Selling a House Opinions

[slayr]

I’ve sold a few on my own and recently had a realtor sale my last one. If you’re in no huge rush, I’d definitely look into selling it yourself. I’d get a CMA from a realtor, should cost you about $200, to give you an idea on where to list. The drone idea is great, but I’d make sure to include some professional pics of the place. When we were looking I liked the videos, but wanted to be able to really gaze at a pic. If you have it FSBO, you are not required to pay the realtor fee of 3%. A couple of the houses we have sold on our own the buyers had a realtor, they asked if we’d be willing to pay them their 3%, which I declined. In the end the buyer paid them their 3% and it seemed everyone walked away happy.

The only reason we used a realtor for the last house was because I was relocating and the company picked up the fees. There’s no way I could’ve lived with myself for giving away the amount of money a realtor would’ve made. As I was signing the CDs I saw the amount I’d have had to pay....no way I could’ve done it.

[ken800]

Ken - we were going to take the house down to beds, a TV in the living room and a couch and love seat to sit on. The rest of the house will be vacant. Or we may take everything out when we fly the drone and take pics. I'm gonna trick Rob into taking pics so I know they will be good.

The drone footage will be under 3 minutes. Should I limit the amount of photos as well.

I have the place 3 sides good fenced. I took down the entry and the front fence. Should I put up a pipe fence or field fence and entry or let the new owners decide. Also I don't have a rail around my back porch and I know it is required. So many different styles would this also be better for new owners to choose?

Thanks for the replies so far.

Houses that look abandoned usually sell for less because people assume it can't be sold so they lowball. There is a reason that people who are trying to get top dollar "stage" a house. If you can afford to leave it lightly furnished with very nice stuff, it'll look better in HDR imaging and you won't look "desperate" to get rid of it. Just my opinion but any agent will tell you the same.

I have bought/sold at least a dozen homes in my years on this planet and I'm always amazed at the stupidity of any given buyer. I.e. they won't buy a house or turn their nose up at something because of paint or blinds or ceiling fans or some other thing that is incredibly easy and inexpensive to change. If you have anything that isn't neutral, get it out, paint it, change it, repair it, etc.

You can spend a very small amount on what appear to be really nice fixtures like faucets, mirrors, lights, etc. and give it a bit more custom look if you have anything that's old, crusty, etc. Again, these are cheap fixes but there are so many that see that and say, "The whole bathroom needs to be remodeled"....

[texan4ut]

I am a real estate appraiser in your area. There are lots of drone companies working for realtors that do drone pictures. Mainly overhead still shots of acreage, views etc. I agree with River Rat get a good realtor. A really good realtor will earn their commission. Buyers like to look at multiple properties and you have one. A realtor may have access to buyers that you don't for instance that may be working with an out of state buyer that will never see your home and it might be exactly what they want and they will pay a premium for it. I know the market is good in this area and homes are selling pretty quick, but higher priced homes have slowed down and new homes are a tough competition as the builders can offer sales concessions that you can't. Just my .02

[junior]

Good Luck on selling it, just let me know when ya move so I can come fishing with ya!!

[DFWPI]

I am a real estate appraiser in your area. There are lots of drone companies working for realtors that do drone pictures. Mainly overhead still shots of acreage, views etc. I agree with River Rat get a good realtor. A really good realtor will earn their commission. Buyers like to look at multiple properties and you have one. A realtor may have access to buyers that you don't for instance that may be working with an out of state buyer that will never see your home and it might be exactly what they want and they will pay a premium for it. I know the market is good in this area and homes are selling pretty quick, but higher priced homes have slowed down and new homes are a tough competition as the builders can offer sales concessions that you can't. Just my .02

Great advice.

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[bloodtrailer28]

Weve sold our last 2 rent houses ourselves and saved a ton.

[BrianL]

Main thing is getting the value right. It isn't that hard and with a little research you can get a good starting number. Look at similar listing and get the $/sq ft they are listing and adjust for features. Also you can get your own appraisal from an appraiser like Texan4ut. It can be a $350-450 well spent. I think you should leave it furnished and stage it like someone above suggested. Remove all personal stuff and clutter, but leave rooms staged. There are reasons realtors pay to have homes staged.

[Huntindad]

Ken - we were going to take the house down to beds, a TV in the living room and a couch and love seat to sit on. The rest of the house will be vacant. Or we may take everything out when we fly the drone and take pics. I'm gonna trick Rob into taking pics so I know they will be good.

The drone footage will be under 3 minutes. Should I limit the amount of photos as well.

I have the place 3 sides good fenced. I took down the entry and the front fence. Should I put up a pipe fence or field fence and entry or let the new owners decide. Also I don't have a rail around my back porch and I know it is required. So many different styles would this also be better for new owners to choose?

Thanks for the replies so far.

Glen,

the front of the property will be the first impression from the buyers. Ya need to dress it up. May want to think about putting in a 3 row pipe fence with the entry recessed in a ways...with no gate(optional for buyer choice). Paint the fence glossy black
Also, throw a buttload of grass seed in the front.

[HOOKNBULLET2]

I am a real estate appraiser in your area. There are lots of drone companies working for realtors that do drone pictures. Mainly overhead still shots of acreage, views etc. I agree with River Rat get a good realtor. A really good realtor will earn their commission. Buyers like to look at multiple properties and you have one. A realtor may have access to buyers that you don't for instance that may be working with an out of state buyer that will never see your home and it might be exactly what they want and they will pay a premium for it. I know the market is good in this area and homes are selling pretty quick, but higher priced homes have slowed down and new homes are a tough competition as the builders can offer sales concessions that you can't. Just my .02

Great advice. A good realtor will more than earn their commission.
Title companies on the other hand not so much.

[Quackerbox]

I’ve sold a few on my own and recently had a realtor sale my last one. If you’re in no huge rush, I’d definitely look into selling it yourself. I’d get a CMA from a realtor, should cost you about $200, to give you an idea on where to list. The drone idea is great, but I’d make sure to include some professional pics of the place. When we were looking I liked the videos, but wanted to be able to really gaze at a pic. If you have it FSBO, you are not required to pay the realtor fee of 3%. A couple of the houses we have sold on our own the buyers had a realtor, they asked if we’d be willing to pay them their 3%, which I declined. In the end the buyer paid them their 3% and it seemed everyone walked away happy.

The only reason we used a realtor for the last house was because I was relocating and the company picked up the fees. There’s no way I could’ve lived with myself for giving away the amount of money a realtor would’ve made. As I was signing the CDs I saw the amount I’d have had to pay....no way I could’ve done it.

Where did you end up?

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[glen]

Thanks everyone. I am taking some advice. Putting in front mailbox and fence.
Drone footage I will have will be different than any and I am fortunate. This guy is flying my entire house inside and outside. He said he can make it 3d interactive and allow people to “fly where they want”. Photos will be good. I’m gonna horse trade AtTheWall another tarpon trip.
Have contacted a appraiser that lives close and been in business for 20 plus years. It may cost me $1k but then I will know exactly what to ask for place. I’ll post up the website when I get it for feedback before I advertise

[Atfulldraw]

We are now using a camera system called Matterport for 3D interior photos.

https://try.matterport.com/matterport-for-real-estate/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=EN%20-%20US%20-%20Brand%20-%20Camera&utm_content=matterport%203d%20camera&utm_term=matterport%203d%20camera&creative=381794150781&matchtype=e&device=c&gclid=CjwKCAiAjrXxBRAPEiwAiM3DQiSAZWF7WuRpcI7XNf0pXYtG4iHJhKs4wvOBkqWC7HTrMTgigMQumRoCYA8QAvD_BwE

I do remote appraisals for insurance litigation, and I swear their photos are better than the ones I can take if I'm there in person, and I tend to think pretty highly of my skills

One of the advantages (not as much for real estate work) is that they can also create a scaled sketch from the images as well.

There's probably someone in your area with a Matterport camera that wants to make some extra cash.

On the realtor - I love a realtor when someone else is paying (when I'm buying) and hate them when I'm selling

[Huntindad]

As far as using a realestate agent or not. Once you get the house the way "you" think it needs to be. Interview 3 different high end realtors. Have a set of questions for them. such as, how ya gonna market it, anything need changing to the house, What would list it for?.
If your appraisal comes back close to their listing price and you think your marketing strategy is similar and being laid up for a few months... selling it your self just may work out. You can always throw in a fishing trip as an incentive.

[DimmitCo]

Admittedly it depends on circumstance. Realtors certainly have a place. In my situation, it was low inventory and high demand. I knew within reason I could get it sold in a month. Got lucky and it only took 2 days.

If you know your market, go for it!

If you are worried about it, realtor may be a good fit.


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Tilden has some great advice. I would also consider what your house might sell for, and accordingly what that 3-6% savings is in gross dollars, versus the value of your time. I’ve always bought without a realtor, and recently sold my house without one using Facebook, NextDoor and sending the listing to all my area realtors offering a 3% commission if they brought me a buyer.

Redfin is a good resource in addition to your local appraiser...and it’s free to create an account and pull sales comps for last 3-24 months.

Texan4ut also has good advice. However, taking into account what I wrote above, if you have a realtor you’re guaranteed to receive 96-94% of your ultimate sales price, regardless of whether you have a desirable house or it sits for a few months (and possibly has price reductions). In my case, like Tilden, I kept up with my market regularly, used Redfin to create my own CMA and priced it for sale in a hot summer market. 99% certainty that I would have had to have a special unique bidding war while using a realtor in order to have generated the same net sales price to me as I got when selling it on my own.

Is your home in a rural area with several different sized lots, varying years of house builds, topography, etc? Or is it in an area with standard characteristics that make it easily comparable to other properties? The more standard, the easier it *should* be to sell on your own. The more unique, the more an *experienced* realtor may be able to help you.

Last, an appraiser is only going to give you his/her own opinion on value. If you have a good relationship, I would ask the appraiser what range of values he sees before you price. Then check out what is comparable using Redfin filters and come up with your asking price.