SOME FACTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE SELLING YOUR HOME YOURSELF IN ATLANTA

1)   Am I getting the maximum market exposure in order to obtain the highest price?

2)   Is it cost effective for to have an ad running constantly in all the various local newspapers?

3)   If I don’t intend to advertise how am I to let people know my home is for sale.

4)   What plans do I have for people calling while I am not at home to talk with them? Will they leave a message on a machine? Would you? Is my property going to be on the market when I am not home, or inaccessible?

5)   Do I have alternative financing to suggest to buyers who don't have the cash to buy my house? Will you Field hack a mortgage for them? Do you know someone who will?

6)   Will I lose a potential deal for this?

7)   What if they are self-employed, and can afford the house, but the bank won’t give them financing? Do you know who will? Is it really their problem or mine?

8)   How do I make a proper flyer sheet for buyers to take home with them? Is the information I00% accurate? Or will they sue me on closing for false representation?

9)   Am I able to ask a buyer to submit an offer on my house without appearing desperate?

10)  Do I know how in qualify potential buyers to see if they can afford my house’

11)  Do I feel comfortable asking buyers personal financial questions before they even see my house? Or do I let them come see my house and later find out that I am wasting my time because they are not legitimate and only like to see home decorations, or they have nothing else better in do than to come over and have coffee with me because they are totally bored? Or worse vet they are staking out my house for a future robbery?  (I’m not joking folks times have changed!)

12)  How much will it cost me to have my lawyer look at every crazy offer I receive from unmotivated buyers?  (Lawyers charge for hours spent not the job at hand). Or do I accept the offer not knowing what exactly I’m signing for?

13)  Can I effectivley negotiate a real estate contract with the buyer, or is that something my lawyer will have lo do as well, (And Bill me for it later?)

14)  Am I familiar with all the related forums I will need in order to complete the sale, or do I again need the lawyer to handle this too?

15)  How do I know who will be coming to my open houses, and what do I do if more than one couple come in at the same time? How do I watch them? Do I Let them stroll through the house unattended? What if this is a plot to rob me?

16)  If I ask them to wait outside will they? If they don’t, have I lost a potential buyer?

17)  If I don’t do an open house how am I correctly marketing my house?

18)  How many calls will I get that are going to he from real estate agents?  How many from qualified buyers? What will I spend more time at, turning away agent calls, or unqualified buyers?

19)   If statistically, agents couldn’t net more money we would not still be in business? Or would the majority of the homes be sold privately?

20)   What makes me think I can save (the whole commission, if the only reason a buyer goes and spends extra time researching and looking for a house to buy privately is so that HE COULD SAVE THE WHOLE COMMISSION? After all the service to the buyers in most cases is free.

21)   Now if I were to split the commission with the buyer, but ended up spending more money on advertising.

22)   Lawyers fees, & house promotion, and it took me longer to sell, so that I had mere utilities & property

23)   Taxes to pay, time to sell, and aggravation... is it worth it to do it myself?

24)   How long will it take to sell the house?

25)   If it takes 20,000 agents an average of 98 days to sell a house, how long will ii take me without having all the tools, expertise, contacts and knowledge agents have, taking into consideration I am still looking at selling for fair market value and I am not willing to give my house away? (YOU DON’T NEED ANY SPECIAL SKILLS TO GIVE A HOME AWAY!).

26)   Do I have that much time to sell a home?

27)   Do I have any stats to prove to potential buyers what fair market value really is? If so, Will they believe me?

28)   These are only some of the questions I would have to ask myself if I were to sell my house privately.

29)   You see all you can hope to accomplished is to subcontract everything out, and still pay the same money or more for selling due with a lack of expertise, and we’ll show’ you why!

30)   If the commission is 7% and you split it with the purchaser of your home, you are now down to 3.5%.  If your extra lawyer’s fees cost 1%, you ate now down to 2.5%.  That is still without considering advertising costs, and how long it takes to market your home when selling your property.  If the average is 90 days for an agent to sell a home on average, then the marketing costs are at least worth another 1%. So that could cost you are ahead at the very least 1%, and if it takes you longer to sell your house... your return is probably less again!, SO NOW YOU HAVE BROKEN EVEN OR LOST, BUT YOU HAVE DONE ALL THE WORK AND PUT OUT THE CASH UP FRONT.