Why Should I Use a Listing Agent to Sell My Home?

In this extreme seller’s market, it may seem like a no-brainer to save the commission money and sell your home without an agent. But, deciding not to use a listing agent could be detrimental to your selling experience.

In this kind of heated market, it’s more important than ever for sellers to have a competent real estate agent. There are many more steps to selling a house than just the signing of the contract. It's very important for sellers to have an experienced, licensed real estate agent to help them negotiate in this environment.

A listing agent will help you with:

• Pricing - Sellers don’t want to leave any money on the table when determining their home’s price, but they also don’t want to price so high that they miss the pool of buyers willing to purchase their house. A listing agent will be able to research your home, and others similar to it in the market, to determine a listing price.
• Exposure - Market to people who are not aware that your home is available. For example, our team knew buyers that needed to move here. Even though they had never been in Jacksonville, through virtual showings conducted by our team, they were able to see the house and complete their transaction remotely.
• Contracts and offers - Technically you can find and print out a purchase sale contract online. But, there's more to selling a house than just having someone sign a contract. In today’s market we often have multiple offers. In fact, our team has had listings with more than 30 offers. So, a seller needs to be able to determine which offer is the best. Contrary to popular belief, the best offer is not always the one that offers the most money. The listing agent will sort through the offers and help find which one has the best terms for you as well as ensure that the buyer is pre-qualified and can afford the house.
• Showings - When a buyer is coming to a house, they need to be able to imagine themselves in the home. If they have a homeowner hot on their heels, it can make things awkward and uncomfortable. When buyers come to see a home where the seller is present, they tend to get in, get out, and hardly remember anything about the house. A listing agent showing the house has numerous benefits, including pointing out the important details about your home as well as giving the buyer the space to imagine themselves in this home.

If you are interested in selling your home, or have questions about what a real estate agent can do to help, reach out to us at 904-465-9139. We would love to help you navigate this market!