anyone ever sell a home without a realtor?

[hbombgraphics]

Want to move,
tired of my neighborhood
don't like my neighbors and too much bad crap has happened over the past few years to want to live where I do
don't want to move far
have had a person interested in the house
realtor has cancelled 2 visits to look at it and make listing recommendations

anyone ever sell on their own?
What are the advantages ?
Disadvantages?

we know the house isn't perfect
but it would be a good neighborhood for someone else in a good school district

I have read a bunch online but any personal experiences would help


also: maybe this should be on BST but anyone want a house in CNY??? HA!

[weed_killer]

I don't have any personal experience to offer, but I imagine the only real disadvantage is the investment of time and effort you have to put in to do it alone. Plus I'd imagine that there's always going to be people who assume anyone selling without a realtor is doing so for a shady reason.

[Mudfuzz]

no but I commend you, realtors have no souls, if you look them in the eyes too long you might get stuck in the abyss.

[Iommic Pope]

no but I commend you, realtors have no souls, if you look them in the eyes too long you might get stuck in the abyss.

So much this.
I don't feel like I can converse with them without wanting to projectile vomit into their face or cave their skull.
They are scum.

[blindrabbit]

I've sold three houses without a realtor. I can't see myself ever using one - for what you pay them, the little they do is ridiculous (for the most part...yes, I know there are exceptions out there).

A few things though -

1) Make no mistake, it will take you time. Not like $10000 worth of time, but more than 5 minutes a day. You have to prep your own info sheets, online listings, take pics, do advertising, hold showings, field calls, etc. It may even consume your life for a brief period of time. But to me, it is still worth the savings.

2) If you fly solo, make sure you have a good lawyer. This is probably the most important thing. They'll make sure you have the right forms and don't agree to illegal things. You will have to pay them, but you'd have to pay them anyway even with a realtor.

3) Get the most up to date info and books out there on selling by owner. There is no shortage of info - go get it and read it. Don't be a slacker on this.

4) Look for companies and the like that support people who are selling by owner. Around me there are a couple of local ones who for just a few hundred bucks will help you get a website listing up, lend lawn signs, and all sorts of other cool stuff. Still way, way cheaper than a realtor.

Across the three houses, I bet I had a net savings in the tens of thousands of dollars because I did it all myself. To me, no doubt it was worth it.

Good luck!

[hbombgraphics]

Very cool info thanks!

The realtor we had discussed things with (no contract yet) has been a ghost for a week.

We haven't listed the house yet so we are still looking at options.
Did a re-fi in October of last year so I have an appraisal and an idea of value already.

The lawyer tip is great, I can't use the lawyer I used when I bought the house for some odd reasons, so I have to shop one.

[lordgalvar]

I'd have to agree that the next time (which I doubt we ever move, because LA) we wont use a realtor. She did nothing even though we were practically giving her 20k for about a total of 2 hours of work. It was because we weren't in the 1mil+ range and she always gave those answers like, "It depends/whatever you think/did you find a house you like on your own?" I think we figured out the whole process and guided her through it (basically ended up going through our process along).

Now the mortgage broker and companies are the worst. Realtors are just lazy. But the mortgage side are full of lazy scum that can't get a damn thing right or even get us a freaking paper (we ended up getting 4 copies of the documents 2 weeks later!).

A good lawyer is a must though.

Also, don't let the other side push you around when inspecting/improving and stuff. I could have done a better home inspection that the dude our FHA loan made us hire just through common sense. But the inspection side is a whole nother story.....(arguing with a dude that took one quarter of inspection class at a JC after I had been plumbing for 12 years over wirsbo strapping....haha). If you need advise for getting things ready for a buyers inspection and what the look for, I am sure there are people that can help get things ready for what they look for even though codes are different all over the place (I'm actually a plumber and I think ryan summit is in some trade).

I know if the buyer has an FHA loan, the FHA inspector looks for exposed wood (i.e. unpainted/stained wood and stuff can be exposed. A quick paint touch up makes the FHA process go way quicker). "S" traps is also something to look for even though they aren't always "illegal". Look for code books and fight some of the more over-the-top stuff.

[Errant Tiger]

I'd like to chip in and dissent slightly here. Having just sold and bought homes, my wife and I were seriously grateful for both of our realtors. Neither of us are particularly organized people, and we're both very busy, and it was well worth it to pay people to deal with all the little aspects on both ends of the process. The one who sold our place was fantastic at organizing open houses and helping us get about $100k over asking price; the one who helped us buy was extremely knowledgeable about the kind of house we wanted (old) and proved an essential sounding board.

The people we sold from did not use a realtor (we found the house on Craigslist, of all places), and though they were very nice and helpful, were kind of clueless about some things that needed to happen (smoke/CO detectors and a bunch of other stuff I can't quite recall right now). Their lawyer seemed helpful but I think it would have been smoother for all parties if they'd used a realtor.

Bottom line for me is that if you're knowledgeable about the process and good with details - and have a decent lawyer - then by all means do it yourself. But if you're at all inclined to be flaky, busy, or preoccupied, it could be extremely helpful to find a decent realtor.

[blindrabbit]

Bottom line for me is that if you're knowledgeable about the process and good with details - and have a decent lawyer - then by all means do it yourself. But if you're at all inclined to be flaky, busy, or preoccupied, it could be extremely helpful to find a decent realtor.