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Real Estate Guide: Should I go with a Realtor or try to sell my home on my own? That depends

Explained: What exactly a Realtor does for you and what it takes to be your own real estate agent

Editor’s Note: This is the third part of a three-part real estate series on trends, staging and private vs. agent sales. If you’re buying, selling or are a real estate agent, Sudbury.com’s Real Estate Guide has what you need. 

One day, in the distant or not too distant past, you decided to invest in a home. More than likely the single largest purchase of your life, the one that would make or break your future, at least for a little while. 

And though the investment also provided you with a roof over your head, a place to raise your family or host your friends, ultimately, you hope there will be more tangible returns; i.e. that sweet, sweet cheddar. 

But, like everything the internet touches, access to information has changed the face of the real estate industry. At one time, the only way to find a house – or list a house – was through a Realtor, but now, you may encounter listings on your Facebook feed. If you have shopped for a house recently, you may have spent a great deal of time perusing property online while comfortable at home; if you have sold, or inquired about selling your home lately, chances are, private sale has peaked your interest. 

Whether you choose to handle the sale yourself, list with a private sale company, or go to a traditional Realtor, depends on a few things about your life. In fact, the Ontario Securities Commission has a list of questions to ask yourself, and that’s a great place to start.

Are you confident you can sell your home for a price close to what an agent would get for you?

The price of your home is the single greatest factor in the eventual sale, and it can be the difference between a quick sale and a never-ending process. Very often, those who decided to sell without guidance base the price of their home on what they ‘feel’ it is worth, rather than what the market will bear. It’s hard not to be emotional about a place you’ve loved for so long, but also, you want to get the most you can, so why not aim high? Well, because that might just knock your home out of the running. You need someone with experience to help you establish the best price.

If you choose a Realtor, they will determine a price based on their knowledge and experience. Cathy Gregorchuk of Remax Crown Realty Inc. says that if you choose a Realtor, ensure you choose someone who can explain how they arrived at the price they are suggesting.

“A seller should always ask the Realtor, ‘How did you get my price for my home?’ ” Gregorchuk says. 

As well, look for one who devotes full-time hours to the job. 

“Probably the first question you should ask your Realtor is are they a full-time Realtor, and what their value proposition is,” says Gregorchuk. “The No.1 job a Realtor will do for you is the pricing - that is the key. The only way a Realtor knows what they are doing is from experience and knowledge in the business, and this is why I stress you should work only with a full-time Realtor, and someone that belongs to a large office. When an office has market share, they work collectively to sell their in-house listings.”

If you choose a private sale company, like PropertyGuys.com, you will be given guidance and the opportunity to work with their local appraisal partner, says Michael Perras, franchise owner.

“The client still sets their own asking price, but we are providing them with a third-party impartial appraisal of their property,” he says. “The appraiser has nothing riding on the sale, so we prefer this non-biased evaluation.” 

Whether you choose a Realtor or private sale, both Gregorchuk and Perras stress that the number you hear is the number you should listen to. Perras says, in his experience, the most common cause of clients switching from private sale to Realtor, or vice versa, is unhappiness with the price. 

“The market is not always kind, but it is never wrong,” Gregorchuk says.

Do you want to be highly involved in the sales process?

Whether you go with a Realtor or a private sale company like PropertyGuys.com, both will get you set up and guide you through the beginnings of the process. But you will reach a point where the service is up to you – like a gas station: do you want full-service or self-serve. 

This discussion also leads to the rest of the questions:

  1. Will you have time to show your own home?
  2. Are you comfortable showing your home to buyers?
  3. Are you comfortable negotiating with buyers and their agents?

With a Realtor, you will pay a portion of your home’s sale price as a commission – half for the agent you are working with, and half for the agent who brought the buyers. And while it can seem like the amount of money paid in commission is out of touch with what work is involved, that’s perhaps because your Realtor has not shown you all they do. 

“No doubt, when we think about selling our home, we think about the commission we have to pay a Realtor,” says Gregorchuk. “The problem is, most Realtors do not know how to describe their value proposition. The general public think we measure, take pictures and throw the house on the internet and ta-da, their home is sold, and that the agent is taking home a big fat paycheque.” 

Your Realtor should take care of everything when it comes to your home’s sale – from the listing and photography, dealing with buyers and other agents to set up showings, advising you when an offer comes in, and handling all the paperwork to keep the process simple for you. 

But what if you are comfortable doing all those things? What if, when you ask yourself those questions, you decide all you need is guidance, and some great marketing? Michael Perras says that’s when a company like PropertyGuys.com can help.

While you pay up front for a package through PropertyGuys.com, included are several services that making showing your home yourself much easier. Privacy systems keep buyers from intruding on your off hours, their partnerships with local professionals allow you to access information when needed, and targeted marketing strategies are available to you. And one misconception that Perras hopes to overcome is listings MLS – now Realtor.ca.

At one time, only Realtors could list a home on the popular site, but now thanks to a partnership with a Canadian brokerage, listings from PropertyGuys.com are added to Sudbury’s MLS availability – just without early backend access for Realtors.

But you will need to show your house yourself, and be prepared to sell it. You are saving money because you are doing the work. If this is intriguing, if you have DIY in your blood and full control appeals to you, then this route could be worth investigating. 

“There are only two instances where I would recommend a Realtor instead of private sale,” he says. “There have been a couple occasions over my nearly 13 years in the business that I just did not feel the client was able to do this on their own mostly due to age factors, and that they did not have family that could assist them. In the best interest of the clients, I suggested they contact a reputable agent for help.”

He also notes that “because we are not licensed agents, we are not allowed to show homes for our clients or we would be trading in real estate without a license. So when we have a client who possibly has already moved from a home for something such as a work transfer, and do not have friends or family that can show the home, this can be a possible scenario for an agent.”

It can be very hard to choose the best route to take, particularly when you feel your future — and your largest investment — are on the line. Do your research: talk to friends and family, read what you can online – especially by visiting Sudbury.com’s new Sudbury Real Estate Market Site — but most of all? Talk to a Realtor, talk to someone from a private sale company, and have in-home consultations if possible; you’ll at least feel you’ve made an informed decisions.

Even if it’s one you’ll still agonize over.  

Jenny Lamothe is a freelance writer, proof-reader and editor in Greater Sudbury. Contact her through her website, JennytheWriter.wordpress.com.


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