A few weeks ago we discussed neighborhoods that are hot in Grand Rapids.  Being a sellers market in Grand Rapids is great for sellers obviously, but what is also trending is a lot of for sale by owners popping up all over the city.  If you have the time and knowledge doing a for sale by owner could be a great option for some people, but for many it’s not.  Given there are a lot of research tools out there for someone who is new to this venture, without experience these tools cannot be utilized to their best advantage, often resulting in homes either sitting on the market longer or selling your home below current market value.

For sale by owner in Grand Rapids are up against a lot.  With inventory low there are of Realtors working with buyers that are looking at for sale by owner homes to show their clients.  This is great if that is your home, but you’re also negotiating against a seasoned professional armed with a lot experience and knowledge.

If you’re in Grand Rapids currently thinking about selling your home as a for sale by owner, it should also be strongly considered the pro’s an

d con’s to doing it yourself vs. going with a Realtor. Sure saving on the commission seems appealing to everyone, but one of the biggest myths about for sale by owner is that it would result in a higher net profit. More often than not a seasoned Real Estate agent can garner a much higher profit margin well above the savings a for sale by owner would be looking at on if skipping a Realtor to save on the commission.

Other advantages to consider is that a Realtors full time job is to market and show your home.  They can clear off their Saturday for 3 hours to host an open house to get potential buyers through your home.  If this isn’t your profession sometimes its not that easy to drop everything and show your home on a whim.

With 92% of homebuyers searching for homes online, it’s important to have an Internet presence and marketing strategy.  Realtors often have a team of professionals who work on the online marketing of homes they list and carry a strong Internet presence.  Realtors will offer a lot more exposure for your home than if you were just to list as for sale by owner in Grand Rapids.

Realtors will make sure that buyers are legitimate by screening them prior to showing your home.  Often times a FSBO will get an interested buyer who may not be qualified for the purchase of their home resulting in a deal falling through.  This wastes valuable time and could have your home sitting on the market longer resulting in chances of the next deal coming in at a lower price.

In addition to time and expertise, Realtors can also offer an objective look at your home.  It’s hard for owners to see their home as a potential buyer, but not for a Realtor.  A Realtor can make suggestions on what improvements to the home that will prepare it to sell quickly and at a higher profit.

For sale by owner can work, but often times it’s worth investing in a Real Estate experts like May Group Realtors to help improve chances of selling your home in Grand Rapids.