How to Sell a Home in the DMV
When it comes time to sell your home, you have a few different options. We’re going to discuss 3 of the most popular tactics below.
Selling a house on Zillow
Selling a house on Zillow is an increasingly popular choice. But does that mean it’s the best option?
For most people, Zillow is probably better known as a home search service than a selling platform. This is because Zillow functions first-and-foremost as a way to find homes that are listed on the Multiple Listing Service. They do offer home selling options, but it is unlikely that your home will sell quickly or for the price that you want.
Pros to Selling with Zillow:
Relatively straightforward online process
Option to list your own home
Cons to Selling with Zillow:
No expert pricing strategy
Very weak marketing
No Buyer-in-waiting programs
For almost every home owner, selling with Zillow or other similar online services is going to be an inferior option. Simply put, selling a home in the DMV requires a more customized approach!
For Sale By Owner Home Sale
If online home sellers aren’t customized enough, you might think to yourself:
Who knows my home better than me? Why can’t I just sell this myself?
Selling your own home doesn’t technically require any sort of special licensing. That means that — theoretically — anyone can sell their own home. In the biz, we generally refer to this as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) home sale.
FSBO sales might seem attractive at first glance. However, there are a lot of drawbacks that can lead to huge headaches and financial losses for people who try to sell a house by owner:
Pros to Selling by yourself:
No agent commission cost
Honestly, that’s the only real positive — and it certainly doesn’t tell the full story.
Cons to Selling by yourself:
Completely out-of-pocket costs
No marketing strategy
No Buyer-in-Waiting program
Reduced access to high-quality stagers and other vendors
NO ONE on your side during the negotiation process
If you try to sell a home without an agent, it is most likely that you will lose out on a significant amount of money. We simply cannot recommend that anyone do a FSBO home sale!
Selling a House with a Real Estate Agent
When it comes to having the best home sale, nothing beats working with a high quality real estate agent.
Good real estate agents have time, resources, connections, and expertise that most people simply don’t — and all of these are key to selling your home!
So, what are the pros and cons of working with a real estate agent on selling a house?
Pros to Selling with an Agent
Completely customized pricing strategy
Done-for-you marketing plans
Off-market home sales opportunities
Professional negotiators in your corner
Assistance dealing with competing offers on your home
Cons to Selling with an Agent:
You have to be able to collaborate with your agent and work together towards a common goal
The fact of the matter is that selling a house with a real estate agent is almost always the right move! Yes, you will pay them a commission when closing on the home — but in nearly every instance, you more than make up for that cost by getting a higher price for your home.
Do you want to ensure that you get the most possible money when selling your DMV home with an agent? All you need to do is find the best real estate team in your area!