Any informed consumer would immediately see the benefits of selling by owner as compared to paying an agent a 6-7% real estate commission. Why, then, doesn’t everybody sell by owner?

Agents and brokers are notorious for convincing sellers that they just don’t have the knowledge and expertise to sell on their own. The fact is that successfully selling your home involves two basic factors: #1. Pricing the home correctly and #2. Marketing it effectively.

Professional real estate appraisals are available for less than $300.  Albany Real Estate Appraisers will give you an accurate marketing price and also provide you with a selling tool to justify your asking price to your potential buyers. There are many free websites that can also help you determine the asking price for your home based on current market comparables.

For Sale By Owner Albany is a proven marketing strategy that offers unparalleled exposure for your home. Full color photo advertising in For Sale By Owner magazine plus unbeatable web exposure with 8 photo color internet advertising on 518forsalebyowner.com and web syndication on 9 other popular sites!

You’ve priced your house accurately, and have marketed it effectively to thousands of active buyers resulting in a solid offer, now what? We strongly recommend hiring an Albany Real Estate Attorney to handle the closing and any paperwork subsequent to the transaction. Clearly this exempts you from having to be an expert in real estate transactions. That’s what you pay the attorney for, and you would pay him whether you sell on your own, or hire a real estate agent.

Be prepared with the information and resources you’ll need and make a strong commitment  to the homeselling process by allocating time to make appointments, show the house and negotiate with buyers. Saving potentially tens of thousands of dollars will surely make your successful By Owner experience well worth the time and effort you’ve invested!

2/11 The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has released a report that concludes that people who sell by owner get closer to their asking price and sell more quickly than those who list with an agent.  NARs report 2008 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers was based on a questionnaire of 133,000 consumers who purchased a home between July 2007 and June 2008.

According to the report, homes selling by owner reap 97% of their asking price as compared to agent listed homes which come in at 96%. The report also found that an agent listed property took 10 weeks to sell while it takes just 6 weeks to sell by owner.

While the study didn’t specifically mention the cost of a real estate commission, it did suggest that using an agent would result in the seller losing another 6 percent off the sales price in addition to the 1% lost on the asking price. In response to the troubled current market where home prices are falling, sellers need to know that Realtors own suggest that homeowners will end up with more money in their pocket if they sell by owner than they will if they list with an agent.

The NAR report findings provide further evidence of the benefits of selling by owner.  In separate studies by Northwestern  and Stanford Universities, FSBO sellers were found to be as effective as agents in maximizing the sales price of their homes. After commissions are factored in, the studies reported, sellers who sold by owner actually saved money and realized more equity than sellers who sold through agents. The September 2008 issue of consumers reports magazine reported that FSBO sellers are more likely to get their asking price while agents, on average, deliver a sales price that is $5,000 less than the original asking price.

Yet another wonderful success story from one of our satisfied home sellers. It took James just 3 months to sell his Schenectady, NY home and he saved over $14,000 in commissions! 

James C. said…
“I have sold several homes through your service. It’s very good and I would recommend it to anyone…”

We were thrilled to learn that Joann sold her Niskayuna Home, NY in only 60 days! She reported that she especially appreciated the advice and support of our staff when she needed encouragement.

Joann P. said…
“Your magazine is a great asset. The buyer saw the house in FSBO magazine and it resulted in the house being SOLD! Your ads are much better than the realtors ads….”

Regardless of what you hear in the news regarding the state of the national real estate market, Albany Homes are still selling! Attractive mortgage rates and a relatively stable job market here in Albany NY account for the better than national average results.

Anne listed her Guilderland home so she could move to North Carolina to be close to her family.

Anne C. said…
“I sold my home in 3 weeks and For Sale By Owner Albany saved me nearly $17,000 in commission. Thank you for all of your assistance. It was a very pleasant experience. I was a little nervous in the beginning but all went smoothly…”