For Sale By Owner
Thinking about saving yourself some money on commission fees, skipping an agent, and selling your home on your own? While the FSBO concept can be tempting, the process is much harder in practice—and you’ll likely end up making a much smaller profit. In fact, the National Association of Realtors found that sellers who opted for FSBO made anywhere from $60,000 – $90,000 less on their sale than those who enlisted an agent.
Get to know a little more about the pitfalls of going FSBO, and see how the unique talents of the Bolon Company ensure that you’ll have a successful and stress-free sale.
Common FSBO Mistakes
From finding the listing price to handling negotiations, selling a home requires a wide variety of skills. Here are just a few of the areas where a seller operating independently runs into trouble.
The Price
Finding the right price for your home will set the tone for the rest of the sale. Price it too high, and you won’t get many interested buyers—and you’ll risk having to deal with a price drop. Price it too low, and you won’t make nearly as much of a return on your investment as you should. Sure, you could use an automatic estimator, but those often use outdated data and won’t take into account any improvements you’ve made. List your home with an experienced agent, and they’ll be able to get the most accurate—and most competitive—price possible.
The Marketing Plan
Selling on your own means your marketing resources are limited to things like yard signs, posters, and social media posts. This severely hurts your chances of finding a serious and qualified buyer. When you enlist the help of agent, they’ll use everything at their disposal—including real estate databases, their website, social media platforms, local contacts, and radio and print advertisements—to ensure that every buyer possible knows about your home.
The Staging Process
Even if a buyer knows about your home, if the space isn’t looking its best—clutter from packing, peeling and chipped paint on the walls, overgrown lawn—you risk losing out on an offer or not getting asking price for your property. An agent will be willing to walk through your home and suggest specific staging methods and DIY improvements, all to ensure that you’ll be ready to wow buyers from the second they set eyes on the house.
The Negotiations
The negotiation process is one of the most complicated aspects of selling a home, and often one of the most difficult for FSBO sellers. Because of all the jargon and technicalities that come with selling a home—like earnest money, buyer-ordered inspections, title transfers, and more—most sellers don’t feel equipped enough to handle negotiations. When you work with an agent, they’ll ensure that you not only understand everything that’s happening, but that you’re also getting the best deal and terms possible.
What the Bolon Company Has to Offer
Feeling a little less confident about the FSBO process? When you opt for an agent and list your home with our team, here are a few of the benefits you can expect.
Legal Expertise
Why pay for both an agent and a lawyer when you can combine them into one? At the Bolon Company, we have years of experience at the intersection of law and real estate. In addition to selling your home quickly and for a high return on your investment, we’ll also be there to act as your official legal counsel, saving you time, money, and stress.
Fair Fees
One of the biggest arguments for going the FSBO route is saving money on commission fees. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about those when you work with our team. Our time is our value, so we won’t charge you based on inflated market values. Instead, you only have to pay us for the work we do, not the commission that other agents would charge.
Real Estate Experience
We’ve been in real estate for over 35 years, so when it comes to successfully selling homes, we know exactly what it takes. Whether it’s ensuring that the inspection runs smoothly, handling closing negotiations, or recommending the best local professionals in the area, we’ll leverage our skills and experience to lead you to success.
Ready to Sell Your Columbus Area Home?
So are we. With a unique set of skills that blend your selling needs and your legal needs, we’re well-equipped to help you reach all of your real estate goals. Give us a call today, and let’s get started on making you top dollar on your home sale.
Not quite ready to sell? That’s okay. We have plenty of tools and resources to help you learn more about the selling process below.