Reasons Not To Sell Your Home Yourself
Selling your home yourself can save you thousands of dollars in
commissions. However, that doesn't mean you should necessarily
do it for the following reasons:
Just Suffered A Major Trauma
People who have just gone through an event which changed their
lives in a negative way are also apt to benefit from working
with an agent instead of selling their homes as FSBOs. You
aren't likely to be your usual calm, clear thinking self if your
husband or wife just died, for example. The same thing is
probably true for people who are selling and moving because they
have been diagnosed with a life threatening or debilitating
disease. Divorce also makes it hard to function as well as
normal for a period of time. Anything which really rocks your
world in an unhappy way just before putting your home on the
market is an indication that hiring a good agent is probably a
positive move for you to make.
You Need Someone to Blame
Some people are very independent. They weigh the pros and cons
and make decisions quickly and easily. Occasionally something
goes wrong. They just chalk it up as a learning experience and
move on.
At the other end of the spectrum are folks who agonize over
decisions, cannot stand to make a mistake, and must have someone
to blame if something goes wrong. With my apologies to real
estate professionals, these people will probably be better off
working with an agent. An experienced agent can't always stave
off problems, but she (or he) has probably solved similar
problems and is likely to be able to help you solve yours.
If either of these situations describe you or your situation,
going FSBO is probably not for you.