[USER]

Who has sold their home without a realtor? I’d love to chat! Paying $45k in just realitor fees is a hard pill to swallow on top of high interest rates and closing costs. A realitor isn’t out of the question…. Just want to hear what else others have done.

[Jessica]

I hired a real estate lawyer to do all the paperwork and found a buyer myself.

[Beth]

You can always negotiate their fees. I would not suggest selling without a realtor – there is a lot of risk if you aren’t a professional.

[Laurie]

Realtors make sure all the dots are dotted, and Ts are crossed. Even if you think you know who you are dealing with. Wouldn’t go without them.

[Denise]

There has been recent litigation regarding the 7% fee to be paid to both realtors. I sold my house in Colorado. Hired a title company that would work with For Sale by Owner. Worked like a charm. Do your research.

Good luck

[Char]

Hire a real estate attorney, bought a home. Paid lawyer $600.00. This was in November 2014. Ten years ago so I’m sure fees have gone up. Still better than going through a realtor

[Kelli]

We are selling our home soon as well FSBO. I work for a law firm and we have a great title company to use as well. You can use Zillow for free, and social media. Put up for sale signs in your area.

(We are fortunate that our neighborhood is very desirable.)

[Kathie]

Much depends on the state you are selling in. I sold a property and also bought a property being sold with using a realtor for only the legal paperwork. Often you can negotiate the percent they receive for doing so but typically 2-3% is common. I felt it was worth it to have no legal issues come back at me. You can also hire an attorney for that but could be more costly.

In the house I bought, I did have an inspection done (some people skip that, but I wouldn’t if buying) As the seller, have documentation of recent property tax, know the age of things like furnace and roof, mention any major updates done, and though you don’t need to mention anything negative, don’t be secretive either… it’s up to the buyer to get an inspection done.

I kept a notebook with me so I could answer calls from prospective buyers, take notes, get their info, and give info to them.

I took it with me every where in case I got calls while on the go.

Good luck to you!

Suggested: When building a house (not custom) is it unwise having a realtor?

[Debbie]

We listed and sold by listing on Zillow. The buyer had a realtor who handled all the paperwork and we agreed to pay her 2%

[Erica]

As a Realtor I would just like to add input that typically houses sold with a Realtor net at least 10% more than without one. Saving money on commissions may sound like it would save you, however a lot of the time it ends up costing you money.

Commissions are negotiable so you may be able to get a little lower of a commission from who you choose to use, but remember, you get what you pay for.

[Nicole]

I did, it actually wasn’t too bad! I used Houzeo and paid to get it on all the Realty sites. Set up a google phone number specifically for house showings. Put a sign in the yard with flyers. All you really need is a title company. We closed at the place of the buyers agent. I did do 4% to the buyers agent but saved soooo much by not using a realtor myself.

[Jess]

As someone who was the buyer and didn’t use a realtor nor did the seller, we were able to avoid a bidding war on the home before it hit the market (we bought in a highly desirable area). Very easy process without one. Definitely hire yourself a good inspector to double check everything in the home.

[Leigh]

We paid a flat fee to get it listed on the mls (maybe $250), but took our own photos, wrote the description, did showings and negotiations ourselves. We saved a lot of $!

[Cat]

Agree with many of the commenters here – a great lawyer and title searcher was all we used. Our seller didn’t have an agent either. More sellers spoke to us, we got faster responses, and we saw more houses when I said I didn’t have an agent.

At this point real estate agents feel like a luxury! Sad but true.

[Amanda]

The first we did without a realtor. This one we are using one. Everybody focuses on the legal part of what they do, but logistics come into play as well. In a soft market the realtor dealing with all the showings after you move, maintenance like lawn care, marketing, and an established network of buyers can be worth the money.

[Sheila]

I love how everyone thinks that hiring a realtor will make sure that there are no mistakes. Not so. When my son was trying to buy a house, the realtor who had the property listed put the wrong lot numbers on the listing and they never caught it. I noticed it was incorrect when I looked up the tax records.

I told my son and they changed the paperwork in the agreement. So only then did my son realize that he wasn’t buying the lots on the left side of his house, but he was buying the lots on the right side of his house. I wouldn’t trust anyone to do your research for you because “professionals” today aren’t always careful about what matters.

Hiring a professional can be an absolute joke. I feel the same way about home inspections.

I could do a better job inspecting a house before I bought it than most home inspectors.

I’m not going to pay someone to do something I can do myself.

[Linda]

In Utah I’ve sold 4 houses hiring a real estate company that posts your house on the multiple listings for $99 and you sale by owner, meaning the buyers realtor arranges showings with you directly. All legal is covered through the Title company you hire just like if you had hired a selling agent.

I do pay the buyers agent 2 to 2.5 percent for bringing me the buyer.

[Peggy]

Put an anonymous ad in the neighborhood listserve and NextDoor and weeded out the realtors who responded offering to list. Showed house to two interested parties and accepted an offer next day after verifying financials. Sat down together to discuss everything and found a local title company with an in-house lawyer who looked over all the paperwork.

[Susan]

I sold our mothers home by owner in Sun City, Arizona. All you need is a good title company, 3rd party inspection for the bank and a your signature a million times over at the title company. Tips and tricks are common sense items: no clutter, clean, bright and most definitely fragrance free.

[Shari]

We bought without a realtor. Used a lawyer to guide us through paperwork. It was only a few hundred $ fee– years ago. Probably more of course now but it’s done more often than you think. I believe realtors are great for complex purchases. But you also have great resourses through your lenders also, such as inspections, etc. Realtors are also a great buffer for dealing with picky people and remaining more anonymous. If you have an easy, simple transaction, no issues and agree with buyer/seller well, no realtor is required. (And I come from a family of realtors.)

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