How to Sell House Without Agent – the Best Advice

How Do You Sell a House Without an Agent?

There’s something called the multiple listing service, or MLS, and it’s a centralized location for property sales and listing, whether for residential or commercial purposes. Typically, real estate agents and brokers use the MLS to access homes for sale, but no rule says you can’t list your place on the market without a realtor’s help.

If you want to move at the last minute, you can opt for selling for cash, which has benefits and drawbacks of its own. If you’ve already planned out when and how you’re moving to a new home, you might want to see the selling process go faster, but there’s some patience required for any kind of sale. So, is it hard to sell your home without a realtor? Have a look at some options and decide for yourself.

Use the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) Approach

While the majority of homes being sold get listed by realtors, there are still people who wish to go the independent route and list the place as a “For Sale By Owner” or FSBO type of deal. It could be more difficult to accomplish everything on your own if you plan to move to another state alone, but if you can do it, the payoff could be great.

You can list your residence on the MLS even if it’s an FSBO deal. If you’re planning to move out in a short period, the good news is that around 58% of all FSBO deals get sold within two weeks, so the first advantage is a fast transaction. The typical commission that realtors get once they get your place off the market is between 3% and 6%, which could mean thousands of dollars; the second advantage is that, when you list the residence as being sold by the owner, the entire sum goes to you.

The Bad – Real Estate Agents Are More Skilled Than You

Realtors know what they’re doing and how to do it right. If it’s not in their interest to see you list your residence by yourself, they may try to knock down your price fast. This happens in popular neighborhoods and those on the rise; it could also occur in areas where important properties are being planned soon, making estate prices suddenly jump. Try to rent your home before listing it to learn about potential changes in the area and how they could affect the property value.

Additionally, you will have to do your own marketing and advertising, including pictures of the property inside and out. You’ll also need to clean up the residence and the landscaping alike, so the buyers can feel like they’re entering a fresh new place – even if you still live there. The video below is one woman’s experience of listing her residence as FSBO and the lessons she learned from doing it; we think it’s educational to hear others talk about their experiences.

Sell Your Home to a Cash Buyer and Use Proceeds Calculators

If you’re looking to sell a house without an agent and without having to list it on the MLS, try a cash transaction. There are entities called cash buyers, which can be companies or individuals, and they do it outright and without any delays. This is a fast and easy way to get what you want out of sales and moving out, and if you’re moving a business to another state, you’ll have plenty of time and money to resume your work elsewhere.

Besides a quick transaction, cash sales are good because you don’t have to wait for inspection, which can delay the process significantly. Additionally, there probably won’t be any need for staging, cleaning, and decluttering, as it usually happens with homes on the market. If you don’t have the manpower or the hours, this is the best solution for you.

You have online proceeds calculators that can give you an approximate sum of cash you might get, depending on the height of your mortgage, the location, and other factors like the neighborhood, size of residence, and the realtor’s commission fee (if one exists.) This is the closest you can get to an appraisal from an expert, and you can do it for free, as well.

The Bad – Your Price Will Often Be Non-Negotiable

The dilemma of how to sell a house without a real estate agent always carries pros and cons, and it’s no different with cash transactions. If you plan on getting a realtor’s commission out of the way and save up for moving to a new state, the bad news is that your plan may fall through. The price you say is the sum your cash buyer will pay, and the bargaining gets wholly taken out of the exchange. It’s not in their interest to negotiate, just to acquire homes for cash, so if you wish to go higher or try to bargain, you’ll hit a wall.

Get a Real Estate Attorney to Write Up a Sales Contract

One more option on the list of how to sell your house without an agent is hiring an attorney specializing in realty. This could come up as a solution when you already have someone who’d like to purchase your residence, but you require some advice on how to do it properly. The presence of an attorney will be of great assistance for organizing essential papers, as you’ll be aware of what’s important and what’s not.

The Biggest Benefit of a Real Estate Attorney – Legal Advice

There may be someone from your friend, business, or family circle that wishes to purchase your residence. Whatever your reasons to move, this won’t be just a favor this person is doing for you; a purchase is still a transaction, and such a large one warrants legal advice and assistance. An attorney specializing in realty will answer all your questions and draft an air-tight contract for the process.

Coming up with a contract will save you from land and mortgage disputes later on. The attorney will also draft a schedule for necessary inspections, appraisals, and other details about the process.

The Bad – a Professionally Drafted Contract Could Cost You Friends

The biggest disadvantage of having a realty-skilled attorney is that the person from your circle may end up feeling hurt. As if there isn’t enough anxiety about moving out already, getting guilt-tripped is the last thing you need. However, a reasonable person must understand that attorneys are there to take care of the matters we may not even know of in the realm of land sales.

You can explain to the buyer that your moving budget and other future transactions rely on the purchase, which is why you hired an attorney in the first place, or you can tell them to take it or leave it and stick to your guns. This isn’t a gift; it’s a transaction, after all.

The Necessary Home Preparations Before Any Buyer Visits

If you have potential buyers coming to check out the place, you’ll have to declutter, so it seems like no one lives there. Despite the property still being yours, buyers don’t get attracted by the view of clutter and used appliances. That’s why it’s essential to prepare your home for sale and make them believe it’s a place they could spend a lot of cash on. Later on, you’ll be looking at cross-country moving company recommendations anyway and work on moving out without a hitch.

Get Your Cars Out of the Garage, and Leave the Kids to Someone You Trust

Just as we mentioned, removing traces of anyone living in the place you’re listing for sale will make it more purchase-worthy, which can be a challenging task if you have kids who create constant clutter and mess. To prevent your babies from making a mess when you try to move furniture around, why not ask someone to babysit? Your parents would surely enjoy having their grandchildren about, and if that’s not an option, you can just owe a favor to a friend or colleague after you’ve sold the place successfully.

The same goes for cars. Your brand-new Toyota minivan might be the greatest family car around, but for a buyer, it’s a sign that you’re not ready to move out or that perhaps you’re a neglectful owner. If you took care of all the details inside but left the car in the garage, you haven’t made the best effort for the sale. We know it sounds harsh, but you’ll hear harsher opinions from potential customers.

Move Out the Old Appliances During the Decluttering Process

Used appliances don’t look attractive to people who want to move into a new residence. While they know people have lived there for years, no one enjoys being left with second-hands. It’s now their turn to make the entire area feel more personal.

So, for the ultimate packing tips and tricks, you can leave the basic furniture such as the sofas and beds so the customers could have a feel of the layout, but don’t leave in any of the appliances that look used or dated. Another excellent way to give back to the community for the last time is to donate furniture before you move.

Save Money by Fixing the Parts that Hold the Home Together

If you read any house hunting tips, you’ll often see that you have to make sure the electricity works well before moving in. It’s important to transfer utilities, but it’s even more important to verify that the outlets, sockets, heaters, and boilers function properly. This will save you a lot of money and time, and it will definitely help you in listing the place.

Everything has to function well and be in top shape if you want to get as close as you can to your asking price. Additionally, as the owner, you’re obligated to disclose any information about the place that seems relevant. Important things you have to be honest about typically are:

• If you had any disputes with the neighbors that resulted in involving the police,
• If you made additions to the floorplan – was it licensed and approved by a planning or zoning expert?
• If the residence is in a historical or another special district,
• A history of (or current) flooding issues,
• Structural issues,
• Previous repairs,
• Whether there’s been a death on the grounds,
• If the neighborhood has high crime levels.

There are a few more regulations and rules to follow. Some states have a specific disclosure form, or you will be recommended to fill out one by your real estate attorney. It’s good to check out these documents beforehand since you’ll be required to fill out a seller disclosure form so your transaction can be as clean as possible.

When the Place Gets Sold, Get Cross-Country Moving Services to Help You Clear It Out and Move

After the daunting task of transferring ownership of your residence, you’ll have to move out. Because you’ve already been through a lot with preparations, sales, and money talk, contacting professional cross-country movers to help you will end up not only being the cheapest way to move out of state but the easiest, too.

As a part of long-distance moving services, you can get a packing service based on your household inventory list; you can also get moving insurance for your stuff and the car you want to ship. If you have to get things out before showing your residence to potential buyers, contact movers to put them in storage units until you have to leave. Each long-distance moving company will give you a flat rate or an hourly rate so you can plan out your funds properly.

Stay Focused on the Reality of Your Price

Now that you have some tips on how to sell a house without an agent, the next step is to figure out the best time of the year to move and the best time to have your place sold without too much hassle or conflict. You should be prepared for anything during the process, but the one thing that should never slip your mind is how realistic a cost you are working with.

If you overprice the place, no one will come to your doorstep, but if you underprice it, you’ll end up feeling stronger relocation depression than before. You might get carried away after certain appraisals, but it’s important to continuously follow the market, compare prices in your area and always keep in mind why you’re selling in the first place. We think that’s the recipe for success.