Selling homes is a wild ride and a lot can go wrong during the process. Damages may happen, a buyer may back out, the house may sit on the market for months and months without a bite… Agents know how to prepare when these roadblocks happen. Unfortunately, an inexperienced real estate seller trying to sell through FSBO may not know how to handle these circumstances. Because of this, it is always important to hire a real estate agent when trying to sell a home. Statistically, houses handled by agents sell for much more than FSBOs. Here’s why:

Negotiation skills

Real estate agents are skilled persuaders. Through training and experience, they have learned the art of negotiating with customers. Someone selling through FSBO may not know how to negotiate with a client in order to land a deal, while an agent most definitely will.

Taking emotions out of the equation

It is easy to feel offended when trying to sell your own home. If a potential client doesn’t like the layout, thinks the asking price is too high, or backs out of a deal, an FSBO seller may feel hurt. For a real estate agent, these downfalls are just another day on the job. With no emotional connection to the home, an agent can conduct business without getting sensitive about the outcome.

Difference in motivation

Sure, an FSBO seller is motivated to sell their home so they can move on to better horizons. But there is a distinct difference in motivation between a real estate agent and an FSBO seller. To put it simply, for an agent, this is their livelihood. They know they are going to receive a monetary compensation for their efforts. However, the same cannot be said of a house that’s being sold as FSBO. An agent has more drive and ambition to sell a home because that’s their job they are being paid to do.

MLS impact

Publicity is another key aspect of selling a home. If a home is not listed anywhere, then no one will know it’s for sale in the first place. Real estate agents know how successfully list a home in order to expose it to a larger demographics of buyers. Listing techniques are crucial, and without them, a home simply will not sell.

Ability to stage homes

Real estate agents may as well take a second job as interior designers. Professional agents know how to stage an open house in order to attract buyers. Without their knowledge and experience, a home may not seem as appealing to a potential client as it could. Staging a home is extremely important since it leaves the first impression on potential buyers. If it is not staged correctly, they will very quickly lose interest.