This is a very interesting development in the real estate industry, as it has greatly leveled the playing field. Today, owing to the Internet, you have another viable option for selling your house other than using a real estate agent. And, no, it’s not the traditional for sale by owner (FSBO). Rather, you can list and sell your home through one of the many online services. In a nutshell, by selling your home online, you are able to reach a much larger market of potential home buyers than you could by listing with a real estate agent. These services seem to have been a boon for many sellers, but there is still the nagging question of whether this is a better route than using a real estate agent. To find out, let’s take a look at online services vs. using a real estate agent to sell your Savannah, GA and Chatham County house.
Advantages of Selling Through Online Services
Selling your Savannah, GA and Chatham County house through one of the online services is much different from the traditional approach of using a real estate agent. So you may be wondering why you should even consider it. There are several advantages to doing so, such as . . .
Hassle-Free
Compared to traditional selling with a real estate agent, selling fully online involves far less hassle. You don’t have to invest nearly as much time to deal with selling your house. You can just stage it, list it, and then sell on your timeline and your terms.
Quicker Sale
Selling online is also a good option for sellers who want to sell quickly and/or for cash to an iBuyer or house flipper.
Willing Buyers
Today, especially since COVID normalized remote home buying, many more buyers are willing to buy a house online and sight unseen.
Can Save Money and Time
Selling online can also save you the cost of staging because you can use virtual staging instead. And because you’re selling online, you can save money and time that you would have to invest in the traditional process with an agent, for example, holding open houses.
Benefits of Using a Real Estate Agent
Despite the advantages of selling through an online service, using a real estate agent can afford even more benefits when you sell your Savannah, GA and Chatham County house. These include . . .
Access to the MLS
“Agents have access to the multiple listing service (MLS) . . . a database that compiles the listings in a given area for other real estate professionals, as well as for online portals . . . An agent can place your home in your regional multiple listing service, which will broadcast your home for sale to other websites with massive audiences . . . This gives you the best chance to get the offer you want.”
More Marketing Advantages
A good real estate agent can also deploy the latest in marketing strategies and technologies to help you reach the right buyers and get a better price. “Advertising a home is something of an art form these days, often incorporating videos, drone photos, and 3D technology. When you use an agent, you’ll have someone committed to performing the vast majority of the work involved in these marketing efforts.”
Optimal Pricing Assistance
Getting the price right – that is, in line with market value – is critical for selling your house. An experienced agent can perform a comparative market analysis so that you don’t price too high or too low and ultimately sell for more. “NAR data shows that the typical home sold with the help of a real estate agent in 2022 went for $345,000, while homes without an agent on board went for $225,000.”
To find out more about how a Savannah, GA and Chatham County agent can assist you with optimal pricing, call 912-756-2448.
Help With Staging and Showing
“Agents also excel at staging a home for sale, either themselves or with a professional stager, ensuring your home will look its best to attract more buyers.”
Your real estate agent will save you time and effort by hosting “open houses and private showings and can coordinate with all of the vendors involved in the process, including appraisers, home inspectors, title agents, and notaries.”
Negotiating Expertise
A good agent will also possess plenty of experience and expertise in negotiating the best deal possible (one of the main reasons houses sell more with an agent). Drawing on her experience and knowledge in this area, your agent can typically wrangle a better price for your home, better terms, a more convenient closing date, and better conditions for you with respect to concessions.
Find the Right Real Estate Agent
Selling a home isn’t always easy. It’s one of the most stressful things that we can do in our lives. For most people, selling a home means moving and that’s something that’s stressful and difficult by itself. In the end, there are a lot of factors that will go into your decision about whether to use a real estate agent or online service to sell your house.
So should you sell through an online service or use a real estate agent to sell your Savannah, GA and Chatham County house? It should be pretty plain at this point that for most sellers the balance is weighted more toward the agent side. The benefits of using an agent just outweigh the advantages of selling through one of the online services. But you do need an experienced, knowledgeable Savannah, GA and Chatham County agent – and we have the agents who can assist you. If you’re considering selling your Savannah, GA and Chatham County house and want the advantages a qualified agent offers, contact us today at 912-756-2448.
