If you have been considering selling your home, now could be the perfect time to put your house on the market. The Oxford market has been hot for a while, which has proven to be beneficial for sellers. In such a market basic laws of supply and demand come into play, possibly giving the seller more leverage. It is important to weigh the pros and cons when considering selling your home without a trained real estate professional.
One of the main reasons homeowners decide to strike out on their own is to forgo paying real estate commissions. Let’s take a look at the statistics. The National Association of Realtors reported that in 2014 the “typical FSBO home sold for $210,000 compared to $249,000 for agent assisted homes sales.”
This averages about $40,000 for such a transaction, which will not only cover those commissions you may be concerned about but will also provide you with additional profit.
In addition a licensed Realtor has access to market data of homes currently on the market and the recent home sale comparables to ensure your home is priced to sell. Homes inappropriately priced have a tendency to sit on the market.
In addition to providing professional marketing techniques and scheduling showings, with the click of a few buttons, Realtors have the ability to spread the word locally and nationwide through the association of Realtors. Realtors help prequalify their clients ensuring that a buyer is legitimate and will not waste your time.
Realtors have fiduciary responsibilities to their clients, meaning they are legally mandated to act in their client’s best interest. It is a win-win situation, by choosing a realtor you get a licensed and trained professional who will work for and serve you.
Finally, a licensed Realtor will handle contract negotiations and assist with the legalities of purchasing a home. As a homeowner, you are freed of the burden of paperwork and handling calls at all hours, fielding tire kickers, and any possible future trips to the courthouse.
There is an abundance of reasons to choose a professional when it is time to sell your house but ultimately the decision is yours. Good luck to you during this process and in the future!
Have a question for Your Local Realtor? Send it to realtybyamanda@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Amanda Wymer
Your Local Realtor
Tommy Morgan, Inc., Realtors
Realtybyamanda@gmail.com
662-832-7685 
Amanda – this is a good article, but I agree with Dustin that you are misusing facts to promote yourself. Just because the average home sold by a real estate agent is 40k more than the the average home does not mean that you can get a seller 40k more for their house. The same survey says that agent assisted sellers earn 21k more a year – are you going to get them a raise?
The fact is that that same Realtor survey shows that more FSBO buyers got asking price or better and fewer FSBO sellers had to lower their price to sell their home when compared to agent assisted sellers.
Also, that same Realtor survey shows that FSBO sellers sold their homes faster than agent assisted sellers.
Selling your home without an agent is simple. Will you have to do some extra work? Of course. But you will be paid hundreds of dollars an hour for that work with cost savings. I recommend you get an appraisal and hire a real estate attorney and will be well protected.