Should I User a Realtor to Sell my House
I need to sell my family’s house in Windsor Terrace. It has great bones (i just replaced the roof with the most quality one and upgraded all electrical) but it needs cosmetic renovations. It is located on Vanderbilt between Macdonald and East 2nd Street. I dont really have much time to advertise it and I…
I need to sell my family’s house in Windsor Terrace. It has great bones (i just replaced the roof with the most quality one and upgraded all electrical) but it needs cosmetic renovations. It is located on Vanderbilt between Macdonald and East 2nd Street. I dont really have much time to advertise it and I wonder if it is worth hiring a Realtor. In the past, I did not have good dealings with realtors but thats maybe because they weren’t at the top of their game. I am thinking this time around I want to get someone who is seriously familiar with the neighborhood and done good sales and could fetch me the right price by understanding the marketplace and advertising. Maybe someone from Corcoran.
I wonder what people on this board recommend in this situation. If I decide to go with a realtor, what fee should I try and negotiate and what I should look out for.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
I think the house is really Kensington, but would definately recommend Jeff at Abacus Realty or Mary LaRosa Lederer at Brooklyn Real. I don’t know Mary personally but she’s closed many deals in our neighborhood (Windsor Terrace), and got a huge price on a co-op in our building.
We are in the processs of closing on our co-op sold by a great realtor (not mentioned above). I would totally recommend using a realtor. Unless as mentioned by Vanburenproud you have a ton of time.
People who use realtors usually get a higher price. Its a tricky market right now and you need to advertise. A realtor will get you the exposure you need and sell it faster than you could alone.
Alas, most realtors are not exactly experts. Some are, but not enough. I would not make a decision based on expertise or knowing the neighborhood, because that will make you feel like a schmuck in the end.
I would make the decision based on your time.
If you don’t want to or don’t have time, then it’s worthwhile to hire someone else to do things like advertise and sit open houses. If you don’t want to put in the effort it takes to figure out good comps, advertise, and follow through, then you should hire a realtor.
Hire a Realtor.
I am currently having my condo renovated with the intention of going FSBO this year. I am a lawyer. So I figure I can handle to legal work myself. But I know that I have to commit the time and effort to market my property (ParkSlopeParents, postlets, NYTimes, Trulia, Zillow, Property Shark, etc.), and conduct the weekend open houses. I figure if I can’t sell it by the holidays, then I’ll hire a realtor in Feb 2009 to sell it.
If you want to sell FSBO, I figure you need (at a minimum) the time to commit, and the willingness to eventually hire a realtor if it doesn’t work out.
Ignore all the advice above. I’ll save you the hassle and give you $100K sight unseen just to relieve you of this terrible drudgery.
In this market, I’d use a good realtor. Buyers seeing a FSBO, especially now, will expect a rock bottom price. You need a professional in your corner to get the best price possible.
If you don’t think you time to advertise it, doesn’t sound like you have time to show it at buyers convenience nor do you mention if you have a real idea of what price it should sell for today.
I’d interview of couple of realtors. Search listings in your neigborhood – see which are in contract and who are the listing agent for those.
With mortgage problems today – I think I would go with an experienced realtor (more than 10 years ) who knows how to steer someone through the process.
Good luck.
When I sold in the south slope (years ago in the middle of the runup in prices), the broker took a 3% fee for an exclusive listing. It sold quickly after one open house and for well over ask with multiple bids. At the time I thought the asking price was high, so I think my bottom line did better using a realtor.
Market conditions are clearly different now, but if you do go w/ a broker the savings paying 3 or 4% vs. 5 or 6% are quite significant.
And aside from how good the bones of the house are, it’s amazing how much of a difference a little staging can do – making the place de-cluttered and clean w/ a few small touches like flowers.