Thinking Of Selling Your Seattle Area House Yourself Or Going With A Limited-Service Agent?
As with so many things in life, we often get what we pay for. While the most expensive option is not always the best, the cheapest option is often not the best, either.
Even in a seller’s market like Seattle, it’s smart to look at your options and see what will actually help you best reach your goals with the sale of your Seattle-area house. It’s important to know your options when selling your home so you can have the type of experience and profits you are hoping to achieve. If you have concerns about the pricing of our services, please contact us to let us know what you are considering so we can address your concerns and help make the right choice for you.
Dive into this chart, and learn the differences when you hire Keller Williams Greater Seattle, sell yourself, or a cut-rate limited service agent.
| Working With HomeSmart | For Sale By Owner | Cut Rate Agents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time To Sell: | Lower average days on market (under 50) | Studies show selling yourself adds on average 20+ days to the time to sell the house.** If your property is empty and vacant, this can be expensive and risky. | Depends on how comprehensive the service is to help market and negotiate the home |
| Typical Sales Price: | Houses sell for 13% higher prices* when working w/ a broker vs. FSBO | 13% less* than an experienced agent is able to negotiate | Depends if their service includes full negotiation services or not |
| Marketing Costs: | $0 – We pay for all marketing and do all of the marketing work | $500 – $5,000+ in ads, yard signs, online marketing, photography, staging and more. | $500 – $2,000+ in ads, yard sign, and more. |
| Types Of Marketing Included: | MLS listing, online paid advertising, professional photography, professional yard sign, our team of buyers agents, our in-house list of buyers, neighborhood mailings, open house if necessary, and more! | None. You’ll need to purchase all of your marketing separately. | MLS, other marketing usually extra |
| Time Commitment From You: | Very little. We want this to be as hands-off as possible for you so you can enjoy the process. | 3-5+ hours per week including fielding phone calls, showing the house, open houses, marketing, putting out signs, etc. | Varies. May include 3-5+ hours per week including showing the house, open houses, marketing, putting out signs, etc. |
| Fees / Commissions: | Competitive commission structure. We save you time, headaches, and paperwork hassles. Studies show we can help you sell for a higher price than selling FSBO. | $100-$1,000 for materials and FSBO website listings. | Flat fee or reduced commission for reduced services and assistance. |
| Legal / Contract / Advice: | 100% included. We handle all of the contracts, documents, setting up escrow and closing, and more! We worry about the details so you can relax. | You are responsible for all contracts, escrow, and legal details to ensure the closing happens correctly and legally. | Not always included, when it is it may be limited. Ask the agent what they include and will not include. |
Ready To Get The Process Started With Keller Williams Greater Seattle? Give Us A Call At (206) 578-3438 Or Get A FREE Home Valuation Report!
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Sources:
* 2014 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, National Association of REALTORS®)
** Both the Northwestern and the Stanford studies mentioned in the Money section confirm just that: “The use of a broker does lead to an accelerated sale. In that respect, brokers appear to add value,” the Stanford researchers declared. The Northwestern study found that it takes on average 20 days longer to sell a house on a FSBO site versus the MLS or an agent.
