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Got rid of the Realtor, sold the house on my own, and ...

alam
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...saved a boat load of $$$ in realtor fees/commissions! I think this is deserving a celebration and a new watch! 😀 This was a first time for me selling a property w/o a realtor and turned out to be a fairly easy process —actually, much easier than what I had anticipated. With the exception of a couple of forms that required a notary, most of the documents were signed online, and the best part —the funds were disbursed and in my account the very same day the buyers signed the documents <yahoo!> I’m now convinced to never hire a realtor to sell any of my properties. Any other FSBO personal experiences out there?
 
warmpancakes
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I rate used car sales people above realtors, They have the most arrogance about a job that could be replaced with a properly designed website
 
gatorcpa
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alam alam
I’m now convinced to never hire a realtor to sell any of my properties. Any other FSBO personal experiences out there?
Given that both my parents are Realtors and that profession helped put me through school, you can understand why I'm biased.

For every good experience, I'm sure there is a not so good one. Especially where there are issues with inspections or legal title claims.

It certainly can be done, but sometimes you get what you pay for.
gatorcpa
 
saulgoodman
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warmpancakes warmpancakes
I rate used car sales people above realtors, They have the most arrogance about a job that could be replaced with a properly designed website

I couldn’t agree with you more! Realtors are basically useless. However, a good real estate attorney can be worth his/her weight in gold. By the way, don’t just stop at used car salesman. New car salesmen are often worse. The world would be better off if they would go back to the rock they crawled out from under… And leave room for the realtors please!

OP, enjoy your new watch!
 
alam
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
... you can understand why I'm biased...
I completely understand your point of view .. 👍

gatorcpa gatorcpa
..For every good experience, I'm sure there is a not so good one...
^^ and will agree w/this statement... ^^

gatorcpa gatorcpa
....Especially where there are issues with inspections or legal title claims...
These issues are not resolved by realtors --a realtor is just the middle person between the Seller/Buyer and the professionals who are experts in dealing and resolving these types of issues...and any other potential issue that may arise during or after the sale.

gatorcpa gatorcpa
...It certainly can be done, but sometimes you get what you pay for...
I just could not see shelling out 6% from the sale price of the property for what they provide...[/QUOTE]
 
Larry S
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alam alam
...saved a boat load of $$$ in realtor fees/commissions! I think this is deserving a celebration and a new watch! 😀 This was a first time for me selling a property w/o a realtor and turned out to be a fairly easy process —actually, much easier than what I had anticipated. With the exception of a couple of forms that required a notary, most of the documents were signed online, and the best part —the funds were disbursed and in my account the very same day the buyers signed the documents <yahoo!> I’m now convinced to never hire a realtor to sell any of my properties. Any other FSBO personal experiences out there?
When we were transferring to Chicagoland from North Jersey, we had a crap realtor at first who was basically chamber of commerce and had to have the truth wrung out of her. Dumped her for an Angel who helped us find the right school and neighborhood for our ADHD son, got us past the sticker shock and helped us with negotiations. I’d not tar all realtors with a negative brush.
 
gemini4
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I think Realtors generally add value to the deals that they help close.
 
Evose
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warmpancakes warmpancakes
I rate used car sales people above realtors, They have the most arrogance about a job that could be replaced with a properly designed website
This will probably be the case in the future.
 
cicindela
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First realtor: talked for 3.5 hours, had "facts", figures, comparables that were not representative. Glossed over substantial upgrades and stuck with his pre-visit price.
When he left I said to wife; well we're not using that guy.

Second Realtor: Soft spoken, knew the neighborhood, sold near by. liked the house . Said the house was worth 50K more than we thought.
And it did! We chose the second guy 👍
 
oinkitt
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It probably also depends where your property is. If its in a highly desirable area its probably quite easily done.
 
cicindela
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oinkitt oinkitt
It probably also depends where your property is. If its in a highly desirable area its probably quite easily done.
yep , we got 850k
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CanberraOmega
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cicindela cicindela
yep , we got 850k
a-small-fishing-house-in-the-water-bohol-island-philippines_u-l-pidqs10.jpg
Yep, that’s because it is the highly regarded “t Swiss made t” foundations
 
Evose
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Purchased my house in a bidding war. Sold in 6 days. Realtors did very little. And we paid over asking.
 
Njnjcfp88
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With Zillow and other sites like greatschools.org ; one can more readily buy or sell a home today. Back when the Realtor controlled listings via the multiple listings - they had a monopoly and could get away w 6% commissions. The technology today is destroying that model and we are starting to slowly see commission rates go down. Do I see the hometown value of a broker who knows the area ground up and can offer valuable services to aid in that transaction ? Absolutely. But at a reduced % ...
 
gatorcpa
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Njnjcfp88 Njnjcfp88
But at a reduced % ...
OK, but remember my post above. If you take away the ability for a good professional to earn a living by reducing revenue, then they have to make up for it in two ways:

1. More volume - which will result in less service, as there are only so many hours a day to show your house.

2. Less supply - as in you will drive the true professionals out of the profession.

Even my father (still working at 86) will tell you that there are a lot of incompetent Realtors. He doesn’t like to work with them more than any of you do.
gatorcpa
 
CaptainWinsor
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No offense to any realtors here, or parents, but most people do their own homework now and find listings online. Not like in the past where the realtor drove you around and did the work for you. My last home sale I used a hand off realtor who just listed the property and charged a flat fee, less than 1K. In the end I only had to buy the buyers agent. 6% commission is far too much for what they do nowadays.
 
Evose
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CaptainWinsor CaptainWinsor
No offense to any realtors here, or parents, but most people do their own homework now and find listings online. Not like in the past where the realtor drove you around and did the work for you. My last home sale I used a hand off realtor who just listed the property and charged a flat fee, less than 1K. In the end I only had to buy the buyers agent. 6% commission is far too much for what they do nowadays.
I honestly couldn't agree more. I found my house, not my realtor. And to your point, no disrespect to any good realtors, some of you work very hard and there is value there.
 
vacheroyale
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warmpancakes warmpancakes
I rate used car sales people above realtors, They have the most arrogance about a job that could be replaced with a properly designed website
So well said. It's true !!
 
vacheroyale
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alam alam
...saved a boat load of $$$ in realtor fees/commissions! I think this is deserving a celebration and a new watch! 😀 This was a first time for me selling a property w/o a realtor and turned out to be a fairly easy process —actually, much easier than what I had anticipated. With the exception of a couple of forms that required a notary, most of the documents were signed online, and the best part —the funds were disbursed and in my account the very same day the buyers signed the documents <yahoo!> I’m now convinced to never hire a realtor to sell any of my properties. Any other FSBO personal experiences out there?

majority of realtors like to get just listing and wait for other realtors to sell for them thru the multiple listing .
it's amazing what you can sell by sticking a sign on the property or doing a simple listing on Craig List.
all the paperwork it's handled by a Title Company anyway, which is paid anyway.
But if we're selling a commercial building, that's a different story !
 
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