Common sense seems to suggest that when you are attempting to sell a house you should enlist the services of a real estate agent. Good agents can clearly help property owners in the marketing of their property and the paperwork involved. However there are several reasons why listing a property the traditional way and using the services of a real estate agent might not be the best way to go for a seller.
Let’s explore a few of those reasons;
First off, real estate agents are not actual principal buyers but really a conduit between potential buyers and the seller of the property. For that service they are typically paid a commission of anywhere from 4% to 6% of the sales price of the property. They are not putting any money down, no deposit and often will take a listing on a property on a best efforts basis to see if they can actually sell it as agreed.
There are mountains of paperwork and disclosures involved in a sale when using brokerage services. While some disclosures are clearly important, often it seems that many of the disclosures provide skewed protection for the agent and their brokerage and not necessarily the property buyer or seller.
If a property seller still owes a considerable amount of debt against a property and does not have a lot of equity in it, having to pay a real estate commission can eat up a good portion of the sales proceeds a seller might have been able to retain.
Even with property that is free & clear of any debt; oftentimes a property seller can convert the equity they have in the property into a nice income stream without the need for a lot of cash upfront from the buyer as the necessity of having to pay a real estate commission is a non issue. Many more potential buyers can buy under these circumstances than those required to come up with enough cash to cover commissions. Sellers can enjoy this income for years and there may be some tax advantages to selling in such a manner as well.
Sometimes a property seller’s circumstances and the property itself dictate the need for a FAST sale; a divorce, death in the family, health reasons, pending legal issues, a neglected property in poor to fair condition, a property that many lenders will not finance, a property that is located out of the area, etc. all may required a fast sale of the property with certainty versus the uncertainty of tying it up for a protracted period of time with a listing agreement.
Agents can and do provide a valuable service to the prospective property seller but oftentimes a property seller can sell their property more effectively on their own.
Sunvest Property Solutions
Since 1983
“Creative People with Creative Solutions”
www.SunvestPS.com
Contact Us: # 707-939-9450 or info@sunvestps.com
The helpful folks at Sunvest Property Solutions have been working for years with all types of property owners who face a wide variety of circumstances and challenges in selling their property, quickly, efficiently and with a minimal amount of red tape and fuss. Feel free to contact them for more information about how you can sell your property quickly, in its “as is” condition, and without any costs or commissions.