more cities
Money Saving Ideas: Selling Your Home Without a Listing Agent
Last year, my dad decided to sell his house on his own. It was a daunting idea at first (mostly because I knew it would mean I would be doing all the work). We aren’t experts in real estate, and it seemed like it would be so much work but in the end it really wasn’t so bad. His house sold and he was able to pocket the money he would have paid out in commission. As with any industry, there are great real estate agents, and there are less than great ones. If you have found a good real estate agent who is worth the $10,000 – $20,000 of commission, excellent. But if you haven’t found a fit, maybe it’s worth considering selling without an agent?
Flickr: GoodNCrazy
The nice thing is there are a few companies who have sprung up to fill the gap between completely for sale by owner and a listing agent. They still charge a fee but it is significantly less (i.e. $2,000 vs. $20,000).
· PropertyGuys.com – they just launched a new Pro series where they essentially pair you with the people you need to do the job (marketing pro, lawyer, appraiser, call center) at a fraction of what you’d likely pay an agent. They have franchises across Canada and are a Canadian company
· Comfree.com – they have a similar offering but it is more of a do-it-yourself type service. They provide you with a sign, some photos of your home and guidance material, as well as phone support. However, they do appear to be popular in some cities (like Edmonton)
· For Sale By Owner – the biggest challenge of going 100% for sale by owner is that your home probably won’t be listed on realtor.ca. This could really limit your exposure and success, but if you are in a hot market, there’s no harm in slapping up a “for sale” sign, listing your property on your local Used.ca site and seeing what happens!
If you’re not looking to sell your house urgently and feel like you want to try something new, give it a go. After all, you could use all that money you saved in commission to decorate your new home!
This is my first blog of a real estate series that will go into more detail on your options when buying or selling a home!
Erin Berube
Freelance Social Media Consultant/Producer/Production Manager and lover of media, entertainment and "the Internet". Mother to 1 human toddler and 3 guinea pigs, I live in Halifax, NS and I adore it. Follow me on Twitter: @erinberube
Jane Kennedy
Hi Erin! I’m glad to hear about your dad’s success in selling his home without a listing agent. I’m also looking forward to reading more of your thoughts in your next articles. If you have any questions about ComFree services, feel free to be in touch.
Coronation
What a great post! Its a nice example that we don’t need an agent all the time to sell our property. It saves a lot of our money. Thanks for sharing it.
Brad Blonjeaux
Hey cousin, it’s your starving realtor cousin Brad. It is quite obvious on can save money selling real estate but from my over 17 yrs experience life is timing & everybody’s in a different situation. Some sell because they want to (just because), some have to for job reasons, money reasons, health reasons or just fishing the market. With FSBO’s they are either priced to high or too low.
If your 2 high you miss out on qualafied buyers & don’t sell or 2 low your leaving money on the table that you always need more of. What a realtor provides is a more educated understanding of the market that = a quicker sale for a fair market value for all, for both the buyer & the seller. Some times the market is hot & sells in a day or month or cold & takes years. I’ve experienced both & I’ve seen losses in the tens of thousands of dollars by saving commissions, if life could be so simple.