Sell ​​Your Home Without an Agent: A Step-by-Step Guide

Do you really need a real estate agent these days? Yes and no. Yes, you can absolutely sell your house yourself. No, it is not as easy as you think, but I will describe how to do it below, in case you decide to go that way.

With the emergence of sites like Zillow, Redfin, and Trulia, the real estate industry has moved from a needs-based to a knowledge-based industry. You no longer NEED to hire an agent, in fact with many agents you could do better if you do it yourself. A good real estate agent will know how to negotiate, be an expert in the community, a great trader, and very knowledgeable about all standard contracts and state forms.

If you know enough to get in trouble, you are in trouble.

These are my steps to a successful FSBO (for sale by owner)

1. Determine your market value. Obviously, you can get acquainted with what is selling in your area by visiting Zillow and such, but pay $ 30 for a smartzip Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), to help you properly value your property. A CMA will provide you with comparable sales and active listings. You must be informed if you are negotiating with a potential buyer.

2. Pay for an MLS-type service only about $ 300 to list your home in MLS and offer at least 2.5% to any buyer’s agent who brings you a buyer. Use pictures from an experienced real estate photographer (yes, it matters) and set your home on stage if it’s empty or make it presentable if you still live there (yes, that matters too).

3. List your home on Craigslist and forsalebyowner.com using postlets or vflyer to create a virtual flyer.

4. Put up a sign in your yard with colored flyers (you can put some in black and white as a backing) and a web address linking potential buyers to your home.

5. Run a Facebook ad campaign targeting engaged or married women between the ages of 25 and 35 in your area, and create a Google AdWords pay-per-click campaign for keywords. “[neighborhood (not city) name] houses for sale “, enter the details better than just the name of the city.

to. Ex’s.

I. Black Gold Properties for Sale

ii. Home of Yorba Linda High School

iii. Horse property for sale

6. Get a good escrow company to help you with the transaction (this will cost you on average about 1% of the purchase price). The escrow officer is the “quarterback” for the transaction. A good one will make a difference in the world. If your buyer is represented by an agent, they may insist on using their escrow agent. If you know that your escrow agent is a good one, don’t let them convince you to use theirs. Here in Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills, the seller often chooses escrow companies.

7. Get it right! If you don’t get a lot of feedback in the first 3 weeks. This is an indication that your home is overpriced.

8. Disclose, Disclose, Disclose. The standard California Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA) used by any agent (at least one competent one) will require that you have all disclosures to the buyer within 5 days of submitting the offer. Disclosures will differ depending on the property being sold. Your custody officer may be able to help you with this.

9. Ask the buyer to eliminate your contingencies (if you have them). Contingencies are usually removed after 17 days of the accepted offer, but again it depends on what is written in the contract. Read and understand the contract before accepting any offer.

Selling your home without an agent is similar to setting up your corporation or living trust at LegalZoom, sure it can be done and save you money up front, but you never know how much it will cost in the future, or what little mistakes can hurt. you.

Get informed and you can definitely sell your home without an agent.