The Top 5 Reasons You Should Not For Sale By Owner

 

In today's market, with homes selling quickly and prices rising, some homeowners might consider trying to sell their home on their own, known in the industry as a For Sale by Owner (FSBO). There are several reasons this might not be a good idea for the vast majority of sellers. Here are five of those reasons:

1. There Are Too Many People to Negotiate With Here is a list of some of the people with whom you must be prepared to negotiate if you decide to For Sale By Owner:

• The buyer who wants the best deal possible
• The buyer’s agent who solely represents the best interest of the buyer
• The buyer’s attorney (in some parts of the country)
• The home inspection companies, which work for the buyer and will almost always find some problems with the house
• The appraiser if there is a question of value

2. Exposure to Prospective Purchasers Recent studies have shown that 89% of buyers search online for a home. That is in comparison to only 20% looking at print newspaper ads. Most real estate agents have an internet strategy to promote the sale of your home. Do you?

3. Results Come from the Internet Where do buyers find the home they actually purchased?

• 44% on the internet
• 33% from a Real Estate Agent
• 9% from a yard sign
• 1% from newspaper

The days of selling your house by just putting up a sign and putting it in the paper are long gone. Having a strong internet strategy is crucial.

4. FSBOing has Become More and More Difficult The paperwork involved in selling and buying a home has increased dramatically as industry disclosures and regulations have become mandatory. This is one of the reasons that the percentage of people FSBOing has dropped from 19% to 8% over the last 20+ years. The 8% share represents the lowest recorded figure since NAR began collecting data in 1981.

5. You Net More Money when Using an Agent Many homeowners believe that they will save the real estate commission by selling on their own. Realize that the main reason buyers look at FSBOs is because they also believe they can save the real estate agent’s commission. The seller and buyer can’t both save the commission. Studies have shown that the typical house sold by the homeowner sells for $210,000 while the typical house sold by an agent sells for $249,000. This doesn’t mean that an agent can get $39,000 more for your home as studies have shown that people are more likely to FSBO in markets with lower price points. However, it does show that selling on your own might not make sense.

Bottom Line

Before you decide to take on the challenges of selling your house on your own, sit with a real estate professional in your marketplace and see what they have to offer.

Source: Keeping Current Matters | The KCM Crew 03282016

3 Charts That Scream ‘List Your Home Today’

In school we all learned the Theory of Supply and Demand. When the demand for an item is greater than the supply of that item, the price will surely rise.

SUPPLY

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently reported that the inventory of homes for sale stands at a 4.4-month supply. This is considerably lower than the 6-month inventory necessary for a normal market.

DEMAND Every month NAR reports on the amount of buyers that are actually out in the market looking for homes, or foot traffic. As seen in the graph below, buyer demand in February significantly outpaced the last six months.

Many buyers are being confronted with a very competitive market in which they must compete with other buyers for their dream home (if they even are able to find a home they wish to purchase). Listing your house for sale now will allow you to capitalize on the shortage of homes for sale in the market, which will translate into a better pricing situation.

HOME EQUITY

Many homeowners underestimate the amount of equity they currently have in their home. According to a recent Fannie Mae study, 37% of homeowners believe that they have more than 20% equity in their home. In reality, CoreLogic’s latest Equity Reporttells us that 72.6% actually do!

Many homeowners who are undervaluing their home equity may feel trapped in their current home, which may be contributing to the lack of inventory in the market.

Bottom Line

If you are debating selling your home this year, meet with a local real estate professional who can evaluate the equity you have in your home, as well as the opportunities available in your market.

Source: Keeping Current Matters/ The KCM Crew 03222016

The Main Reason to Use a Real Estate Professional when Selling Your House

Every homeowner hopes to accomplish five goals when selling their home:

1. Sell it for the best price
2. Sell it within a predetermined time
3. Sell it with the least amount of hassles
4. Close on the sale the same day they move into their new home

The fifth reason is the most obvious and the most important:

5. They want to make sure it sells.

In order to dramatically increase the chances that the house sells, a homeowner should list with a real estate professional in their market. Why? Because agents have access to the vast majority of the available buyers!! According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) recently released 2016 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report, 87% of all buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker. And more that 8 out of 10 buyers in every age group used an agent (see chart below).

Bottom Line

If you want your home sold, the best way is to go where the buyers are. The NAR study revealed that the vast majority of purchasers will use an agent when they buy. Meet with a local real estate professional today if you want the best chance of selling.

Source: The KCM Crew/Keeping Current Matters 03162016

Study Again Finds Homeownership to be a Better Way of Producing Wealth

According to the latest Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index homeownership is a better way to produce greater wealth, on average, than renting. The BH&J Index is a quarterly report that attempts to answer the question:

Is it better to rent or buy a home in today’s housing market?

The index examines the entire US housing market and then isolates 23 major markets for comparison. The researchers use a “'horse race' comparison between an individual that is buying a home and an individual that rents a similar quality home and reinvests all monies otherwise invested in homeownership.” Ken Johnson Ph.D., Real Estate Economist & Professor at Florida Atlantic University, and one of the index’s authors states:

“The nation as a whole is in buy territory. Continued near record low mortgage rates, unsteady stock market performance, and rents (on average) now out pacing the cost of ownership (maintenance, taxes, insurance, etc.) all combine to favor owning and building wealth through home equity over renting and reinvesting in a portfolio of stocks and bonds.”

Dallas, Denver and Houston currently remain deep in rent territory but, “there is some degree of good news from these markets for homeowners as the cost of renting is now increasing at a faster rate than the cost of homeownership — reducing the advantage of renting over buying.”

Bottom Line

Buying a home makes sense socially and financially. Rents are predicted to increase substantially in the next year, so lock in your housing cost with a mortgage payment now.

Source: Keeping Current Matters/KCM Crew/03082016

WHEN THE DREAM HOUSE IS A MONEY PIT

Buyers that fail to pay attention might find that the dream house is a money pit. The vast majority of agents have little to no experience evaluating a home. Seller’s disclosures? Please, we’ve written repeatedly that home buyers should not put much faith in seller disclosures. Home inspectors should always be consulted but a good 75% of a report is boilerplate; issues noted are often followed by “…and an expert in the field should evaluate…”. If a buyer fails to follow up – any many do – problems can arise. Making a home purchase look boring takes a significant amount of experience and teamwork; one of the most important aspects is fully understanding and addressing the flaws in every home. Miss something and that dream home becomes a bottomless money pit. What to do? Plenty..... There are common sense moves that every buyer should do - and they very fist and basic thing is ensure that everyone involved is an EXPERT. The single most important asset to a buyer is their agent, yet and still so many buyers do not take this most important step seriously. Many buyers either don't care to or don't know how to properly select a real estate agent. Miss that and trouble follows because most buyers will depend on their agent to keep them out of trouble. There are three main areas to focus attention on to avoid falling into a money pit home.



1. QUALIFY everyone involved in the transaction. From agent to inspector to contractor to surveyor to.......just a few seconds on Google...do something!

2. Learn about homes, what to look for and what might be common problems for homes in the area under consideration. Knowing trends or issues in the area, age of homes, materials used, trends....all help paint a background for a buyer.

3. Understand options if and when something arises. The agent is critical here; are there outs in the contract to prevent the buyer from being trapped in a deal? While the above may be common sense, it’s fascinating how stupid – yes that’s harsh but it’s true – some home buyers are when it comes to this process. It’s baffling; would a buyer act as nonchalantly if handing 400K to a financial adviser? Why would they use Uncle Tony who is between jobs as their agent knowing Tony isn’t a pro? Read more and dive deeper into ways to avoid The Dream House that Becomes a Nightmare. Don't let what should be one of the best things become one of the worst - or a financial calamity that does lasting damage.

Sources: Realty Times, Hank Miller/Zillow/AOL Real Estate/ New York Times