Top 5 Reasons to Forego FSBO Status and Hire an Agent

By Fran Campbell - September 19, 2017

One of the biggest reasons homeowners may consider selling their home as "for sale by owner" is to try to save money on commission expense. However, with all the legwork it takes to sell a home, it may cost you more in the long run for not hiring a real estate agent at the Lake of the Ozarks to sell your home. Not only do homeowners who hire an agent see a higher profit return for their home, but they significantly lower their risk of potential legal problems as well. If that's not enough reason to hire an agent and forego FSBO status, check out these other 5 reasons we've got for you:

#1. Online Real Estate Websites Cannot Provide Accurate Valuations of Your Home
If you've ever gone on real estate websites like Zillow or Trulia, you've probably seen their estimated valuation. While in a perfect world, being able to see the estimated value of a home online would be wonderful, no every region is the same when it comes to real estate value. This is especially true for the Lake of the Ozarks real estate market. Therefore, it's not feasible to go off of an estimate provided by an online company that's not even located in or understands the special factors that Lake of the Ozarks real estate agents must consider when pricing a home. We often see this with appraisal professionals who are not familiar with the Lake area as well.

#2. The Real Estate Market is Ever-Changing
The real estate market is shifting every day. Every home is different, and laws change every year and vary between different types of properties. Generally speaking, people purchase a new home every 7-10 years, and a lot can change between transactions. Lake of the Ozarks real estate agents are immersed in real estate, and they must stay current with all the updates in regulations, laws, contracts and practices. Once you retain a real estate agent, they put that knowledge to work for you.

#3. Agents Have Access to the Multiple Listing Service
A real estate agent has access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The MLS is a database of current homes for sale. By hiring a real estate agent, information about your home will be instantly available to agents all across your area. They can conduct searches in the MLS for potential buyers to locate properties the buyers might be interested in. If you try to sell your home by yourself, you might not be listed in the MLS and buyers' agents won't bring your home to their clients' attention.

#4. Top Producing Agents are Negotiation Experts
Top producing agents negotiate well because, unlike most buyers and sellers, they can remove themselves from the emotional aspects of the transaction and because they are skilled. It's part of their job description. Good agents are not messengers, delivering buyer's offers to sellers and vice versa. They are professionals who are trained to present their client's case in the best light and agree to hold client information confidential from competing interests.

#5. There's a Vast Amount of Paperwork Involved

Today's purchase agreements are more than just a single piece of paper vaguely going over the conditions of the sale. If you're lucky, there may only be the purchase agreement itself, but in the Lake of the Ozarks area, that's just not typically the case. The state of Missouri requires certain disclosures to be completed depending on the property type, age of the property, and location of the property. One tiny mistake or omission could land you in court or cost you thousands. But don't worry, our agents will help you to determine what paperwork is required, and can answer questions about those documents!

Fran Campbell Team Would Love to be Your Real Estate Agents!
We pride ourselves on delivering outstanding real estate service to each of our customers. We believe that our customers deserve quality representation from experienced professionals, and we are honored to help families buy or sell Lake of the Ozarks homes. If you are looking for a real estate agent to represent you, we would love to meet you! Give us a call anytime to set up an initial consultation. We look forward to working with you!

Contact the Fran Campbell Team to get your home SOLD!