Selling a house without a realtor

[yodelinghippie]

I'm in the market to sell my house. I'm not looking to make any money on the deal, I just now have a place to live that is already paid for.

So, what is your experience in selling a house without a realtor? I dont mind someone else making money on the deal, but 6% is their common commission, and I dont want that to come out of my pocket.

[The Shadow]

6% is a small price to pay for not having to deal with alot of idiots. Then figure in the advertising that they do and 6% is not so bad. I just sold using a realtor and bought from a gentleman who opted not to, and guess which transaction went smoother?

The decision is yours but I know if I was doing it again I would use the services of a realtor without hesitation.

[PanzerFaust]

I researched this big time when I bought my house....

All you need is a good lawyer to draw up the paperwork (I used Tom Sullivan on 17th St he's great)

There's stuff that needs done by a lawyer deed search etc etc anyway... But there's no reason for a Realtor.. basically all they do is help in the search for a buyer or help in the promotion for the seller.. a lawyer does all the paperwork anyway so cut out the middle man....

If you have a home inspection done for $200-$300 it's a good idea so you can pass the report around to prospective buyers and it's money they dont have to spend plus anything the inspector finds can be fixed ahead of time to nip in the bud any price trimming for stuff that need fixed...

I did over a years research when I bought my house so if you need any tips PM me

[yodelinghippie]

I guess a lot of it depends on how much time and effort the seller wants to invest in selling the home, huh? Not that using a realtor is the lazy way out, but I'm not exactly a genius when it comes to paperwork, and God knows I probably couldn't sell a Big Mac to Starvin' Marvin. I'd probably say all the wrong things about the home. As far as showing a house, I'm not exactly sure..................

Too much stress.......

[JakeWilliams]

I'm in the market to sell my house. I'm not looking to make any money on the deal, I just now have a place to live that is already paid for.

I wish you the best of luck no matter how you sell it. I just had my house appraised and it lost $40K in value in the last 2 years! This is not the market to sell. You might want to consider just renting it out and sell it when the market improves...

[lonewolf]

I've sold dozens of properties by myself and several with a realtor. These were not my primary residences, so I didn't have to deal with the parade of thrill seekers going thru my home every day. Keep that in mind.

Whichever way you go, you want to get a free comparison market analysis from at least three realtors. This will give you a good idea of the present market value of your house and if you decide to go with a realtor, the preliminary work is done.

If you already have some sales leads, pursue them before signing with a realtor. If you have somebody interested but decide to sign up with a realtor, you can request that the realtor except them from commission for a period of time--usually only 1 month.

If you want to sell it quick and have no sales leads, go with a realtor.

If you have a lot of time to sell, you might want to go it alone for a few months. Start out with a sign out front and put pictures on web sites like Craigslist and the Altoona Mirror classifieds or any others that you can find. Most sales I have made were from a for sale sign posted on the property. You should also do web searches for "real estate wanted to buy". That's how I found buyers for the house I am presently selling.

If you find a buyer, you should draw up a sales contract with specific terms and especially firm closing and possession dates. You can find standard contract forms on the internet. You don't need a lawyer to sell a house, but the buyer should probably hire a title company to search the deed, get title insurance and prepare the new deed for transfer. They can also handle the closing and all money disbursements to lienholders.

All a lawyer will do is call them anyway and he will charge you out the ass for that phone call.

If you don't have any luck after a few months, you should probably list it with a realtor.

[yodelinghippie]

Okay... so let's say I decide to go with a realtor... do I have to come up with that money for her up front, or is it added to the loan somehow?

And, if i use a realtor, any suggestions for dumping a house as fast as possible? This is a good house for the price, but its not a steal. (hopefully no prospective buyers just read that!) I just want out from under this mortgage.!!!!

[lonewolf]

Okay... so let's say I decide to go with a realtor... do I have to come up with that money for her up front, or is it added to the loan somehow?

And, if i use a realtor, any suggestions for dumping a house as fast as possible? This is a good house for the price, but its not a steal. (hopefully no prospective buyers just read that!) I just want out from under this mortgage.!!!!

You don't pay a penny to the realtor unless it sells. They take their commission percentage from the actual selling price at closing.

The realtor will take care of selling the property as fast as they can. The best thing you can do is make any repairs, no matter how big or how small to make the house in perfect order. I'm not saying remodel, but if the walls need painted, paint them. If some trim needs fixed, fix it. Stuff like that. Pay attention to the outside and make sure the landscaping is up to snuff.

[Colton]

Jim, what house did you get?

[yodelinghippie]

My fiance has a trailer out in New Paris that is already paid for. You never met her... you'd like her. Both of us work at the WalMart DC, and this place is like 7 miles from there... compared to 35. Plus out there is a pond, a place for horses, a natural spring, lots and lots of land... etc.

If we move i'll give you a call... you can come out and see the place

So its the house in Clappertown that I want to sell btw