I can tell you that unless you are really well versed in Real Estate and marketing, you have little chance of selling on your own in the current market.

I sell homes in McHenry and to put it mildly, we have a glut of available properties.

Please consider hiring a Realtor if you Must Sell. If you can not wait to sell, a Realtor is a Must.

Chris Bowman, Broker, CDPE
Certified Distressed Property Expert
Re/max Experts
847-507-6047

Jen,
McHenry is a very tough market right now and you will have a lot of competition. It is not only about getting exposure at this point, but what are the short sales and foreclosures around you selling for and closing at? If you can't answer this readily, you probably need a professional realtor to help you sell your home. Realtors in this real estate market earn every penny of the commission charged and you don't pay anything until your goal of selling your home is accomplished!
Mark Karambelas
Baird and Warner

Jen:

During this challenging market in particular, I would suggest that you sell your home through a licensed professional salesperson that knows your area well. Because of the state of the current housing market, and with all the changes that have occured within the mortgage industry, it has become more difficult for homes to be sold and mortgages to be found for the home's new buyers. The whole process has just become more rigorous and demanding in time and effort.

As a lending professional, I advise that you align yourself with a knowlegeable realtor that will help you navigate through the many steps of selling your home. They will assist with pricing, help with the staging and presentation of your home, relieve you of the demands and burden of finding and marketing to interested buyers, physically show your home, offer information and guidance during the processing of the new buyer's loan, communicate with the other professionals involved on your behalf, and be your advocate at closing.

Should you have questions regarding any of the above, or if I can be of any assistance to you in your future lending needs, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be most happy to help in whatever manner I can.
Best of luck to you during the sale of your home!

Gene Mundt, Professional Mortgage Broker http://www.genemundt.com
Chicago Bancorp http://www.genemundtmortgageblog.com
gene@chicagobancorp.com

Hi Jen,
You can have the best of both worlds. List with a Flat Fee broker in your area for about $500 and save 1/2 the commission. You'll get the same online exposure as most other agents. I am not in your area, but If you need a referral, email me.

Well, you're not going to get a room full of Realtors (Trulia) to tell you... "hey, why don't you try it on your own, and see how that goes"... obviously, I believe that there's a value to using a professional Realtor.

But, if you're up for taking the calls, showing the property, doing all the marketing (photographs, description, uploading to all of the websites) making follow-up calls to those who've seen it, negotiating with a potential buyer ... well, you get the idea... basically doing all the work. If that's something that interests you, by all means give it a try.

Personally, I think you'll do better with a Realtor... but there are those who've sold there own homes, happily, and with good result. It really all depends on your personality, and whether or not that list sounded like something you'd enjoy.

Jen,

I've got you covered in either case. Below are two links and the first one is on doing a FSBO. The second is on choosing an agent. I listed with an agent who was unsatisfactory, and eventualluy sold FSBO. Is FSBO right for you to try? All I can say is read the blog and you decide. Good luck on whatever you do.

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

http://www.trulia.com/blog/rockinblu/2008/12/i_ve_got_my_fin…