will need to take care of any repairs or maintenance the home requires. In most cases, investing a small amount of money into the home will increase the list price and could double your return.

Tip #3: Stage the Home

You will need to stage your home in preparation for planning an open house. There are plenty of online resources you can use to find out the best ways to stage your home. 

Tip #4: Provide Accurate Details

You will want to provide accurate information and details about your home when listing on an MLS (multiple listing service) like Zillow. You want to include the basics like the year built, age of the roof and HVAC system, any new updates, and so on. 

Tip #5: Provide Access to Pictures and Videos

You will want to take plenty of quality pictures of the home and post these online, where potential buyers can view them. Remember to include images of every room from multiple angles, as well as several exterior shots. Video tours are also a great selling tool if you don’t mind the extra cost.     

Tip #6: Do Your Research

Before posting the home’s sales price, make sure to find out what similar homes in your area are selling for to establish your sales price. If you are not sure what to price it at, you can always reference an online home value estimator. They’re good to ballpark your home value, but your sales price shouldn’t be based solely on the value they give you. Be sure to add or deduct value accordingly for condition, repairs, location, neighbors, floorplan, roof age, etc., as it is critical to get it right.

Tip #7: Be Prepared to Negotiate

While home buyers and home sellers can find FSBO transactions easier to complete, you still need to be prepared to negotiate on the sales price and other aspects of the sale. 

Tip #8: Always Get a Signed Purchase Agreement

Once you accept an offer, it is essential that you get a signed purchase agreement to protect yourself and the buyer. You can have a real estate attorney review the agreement to verify it is legally binding. 

The Fastest Way to Sell Your Home

One of the best options for selling your home is to sell it to a cash buyer. This option is the fastest home sale method. You can sell the house “as-is” or decide to take care of all repairs and maintenance.

Typically, there are a few different cash buyer options. The first one is to sell your home to someone you know. You can require them to obtain the financing to pay for the house or allow them to make monthly payments by selling the home on a land contract. If you go this route, have a real estate lawyer review the sales agreement to verify it is legally binding.

The second option is to sell the home to a real estate cash investor like 800CashToday. We will connect you with our buyer who buys houses for cash. If you like the offer and accept it, we can move forward and sell on your timeline, whether you’re trying to close in a week or stay for a few more months.

Using a cash investor can result in selling your home and completing closing in just a few weeks. Other benefits sellers gain when they sell their home to 800CashToday include free credit repair, free local moving, 7-day escrow, and up to a $10,000 cash advance when escrow is opened. 

To find out how much we will purchase your home for, please feel free to fill out our online request form or contact 800CashToday at 1-800-Cash-Today.