If you want to put your home on the market, what do you do? Find the right real estate agent for the job. You’ll likely start with Google before moving on to recommendations from friends. But you are unlikely to swerve from the idea of using the average full-service real estate. Because — like most sellers — you probably aren’t aware of alternatives to full-service real estate agents. But that’s the beauty of selling a house. You have options. These options can be just as effective — if not more effective — as your typical real estate agent.
These include full-service real estate agents or brokers, discount real estate brokers, FSBO sales with support from a flat fee MLS, and unassisted FSBO sales.
Full-Service Real Estate Agent
Most homeowners aren’t aware that when they’re hiring a real estate agent, they’re hiring a full-service agent. That’s because it is considered the only way to get your home on the market. That’s not the case. A full-service real estate agent is only one of the options you have when selling a house, and, like other options available to you, has its advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of Using a Full-Service Real Estate Agent
There are several advantages to selling a house using a full-service real estate agent, the most notable being convenience and ease of use.
Convenient
When hiring a full-service real estate agent, apart from meeting to discuss your objectives and preparing your home through repair and renovation, there’s not much you need to do. This makes it a convenient and stress-free process that enables you to focus on other tasks, like finding a home to buy.
Easy to Use
If you’re selling a house with a typical real estate agent, the most challenging thing will be finding a reputable seller’s agent. If you can find one that’s as invested in selling your home as you are, you won’t have to get knowledge on any aspect of selling a house, as you rely on the expertise of your agent to guide you through the process step-by-step.
Disadvantages of Using a Full-Service Real Estate Agent
But even these significant advantages are offset by disadvantages.
Expensive
Considering your real estate agent’s primary duty is to coordinate the sale, the 3.5 percent or 4 percent commission can seem rather exorbitant.
Essentially, you’re paying them a considerable sum from your selling price for the pleasure of being able to focus on other tasks. Unless your profit is substantial, that commission can be debilitating.
Lack of Control
Selling a house with a real estate agent also means you give up control of the process. Now, instead of having the primary role in how your home sells and for how much, you have the secondary role, as your real estate agent will often advise on how to proceed, even if it’s contrary to your wishes.
Discount Real Estate Agent
Discount real estate agents offer the same service as full-service real estate agents but without the pricey commission. Essentially, any full-service agent can become a discount real estate agent since the commission is negotiable but finding willing real estate agents can be challenging. Therefore, you should consider searching Clever Real Estate, the best real estate website for hiring discount real estate agents.
Advantages of Using a Discount Real Estate Agent
The greatest advantage to using a discount real estate agent is the potential cost savings.
Cost-saving
Theoretically, a discount real estate agent could save you thousands in commission. For example, using Clever Real Estate, you only need to pay your agent 1 percent or $3,000 depending on what you agree to, but these savings may not be as appealing if you consider the disadvantages.
Disadvantages of Using a Discount Real Estate Agent
Unlike your typical full-service real estate agent, discount brokers can often be less eager to get work done. This leads to a host of disadvantages that can amount to the sale no longer being as lucrative.
Limited Scope
Most discount real estate agents limit the service they provide to compensate for their lower rates, often becoming virtual assistants while you take the lead.
Unavailability
One of the downsides, even when using the best real estate website to find an agent, is their propensity to become unavailable or inaccessible once you hire them. This can lead to extensive delays that could hurt your property’s value in today’s market.
Lack of Control
Similar to a full-service real estate agent, using a discount broker means you have to rely on their expertise, availability, and communication before you can make a move.
FSBO Sale with Flat Fee MLS
The Flat fee MLS has gained popularity in recent years because they allow you to save money and gain control of selling a house.
Advantages of Using a Flat Fee MLS
Homeowners who choose to sell using a flat fee MLS access these benefits:
Control of the Process
You have control of everything when you list with a flat fee service, but this is only worthwhile if you use the best real estate website for FSBO sellers: Houzeo.com.
Houzeo gives you control of every aspect of the listing, including the buyer agent’s commission, the showing, and the negotiation.
Cost-Effective
Because a flat fee MLS allows you to pay most of your costs upfront, you can determine how much you’re willing to spend selling a house, saving you tens of thousands in commission.
Disadvantages of Using a Flat Fee MLS
The reason most people don’t use flat fee services is because of its most notable disadvantage: the learning curve.
Learning Curve
Although a flat fee MLS can reduce a lot of the burden of selling a house, you still need to learn about comps and the closing process and decide how to prepare your home to ensure a lucrative sale.
However, by finding the best real estate website, and choosing to use their service, you can automate these processes. Some of the most reputable websites to help you do this include Houzeo, which has become the number one flat fee MLS in the country, followed by Beycome and FSBO.com
Then, there’s the traditional FSBO sale that should be avoided at all costs. Not only is refusing to use a flat fee MLS to list your property cost labor-intensive, but it’s also opportunity diminishing, reducing your chances of securing a lucrative offer when selling a house. Therefore, it’s best to stick to one of the best real estate websites when putting your home on the market.
