Susanne,

I am also a firm believer (at least for the most part) that you get what you pay for, and selling your home for the highest price in the shortest time possible is no exception. Marketing a home is a lot of work, and requires accumulated market knowledge and expertise. It takes time, dedication, expertise and yes, MONEY....$$

Marketing is, in addition to other things, a numbers game. The larger the audience you expose your home to, the more likely it becomes you will find just the right buyer for your home. And, if you choose to sell your home yourself using a real estate lawyer or FSBO service, you will automatically be placing yourself at a disadvantage. It isn't impossible, but it will likely mean taking much longer to sell your home at a price below what you are hoping to net for your home.

When you use a full service real estate professional and have your home entered into the multiple listing service, it is automatically exposed to other sites. Keep in mind that more than 80% of all buyers today, start their home search online. This is a known fact that bears repeating ---- more than 80% of all buyers today, start their home search online. Yes, it is a numbers game. The more sites your home is featured on, the more likely it is you'll reach the "right buyer." It is unlikely you can get anywhere near the same exposure on your own. Sites like realtor.org, coloproperty.com, trulia.com, zillow.com, frontdoor.com, backpage.com, reamf.com, PCSrealty.net, beatyouthere.com, homez.com, housingpages.com, etc. are being used when you home is listed. Not to mention additional sites depending upon the realtor's company and personal sites such as in our case, realestateoftherockies.com, vickieslade.com, facebook.com, plaxo.com, activerain.com, craigslist.com and our ability to reach literally thousands of other realtors through services like eflyer (compliments of your full service realtor......$$).

We still use other types of print media to market your home, but typically they are not as affective and are more expensive (all of which are paid for by a full-service realtor.....$$). What about those "sales flyers" posted inside the box on a "for-sale" sign in your yard? I'm sure you have noticed the difference between those which have been professionally created and those which have not --- and yes, they are expensive (and paid for by your full-service realtor.....$$).

Open houses every weekend are another way to expose you home --- time consuming, but effective and a service a full-service realtor is willing to provide to you (so you can spend your time doing other things --- like looking for another home.....$$).

Our market is more challenging today, but homes that are not only priced right but also "parade-ready" before ever being listed for sale, and which are marketed aggressively are still selling. Other pro-active steps to put you in the best negotiating position include having your home pre-inspected and including a home warranty (and well as others, not listed here, I would be willing to discuss with you). (Many full-service realtors provide some combination of these services for free or at a reduced cost to you ....$$)

Once you actually get an offer, you want a seasoned professional to represent you and to ensure your best interests are taken into consideration each step along the way. Getting an offer is just the first step of many, along a complicated and time-sensitive series of steps. Any "mis-step" along the way can kill the deal and require you start back at step one. (....$$)

If it were easy, you wouldn't see so many FSBO signs eventually taken down and/or replaced by those of real estate professionals. And if it were so easy, you wouldn't see as many less-than-serious and/or part-time, realtors leaving the profession.

Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make and can be one of the most time-consuming and stressful as well. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck.

Vickie Slade
Real Estate of The Rockies
303-589-2663

Susanne
Gee, what a coincidence. I just answered your other post.

May I direct your attention to the link below.

I'll keep this concise because I already spent a lot of time on the first response.

When you opt to sell without professional representation (and there are a lot of options..sell on your own, MLS Entry Only Brokers, limited service brokers, discount brokers), it's like going off to a war with not intelligence.

We see a lot of posts "Help me, my home is not selling". What people miss is that selling a home is a lot like chess. Selling a home, because of the cost of the transaction, and the shifts in the market, can be very costly.

After looking at your market stats...you are in a declining market. So, in order to max your profit , you need someone who knows that market. I am going to make one point, then if you would like some professional assistance, you can contact me.

In the average market about 20% of listings sell within 30 days. These listings sell closest to asking price. In my MLS that means 99.7% of asking.

80% of listings are overpriced, not correctly marketed, and sit there accumulating market time and losing value. These are listings taken by REALTORS that theoretically KNOW their business. Listings at 120 days on market sell at 92.7% of asking price. And that is AFTER a few price reductions...

So, IMHO expertise is priceless, particularly in a declining market. You problem is that you don't have time to experiment. Time is money. You are losing hundreds of dollars a day by waiting to act.

I would be happy to refer you to a top Realtor that can analyze your situation, and give you the answers you need. Time is of the essence. Just reading your posts demonstrates that you need professional expertise.

Susanne,

This is a tough one for a full service real estate agent to answer, but here are the basics. FSBO services allow you to list your house for sale on their website or newsletter. That's about it. A real estate lawyer helps you write a contract between you and the buyer. That's about it. To write a contract, you need a buyer. Most buyers work with real estate agents of their own to help them find houses listed in the MLS. The buyer who is trying to buy from a FSBO is generally looking for a deal and usually offers about 80% or asking price. The average sale price in the Cross Ridge area of MLS listings by a real estate agent is 97-98% of the asking price.

The choice is tough, but the truth is that unless you have a good friend or relative who may be interested in buying your house, selling without at least listing on the Multiple Listing Service and offering the buyer's agent a normal commision, you may risk having your house on the market for a long time waiting for buyers to come by and see your sign.

Remember, real estate agents work in this market place on a daily basis. They know the home values, the preparation involved in getting your house ready to show, the negotiations involved with current real estate contracts, the negotiations involved with home inspections and surveys, working with the title company, making sure your buyer is qualified in today's lending market, and basically being an advocate for the seller throughout the entire transaction.

I think the bottom line is that you speak to a local real estate agent such as myself prior to putting your house on the market. A consultation does not cost anything and may give you a better idea of which avenue you feel will work best for you. Discuss what you think your house is worth, how long can you expect it to be on the market, and what the entire selling process involves.

Selling a house can be a stressful and emotional experience. Which ever way you decide to go, i wish you the best, Susanne.

Ron Pearce
Real Estate of the Rockies
303-666-9000

Susanne,

The link below may be of some interest to you. Good luck.

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

My input is that you mostly get what you pay for in life. If I were you I would hire a full service Realtor to professionally market it and get it sold. Especially in a long distance relationship.

Good luck.