Need to Blame Someone? Hire a Realtor!
By Gary Waters
I must admit that this article was written a little tongue in cheek, a little sarcastic. Sometimes sarcasm works well when you need to get the point across! As a general rule, we do not like to accept blame when something does not go as planned. When we try something for the first time and it does not succeed, we have a need to point the finger of blame to someone else!
Why do some folks choose to sell their home themselves? It is a simple question, why be a FSBO? FSBO??? I know I have seen those initials before….hhmm, oh I know…For Sale By Owner. Selling a home in a buyer s market takes know-how and I can get that know-how from lots of available books and the internet. As an owner I can find out what neighborhood homes are selling for, right? I can advertise in the newspaper, right? I can certainly place a sign out front. A sign can be picked up at Home Depot or Lowe s for a few bucks, right? I can show my home to any interested buyer who knocks on the door, right? I can read any book on negotiating and just do it, right? I can do all the mechanics of a sale without training! It can t that difficult, right?
Any Realtor worth their salt will tell you there is much more to marketing a property than just doing the above things. What about screening potential buyers? Can they really afford your home or are they just wishing upon a star or something? Who is that stranger you will be letting into your front door? Are they wasting your time? Are you potentially placing yourself in a dangerous situation? You work during the day? Don t we all? How can you show your home when you are not at home? Hey, why not just place a key under the doormat with a note to lock up when you leave? That is kind of absurd I know but showing a home when a real buyer is available to see it is an important aspect of marketing. How can someone buy a car if you just put a sign on it out front and wait for the calls? They need access, they need a test drive, they have questions that need answering. THEY NEED TO BE SOLD! Are they going to just drive by, call up, make an offer and then bring a check by later? Most Realtors employ other marketing strategies and techniques beyond those listed.
Why would you pay someone else to do what you can do for yourself? This is a principle most of us live by, for sure. Would you pay a plumber to come by your house and adjust the thermostat on your hot water heater? Of course not. Would you pay an air conditioning company to come by and replace your AC unit? Probably. Why? The books are out there that tell you how to do it step by step. What happens if you try that installation and fail? You call the AC guy out later and have him do it because he is, what is the word? Oh yeah, a professional! And, what do you do if you have a problem and the new system doesn t work right? Oh yeah, blame him because he is a PROFESSIONAL and should have done it right!
Just like the do it yourselfer with the AC system, homeowners can try to sell themselves. So, what do you do when that does not succeed? Call a Realtor! Why? Because he or she is a PROFESSIONAL!
So if Selling on your own because of the principle is not working, call a Realtor! When your FSBO becomes FAILED Sale By Owner, hire a Realtor so you don t have to blame yourself! And, by the way, putting it in the MLS (multiple listing service) is not the only step to selling a home!
Florida Licensed real estate agent with Century 21 The Turner Group in Rockledge Florida. Former U.S. Navy officer and healthcare administrator. Recived BS in Health Sciences from The George Washington University, Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Troy University.
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November 3rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Realtors were the auctioneers of the housing bubble. I wish I worked in a profession where there is no accountabilty. The code of ethics is a complete joke. In my 30 years of buying and or selling homes I have only dealt with one true honest realtor and now he is retired. Anybody should have access to the MLS database.