6 Things To Know Before Selling Your Own Home Without A Realtor

Hi friends,

Hope you are doing well! I had tons of questions on how we sold our own home without a realtor so I thought I would share with you six things helped us in selling our home over market value. I do want to say that having a realtor is very helpful when it comes to reading contracts, and just overall having a professional opinion. However, one of the main reasons I listed it myself was because the realtors I had spoken to would have listed it at market value versus what I thought it was worth. Thankfully I went against the market value and listed it over market value price, because not only did my house sell over market value price but way over asking price as well! So check out these tips below and 6 Things To Know Before Selling Your Own Home Without A Realtor.

6 Things To Know Before Selling Your Own Home Without A Realtor

Know The Market:

Watching the market and knowing what the current trends are is important when selling your home. Be specific and watch houses in your neighborhood. Speak with neighbors selling their home and see how fast their home sells. I had several neighbors around me who sold their homes with a realtor and felt like they should have listed their home higher. Their home sold fairly quickly so I knew the market was hot. If houses are selling fast and above asking price in your area then it’s probably a great time to sell. I watched the market in our neighborhood for two years before selling our home.

Location:

Location of your home is important. Is it close to a good school, a great neighborhood, on a cul-de-sac, or waterfront property. All these things are great pluses that will help your home sell fast. Our home was in a prime location with all of those things plus near great shopping and new hospitals so there were several doctors and families who came to view our home. Even if you have a beautiful home but a bad neighborhood it will be harder to sell, versus a not so pretty home in a really great area. Aesthetics of a home is easier to change than the location.

Upgrades:

Our home was 20+ years old versus new home builds around us, but we remodeled our kitchen, our floors, our backyard, and our closet to be up to the current trends that people love. A ready to move home with all the upgrades will help your home sell versus a home that needs upgrades. Aesthetics is important, so when you are upgrading or remodeling a home for resale, don’t make it too personal. An orange kitchen may be your dream kitchen but it probably won’t be 99% of the people you are trying to sell it to. So make sure your updates are up to trend.

Staging Your Home:

Staging a home for sale is so important. Without a realtor it will be up to you to make your home presentable to prospective buyers. Get rid of as much personal things in your home so your home looks clean, and decluttered. Potential buyers can better envision themselves living in that home when their isn’t personal decor distracting them. Also make sure your home smells good. The first thing a person notices when they walk through that door is how your home smells. A nice candle, freshly baked cookies for your guest, or a great sent diffuser can really help make the house feel welcoming.

Showing Your Home:

Now everyone might be different but just like if you were working with a realtor I believe it’s important that you allow showings without you, your family, or pets there. No one wants to be at a showing with a barking dog, or let alone the owner watching their every move. I scheduled showings back to back so when we left we could be gone for a longer period of time vs going back and forth between showings. I left a key out and had my security cameras that alerted me when potential buyers had entered or left my home. I do have to say it is still stressful having to schedule showings on your own. Luckily I only had one full day of showings because it is exhausting lugging around my kid and dog everywhere for a whole day.

Expert Realtor knowledge:

Last but not least I do want you to be aware that without a realtor you are not protected legally if you inadvertently make a mistake. You could get fined our sued. I did have a friend who was a realtor who helped me answer some questions that I had about the process. Realtors are great for a numerous of things like reading contracts and offers, but being protected as a seller is probably the most important thing. I used I Sold My House .com to sell my house. I paid a flat fee to a broker who listed my house on the MLS. Before you do sell your house on your own make sure to read their tips too as it was helpful for me to not make any mistakes.

Selling your own home has great benefits but it isn’t without risks as well. Knowing those things are important when making a big decision like this. I hope these tips help you when selling your own home. Thanks for stopping by!