Hi

Most listing agreements are exclusive rights to sell. When you sign the listing agreement you are allowing the real estate professional to market your home and to bring you a buyer. Unless you have negotiated speicifc exclusions, most listing agreements will still require a paynment to the listing agent for their services. Ginger Trimble Knox, FW

Mike,
I don't really see any benifit to trying to sell your home yourself. What would you do? Put out a For Sale by Owner sign? Run an add in the local newspaper? Put your house on Craigslist? These things should already be done by your agent, that's what your commission pays for. If they are not being done you should talk to your agent and see why they are not (perhaps there is a reason). Hold you agent accountable to any promises made during your listing interview. If he/she said she was going to run an ad in the newspaper, or showed you ads he/she has run for other clients, then make sure they are being run.

I'll tell you that if one of my clients ask me to sell their house, but wanted to reserve the right to sell it themselves and not pay me a commission, I would definitly not spend a lot of money on advertising. I don't want to drop $1.50 per flier, or $350 a month on classified ads if there's a chance I'm not going to get paid.

Lastly, if you found a buyer yourself, would your agent still represent you? If not your making a big mistake. Also, most serious home buyers have a real estate agent who show's property based on the local MLS. Most real estate professionals don't chase newspaper ads. You would really be limiting your exposure. Even if you found a potential buyer, most buyers are going to discount off the commission you'd normally pay and try to take the savings for themselves.

Stick with your agent! Good luck.

How will this "increase" your chances Mike? Just curious. Your realtor puts your house on MLS--you want to list AGAIN on MLS as FSBO? Your realtor will have a sign--you want another sign? Your realtor will make sure (hopefully) that it's on as many other websites as possible. Your realtor will network with other realtors to sell your house.And more. What more of an advantage will YOU get by being FSBO also?

Mike,

It seems that it would depend on the listing broker's receptiveness. However, their attorney most likely would find serious liability and other concerns with this arrangement.

Great question......we'll follow the posts on this one to hear what others have to say.

Mike,

When listing with a REALTOR you have better odds of having your house SOLD and not for Sale. A good REALTOR has a marketing plan and should have discussed that plan with you. As far as your safety issue, remember that when a REALTOR brings someone into your home most likely that person has been prequalified for a loan and is a serious buyer and not a looker. Lookers can become a problem if you are not experienced in the real estate market. When you "open your door" to anyone who is just looking you open yourself up to potential problems.

A REALTOR know who they are bringing into your home, do you know who you will open your door to? Good luck in your endeavers and becareful. Remember, a REALTOR does not get paid until they perform their obligation of selling your home and there are many out of pocket expenses such as marketing your property that will occure.

Good luck in the selling of your house. Every state has their own laws that govern their REALTORS, Texas has a real estate governing body (Texas Real Estate Commiss), check your state's website for information on legal issues and contract concerns.

Linda F. Reeves - REALTOR - GRI
ERA Millennium Realty
Buda, Texas 78610
512-312-2510

Mike,

As for as doing the FSBO part, you may want to have a look at the blog attached to the first link below. The second link is to an article explaining different types of listing agreements. Good luck.

http://www.trulia.com/blog/rockinblu/2008/08/thinking_about_…

http://www.moneyinstructor.com/art/listingagreement.asp

Hi Mike,

The reason to list your property with a professional realtor and brokerage firm is precisely to obtain maximum exposure of your property. Ask your agent what the marketing plan is. The power of the internet should be harnessed to the max since 80% of buyers begin their search here.

If you do go FSBO, you should realize that buyers you attract will expect to pay significantly less than for realtor-listed homes since they know you are not paying real estate fees. A key question to ask yourself is whether you would rather pay that money to your buyer or to your Realtor who will navigate you through the process of selling your home, help you present your propety in the most marketable fashion and get maximum exposure to the market place, ensure buyers are qualfied and negotiate the most favorable terms for you once you do receive an offer?? Feel free to contact me with further questions.

Linda Raymond
Realtor, Consultant
William Raveis Real Estate
Southport, CT 06890
203-912-4440

Mike,
Just the fact that you are asking this question tells me that your Realtor is not doing his or her job OR you missed that part of the listing agreement. IF your property is currently listed most ethical Realtors will not interfere with that relationship so you really need to talk to your Realtor. If your property is NOT listed I would be happy to speak to you. I might add that before you list your property you should interview several agents then go with your own feeling based on how you feel about the information you have been given
Please feel free to email me if you have further questions and you are not currently listed with a licensed Realtor.
Melanie Walker
mwalker@cbhoa.com

Mike,

Not sure how that would increase your chances since all buyers in our market that want to look at a Realtor listed home have to work with a Realtor to show them those listed properties. The only possible buyers left are those without a Realtor that are only looking at FSBO properties. And that there is the problem. I have not met any buyers in 23 years, who only want to look at FSBO properties since FSBO's are a small percentage of the available homes. The other problem is when you list with a Realtor, the listing typically states that it will only be listed with one company at a time, and then all the other real estate companies and real estate agents have the right to show the home. Lastly, if you could list on both and then you end up selling it on your own you would still have to pay your Realtor's company the commission unless you worked something out before hand on what happens under those circumstances. Hope some of this helps... give me a call if you have any further questions.

Greg Zavitz
Coldwell Banker HOA
309-275-4734 http://www.zavitz.com